Halloween is indisputably a love-hate holiday. It’s a day of bite-sized candy, costumes and chaos.
There are some who refuse to participate for religious reasons, others because they say that it’s really just an excuse for women to dress like sluts and still more who claim that the whole thing is just stupid.
Maybe a lot of what happens on Halloween is somewhat ridiculous, but I would argue that mainstream Halloween is necessary in its own way.
I don’t know about every other student out there, but I’m stressed right now. My professors are all doing that evil thing where they collaborate and make every assignment for every class due on the same day. (You cannot tell me that isn’t done on purpose.)
Is it really wrong for me to want to go “Resident Evil” for a day and walk around in a thoroughly impractical zombie-hunting outfit?*
Sure, it is frivolous, but I believe that college students need a little frivolity to stay sane. We also need sugar. Those bite-sized peanut butter cups will save your life. Not kidding.
Is Halloween based on ancient traditions of divination and communication with the dead? Yep. Do any of us intend to wear our cheap Wal-Mart costumes to a graveyard and try to tell the dead how bad the economy is or how awesome iPhones are? Probably not.
To those to whom Halloween actually does have religious connotation, I apologize. Welcome to the mainstream, where rabbits lay eggs and fat guys fit down chimneys. It’s insane and often irreverent, but I find it best to just go with it.
None of this is to say that I do not respect religious beliefs with regard to Halloween participation or the lack thereof. I just think that we can all use some fun and a handful of individually wrapped candy bars right now.
Whatever it is you decide to do, at least make sure to grab yourself some candy corn pumpkins and celebrate fall.
*You don’t ever actually wear a trench coat when hunting zombies; it’ll get caught on stuff. Duh.
-Brandi Bunch, Editor