Halloween in America is a big holiday, at least for me. It is a day to dress up in random clothes, you would be shunned from society for wearing any other day and to eat a ton of candy while watching scary movies.
At school in the States I decorate the door to my flat, as well as inside and usually watch '13 Night of Halloween' on ABC Family. I will spend hours looking up costumes and planning over the perfect thing to wear, although I usually end up with some last minute costume that I bought at Walmart or made from things I already own.
The best Halloween outfit I ever did was being a dead person my Senior year in High School. I had spent almost a month choosing what to dress as and only about a week before Halloween did I pick it. I went to a local Goodwill, bought some nice dress clothes, and got to rip them up. Online it said to bury them for a few days so they would get a nice dirt smell to make the costume more believable, but I was not that into it, so I just soaked the shirt in tea for a few days to make it look stained, and then painted my face entirely white white black eyeliner stitches. It was pretty ridiculous looking, but compared to my usually Dorothy costume, I thought it was a pretty good attempt.
But, getting back to England, and what I am suppose to be talking about...
Halloween is a big thing in America. Even if you do not dress up or have a party, you hand out candy (or leave some on your porch), and see all the nice Halloween and fall decorations that people put out leading up to the day. Well, in England, it is hardly a holiday at all. I saw no trick-or-treaters (then again I live in a college residence community, so where would they come from). No Halloween decorations up, and barely any sold. Minimal people dressed up. And general lack of Halloween movies.
I roommates spent a few nights leading up to Halloween watching 'Little Vampire' and 'Hocus Pocus' to get into the Halloween spirit, but there was hardly any point in doing it. I really wanted to dress up this year and to experience Halloween in England, but I don't think there was much to experience. (And plus I had no money to buy a costume, so I dressed as a Muggle from Harry Potter.) I saw some clubs were putting on Halloween themed parties where you dressed up to go, but that just isn't the same when no one appreciates the day being celebrated.
I think so people were relieved Halloween is not a big thing here because there is less requirement to dress up, or hand out candy, but then what is the point of doing anything? I think of Halloween as a day to be silly and strange with your friends while eating large quantities of candy that no one can judge you for doing. It really just reminds me how different England and the US really are in some ways.
But to end the story on a happy note, my friends and I went to a Ghost Tour around Oxford and got to learn about all the strange and horrible deaths that people have gone through over the ages there. It was rather interesting, as well as a bit spooky. We then went home and watched some Halloweentown in honor of the day. And I plan to watch some Stephen King tonight, as it just isn't Halloween without him.
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The least of learning is done in the classrooms." -Thomas Merton
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