by Jerzy Nicolas, Rosa Renzi, Wendy Maria Lorena Ndong Biko, and Jem Barclay
Halloween is the day to dress up or celebrate the dead. The night of October 31st is said to be the time where ghost stories and scary movies come to life. Is this still the case or have its traditions become an advertisement tool and an excuse to have fun?
As the streets fill with pumpkins and lanterns, this marks the purpose of what Halloween is in Western culture. Halloween’s rise in popularity over the years has led to the questioning of the origins.
Ericka Iove, 22, Business Marketing and Management student at London Metropolitan University said, “I don’t celebrate it, somehow we are celebrating the death when we have other things in our life that are better to celebrate.”
Halloween has been commercialized from costumes to candy, shifting its focus to partying and consumerism. Enes Uludag, 19, Engineering student at London Met said, “It is just an excuse to have fun.”
A lonesome skeleton spotted after at Kew Gardens after a few drinks. Credit: Jem Barclay
Students at London Metropolitan University were asked on their plans for Halloween, giving insight into how it is celebrated in this day and age.
Fatima Kamara, 22, Pharmacology student said “I like the thrill and the excitement, and when you get the jump scares. It’s funny when you look at it.”
This year, the festival of light meets the festival of darkness as Diwali and Halloween are both on October 31st.
Harjeet Vaid, 23, Masters student of Public Health said “I’ve never celebrated this festival before because I am from another country so my rituals are different. There are many festivals that we celebrate in India, like this year Diwali are on the same day.”
Trying to catch the last train of the day after Halloween at Kew event. Credit: Jem Barclay
As the original meaning of Halloween continues to fade, the holiday increasingly becomes celebrated for entertainment. As consumers during holidays and traditions, do we value commerce over celebration?
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