Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. However, it is not like Christmas, where we celebrate the birth of Christ, or Valentines, where we celebrate the martyr Saint Valentine. Halloween is not the same as these celebrations. In here, we celebrate the souls of those who passed before us. Does that sound scary? Not really, for the celebration of Halloween is really fun.

All Saints day, which falls on November 1, is sometimes confused with Halloween, which falls on the last day of October. In the 1600s, the word Halloween was first manifested. It represents a variant of the fuller Scottish term “All-Hallows-Eve”, which is the night before All Hallows Day.

Today, Halloween is celebrated in many ways. Although not all celebrates it, those who do has different views on its traditions and importance. Some nations have their own unique ways of celebrating Halloween although some follow the American way of celebrating Halloween for it can often be seen in iconic and commercial events.

Usually, Halloween is celebrated by parties in which participants will attend wearing different kinds of costumes. This is more prominent in the U.S, of A. The costumes are often like ghost, witch, ghouls but recently more costumes are being used such as characters from TV series, Pirates of the Caribbean Costumes, space-themed costumes, and much more. Another prominent way of celebrating Halloween is the Trick-or-Treating of little children. It is where little kids roam the neighborhood, asking each house for treats or candies by saying the words “Trick-or-Treat” to the homeowner. Usually the homeowners give the children candies, but if they don’t the kids will usually do a mischievous but harmless prank to the homeowner, which is the “trick” in the phrase Trick-or-Treat. As there are many children wearing different kinds of costumes like Pirates of the Caribbean Costumes, monster costumes, or Michael Jackson costumes, many enjoy this Halloween tradition, although some people feel that it is a nuisance.

Here in the Philippines, Halloween is rarely noticed. However, especially in the urban areas, Halloween is sometimes celebrated nowadays. Because we do not know what it is, we did not experience Trick-or-Treating while I was young. But, in my elementary days, we would usually plan a costume party for the Halloweens, although at times it does not exactly fall on the day of Halloween. We would instead wear costumes rather than uniforms when we go to school that day. After our classes, which would be dismissed early because we would only take our quizzes and have no lectures, we would have our party. Nowadays, I see children, sometimes wearing costumes, go door-to-door asking for treats. But because some people cannot (or prefer not to) buy costumes, you will see improvised costumes such as a boy zombie wearing a “barong” while having lots of powder on his face, or a girl princess wearing a gown her parents probably got for a weeding or something. Character costumes are very rare here, so I do not see kids wearing Pirates of the Caribbean Costumes. But at least the Halloween spirit is there. And like in the other countries, it is still fun to watch!

Halloween, which is really a fun celebration, really has some deep meaning behind it. Halloween teaches us lessons about mortality and death. We should value our own lives, for once it’s lost, it’s gone forever. And also, we should enjoy our lives to the fullest, for it only comes ones.

Have a great fun Halloween!

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