halloween

On October 31 all the younger generation dress up and go around to all the different houses, knock on the door and say trick or treat when someone opens the door. Each year people spend hundreds of dollars to make their costume the best or to have the distinction of having one of the best parties of the year. If one looks into the facts that are behind into how the holiday came about and what it has evolved into.
Originally Halloween was called Samhain which was thought to have meant the Celtic death god. This holiday was started in the 18th century by a writer. Samhain was thought to be a god but in truth he only had a minor hero role in Celtic mythology.
Years later it finally came out that Halloween was a fake holiday. The people today put more emphasis on holidays and things that they can have rather than spending time with their families and things that really matter to them. Halloween has turned into a free for all spending spree. Spending over a hundred dollars today is nothing like spending twenty dollars about fifty years ago. Today we look at it as schange. Just because your neighbor is throwing a big party does not mean that you have to throw an even bigger party. People think that by having lots of things and lots of money means that they are on top and that they will only be happy if they have these things. Halloween is a prime example of needing something to be happy. It is as if this country has forgotten that Halloween is one day out of the year to have fun not to upstage another and be the best.
Another thing that Halloween brings out every year is the fact that in the United States obesity is a major problem today. All night long kids go around and collect candy from every house. When they go home they begin to eat as much as they can before they begin to get sick. A holiday based around the collection of candy does not help to promote a healthy society. It is said that they average person as an adult is about the size 14 and up. Just like we have put our happiness in the owning of material items we have also done the same for food.
Is Halloween the only holiday that we associate with these things in today’s time? i believe that every major holiday has the same issues that Halloween. There is not much being done to help solve these issues beyond the fact that there have been a few articles in the paper and it has been mentioned once or twice on the news. One good thing that has come about is the fact that some tv stations have started to show shows were people are trying to change their life style around.
The evolution of the Halloween holiday has taken drastic turns in my opinion but then again you could say that it was invented for just the purpose of having fun and to have an extra celebration.