What is Halloween?
If you have never been around the U.S. during October, then you might not be aware of traditional activities during Halloween. As a child, you’d probably remember dressing up in costumes and going to the mall and receiving all kinds of goodies from the vendors with three simple words: trick or treat. As a student, you remember begging teachers to assign less work or for Teacher Work Day to miraculously appear on Halloween. As an adult, you’d probably attend parties, or accompany your kids. Don’t get me wrong, not everyone celebrates by going out for candy or partying. It has also become fairly common to just stay home and pass out candy or watch a movie with your family and friends.
What are some Halloween events?
Besides the fun and joy, there have also been lots of terrifying scares. For example, most houses will decorate as early as September just to get in the Halloween mood. Most people typically go for the classical pumpkin and scarecrow or something simpler and cute. But for those who love a good scare, you might also find some fog, red lights, moving bones, and even some characters from the most gruesome horror movies. Sometimes, people leave a bucket of candy for you to grab and then pop out in a crazy clown mask. For those less interested, they might just leave a bowl of candy outside, but, chances are, someone will just take the whole bowl with them.
There are also pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and Halloween carnivals where you can bob for apples and carve pumpkins. Some pumpkin carvings can even charge up to $2,000 per pumpkin. Depending on the area, there are also some haunted houses that open only in October to put you in the Halloween spirit, with actors dressed from top to bottom and in full character even at the doorway. Personally, horror films and zombies aren’t my cup of tea, but if you enjoy a good scare, then I would also recommend going to Knott’s Scary Farm. Originally known as Knott’s Berry Farm, Knott’s Scary Farm is a seasonal event filled with unimaginable scares and creatures lurking in every corner of the park. For your information, the only safe place is the bathrooms, they literally follow you everywhere!
All in all, if you love an innovative thrill, you will definitely enjoy this holiday. However, if you don’t, no worries. There are always pumpkin carvings, trick-or-treating, and parties.
Discussion Questions:
Do you like Halloween? Why or why not?
How would you celebrate Halloween?
Share your most memorable Halloween story!