Halloween In The 1930's

Halloween is an important holiday that is enjoyed by people in North America and Europe, but few people have an understanding of the origin of the celebration and its plentiful traditions. The expansive history of the holiday persists in many of the festivities.
Halloween began as an Irish festival that marked the end of summer. Gaelic tradition contributed many familiar aspects of the holiday, but its name came from the Catholic Church. October 31st was the night before All Saints’ Day, thusly it was originally referred to as All Hallow’s Eve, and later it was called Halloween. The name has persisted for hundreds of years despite the drastic evolution of the holiday. Many other ancient Gaelic traditions play central parts in the celebration.
Before the mass-immigration of Scottish and Irish people there were no records of Halloween being a widely celebrated holiday. On the night before All Saints’ Day, the immigrants celebrated with costumes, tricks, and Jack-o-lanterns. As Americans came to accept Irish people the entire country began to celebrate Halloween. However, before it became the family friendly holiday that is celebrated today, it underwent one major change. During the 1930’s, Halloween was celebrated by tricks, or large acts of vandalism and arson. As an effort to reduce crime, teachers and policemen began throwing parties on Halloween. While teenagers were bobbing for apples and having costume contests they were not out causing trouble. Modern Halloween came into existence with the invention of the Halloween party. By the 1950’s Halloween was celebrated in almost the exact same way it’s celebrated today. Children in costumes wandered door to door asking for candy while teenagers and adults celebrated with Halloween parties. Entertainment began being made specifically for the holiday. Not soon after, selling costumes and candy became an industry. Nowadays he United States spends billions of dollars to celebrate October 31st. The holiday has grown from a festival marking the end of summer and the return of spirits into a night of fright and fun for
The United States and the British Isles all celebrate Halloween because they have been heavily influenced by Irish culture. France did not have the same influence; nonetheless, they adopted the holiday recently. There are other similar celebrations such as Dia de los Muertos, All Saints’ Day, and various celebrations for returning spirits that can be found all around the world. Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a two day holiday similar to Halloween that is celebrated in Mexico. As part of the celebration people don beautifully crafted costumes and paint their faces to resemble skulls. People build altars to deceased family members and lay paths of flower petals to lead the returning spirits back home. Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are very similar holidays because they are both a mixture of pre-Christian tradition and the beliefs of All Saints’ Day. However, Dia de los Muertos is still a different holiday than Halloween because it’s not based in Irish tradition like Halloween; Dia de los Muertos has its own unique and beautiful customs because it is based on ancient Aztec beliefs. In many other parts of Europe All Saints’ Day is celebrated. Each country has its own unique traditions revolving around the holiday. In Germany it is common for people to hide their knives on October 31st so that returning spirits do not