Someone told me the other day that Christmas is for family and Halloween is for friends, and hot damn I felt that. I felt that with every fibre of my being and before that moment, I wasn’t really all that into the whole Halloween thing. I mean, sure, it’s big on TV (the States) but I’ve never really seen it in practice here in Australia. The holiday cops a lot of flack from Aussies, but I think it’s kind of caught the raw end of the deal here, we just haven’t given it a proper chance. So… here are my top reasons why you should embrace the holiday right here, right now.
A whole lot of tradition
I know it’s hard to comprehend sometimes, but Halloween didn’t start with kids in weird outfits begging for candy. It’s actually steeped in a lot of tradition. Drawing inspiration from the Paegan religious festival Samhain, which many believed was a time where the barrier between the physical world and the spiritual world dissipated entirely – spooky. However as Celtic, European and American cultures merged, Halloween became more like a celebration, a festival, and a chance to celebrate all things spooky and terrifying. Through TV, movies, and a general love of pop culture, Americans took Halloween and ran with it and started begging for candy in the streets, and… dressing up in the cutest costumes you ever did see. Although the phenomenon never really caught on here, if you’re on the fence about celebrating, take comfort in the fact that it goes back a lot further than pet costumes and king-sized chocolate bars.
Vintage. Horror. Movies.
When was the last time you watched a really (really) good horror movie? Not just your average jump-scare vibe made to scare teenagers and make small children cry. I mean a good horror movie. A classic. Cinema. It’s not every day you’re going to sit down and watch a horror movie right, but when Halloween rolls around this is your time to shine people! Our recommendations? The Shining, The Witch, Psycho, Get Out and Funny Games. If you want to go truly vintage, make sure you check out anything by Argento, Hitchcock, or Gaslight featuring Ingrid Bergman. Scare yourself, but keep it classy.
We all deserve a little celebration
Like… c’mon. As if you need another excuse to celebrate right now. You know, get together with those friends you’ve been chatting to via text for months on end. The ones you miss doing the things with, that we all used to be able to do. But also, it can be a little awkward the first time you get together again. The question of “so… what have you been up to?” doesn’t hold as much weight as it used to – trust me. (If you are stuck for ideas though, make sure you check out our conversation starters article to get the ball rolling). But see… with Halloween, the ice is already broken, by that AH-MAZING costume you’re wearing. Wow I love your bracelet where did you get it? What was your inspiration? Oh wow I love that movie too etc.
Community spirit – it’s still alive and well
When I was young, I lived in one of those idyllic neighbourhoods. The kind where everyone left their doors open and unlocked, and random neighbourhood children would pop by and suddenly be playing in your backyard. To me now it sounds like a nightmare, but as a small child, it was amazing. It was one of those streets that just seems to go on forever, but everyone knew each other, and cul-de-sac parties and roving dinners were a regular thing. So was Halloween. Every house would prepare in one way or another (candy, decorations, my Dad objecting, you know, the usual) and the kids would all go trick or treating. It was a way for us to express our creativity, connect with the neighbours, and have a raucous time eating lollies, but mostly it was really about community. Those old school values of actually knowing your neighbours and relying on them at times, was some kind of wonderful. And if Halloween is the catalyst to bring that back, I’m so here for that.
Celebrate, don’t celebrate, you do you boo but… Don’t feel like you have to stick to what you’ve always known, you know. Get festive, dress up, go a little crazy in a post lockdown world. Call it candy and give yourself a good scare. Who knows, this could be a whole new vibe for you and your crew.
