THE AMERICAN INFLUENCE ON HALLOWEEN

Halloween has become one of the most popular festivals in Britain with around £600 million being spent by the population each year as parents buy pumpkins, scary costumes and house decorations and not forgetting the sweets and this number is likely to have increased after our recent Halloween, but has this increased interest in marketing the spooky nature of Halloween come from the influence of America or our own enjoyment?
Halloween originates from the festival of ‘Samhain’, this was a part of the ancient Celtic religion in Britain and Europe. During this festival, it was believed that as summer ended the barrier between our world and the world of ghosts became thin, this meant that they believed that on this day the ghosts had the ability to walk on our Earth. To ‘celebrate’ this day, the ‘Celts’ would hold a great party, aiming to scare away any ghosts that dared to trespass on the earth. This day of party later became known as ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ as a result of the Christian religion.

But how did the Americans transform this into the scary holiday that so many celebrate today?

During the 19th century, there were many Irish immigrants who moved to America for factors such as financial reasons, this meant that these immigrants brought their own traditions to America and began the American influence on Halloween. As this continued throughout the 19th century, by the 20th century, the Americans had put their own influence of the Celtic traditions. For example, the Celtics would often dress in animal skins and hold bonfires as part of the ‘Samhain’ party, however the Americans changed this with the scary costumes we recognise today with children dressing up as witches and ghosts. To add, one of the most recognisable symbols of ‘Halloween’ is the carving of a pumpkin, another tradition that was introduced from America.

As we moved into the 21st century and technology improved, people in different countries such as England began to see the great American traditions which have become greatly popular in England today with many carving a pumpkin, dressing up and walking around their neighbourhood trick or treating.

But is the newly marketed Halloween enjoyed by everyone?

When people aged under the age of 18 were asked what their opinion of Halloween was, one said “I like Halloween, it’s fun and in our society today I think that it is something for us to enjoy”, whereas another said “I don’t really understand why it’s necessary, it has been influenced so much by American traditions that it has become another marketing strategy for large companies to get us to spend more”

To conclude, whether you dressed up as a scary character this Halloween, it has become increasingly popular as a result of the American influence and we should expect this expansion of Halloween to continue.