Why are people bothered about Halloween being American?

[OgwdihwO]

I often hear both on here and irl that Halloween, trick or treating in particular is so American therefore we don’t participate.

Why is it an issue that it’s American?

There are many traditions that are not British! Do these people only celebrate British traditions? Or are they hypocritically getting drunk on Burns Night or celebrating Easter/Christmas (Jesus wasn’t British after all)

I was reading up on the fascinating history about Hallowe’en. It has both Christian and pagan routes. The bonfires of guy fawkes probably originated from Medieval English Hallowe’en traditions. Early Christians knocked on doors for soul cakes. I like the Irish belief that this was the time of year the the worlds of the living and the dead collide. It also has routes in other European countries.

Commercialisation and a retail opportunity encouraging people to spend ££££££ on plastic tat that's used for a day or so then binned. It's getting to the stage now where there's hardly a week goes by that the shops are not encouraging us to buy 'seasonal' stuff - NY, Burn's Night, Valentine's, St Patrick's , Easter and so on. All festivals are great, but we don't need to drown the planet in sexy witch outfirs and plastic pumpkin shaped buckets to put sweeties in. Grump over. For now.

@MacDuffsMuff

Well it is in a way. Walk into any supermarket right now and you will find Halloween costumes, trick or treat sweets and buckets, and pumpkins in abundance.

But people only buy it because they want to, it's supply and demand isn't it. People like me (who winge about the amount of tat) don't buy it. People who want that whole commercial thing do buy it. No judgement from me either way, but I think it's important to place the 'blame' appropriately and I believe that it's parents who do this.

People do it because of pressure. Other people do it. They see it on SM, in American films etc and it looks ".cool". It's not as easy as "people want it". A lot of people don't want it, but they feel they should do it.

Some people actually do want the "supermarket Halloween " though!

Halloween is most definitely American.

Did the native Americans celebrate Halloween then?

Samhain
Celtic, pagan new year
First footing
It's not separate to Halloween these days
It was taken along with other pagan celebrations by the christian church and turned into something else
We know christmas is meant to be about the birth of christ, but it's actually winter solstice and whatever it's called it's still very much winter solstice to pagans
These aren't American things
Americans are just better at not holding back when it comes to making something a party :)
You want to google the reason people wore scary masks and made scary pumpkins
It's what I teach my children
Holidays make much more sense with some history

People do it because of pressure. Other people do it. They see it on SM, in American films etc and it looks ".cool". It's not as easy as "people want it". A lot of people don't want it, but they feel they should do it.

I disagree @Frequentcarpetflyer (respectfully). I would be surprised if most people really bought shit loads of Halloween stuff because they feel pressured, that's what we all try to teach our own children not to feel! I think they buy it because they want it not because they're so weak willed they have to follow what they see on SM.

Some people actually do want the "supermarket Halloween " though!. That's my point, and that's fine but we can't really blame 'Americans'. 😁

Trick or treat is American. Halloween isn’t.

I think it is that it is spouted as an Americanisation of English (in particular) culture. There has always been a backlash towards that. Indie bands for example and Brit pop etc was a backlash to the Grunge scene of the 90's that was mainly American youth singing about how much they hated life. It didn't really represent English culture and our experiences. I think these attitudes were heavily influenced by our parents who didn't much care for American things, my Dad refused to eat MacDonalds and my DH's whole family were the same, that has certainly changed now though. What's funny is that my Dad now prefers American satirical chat shows, he hates the lack of social fluidity in the class system and how it's still the same type of people running the country. He was very politically active in the 60's though and thinks things have worsened rather than improved.

thank you moon for writing that, a lot of people don't know the origins behind a lot of 'christian / other religious' celebrations and events and that they have their roots in paganism, a religion of nature.

I wonder if centuries ago, did people talk of how decorating Christmas trees is too German and killing their English traditions of just using evergreen branches as decorations around the home and then getting drunk in the streets as in true English Christmas spirit in olden times.

Yes, there is pressure to take part in all major holidays, but there are plenty of people who don't. Traditions adapt as people pass them on and yes, larger social powers tend to make passing their own on as more desireable.

It can be hard to compete, but if it's important, people make the effort even when we're all alone in celebrating or not celebrating something.

MouseholeCat Sounds about right to me - I'm from Evangelical America, and we would drive around to look at the Halloween lights and decorations and then two months later do it all again for Christmas. My family never decorated beyond the door but it was a big part of the true religion of many of those areas - reputation and appearance.

I think part of how some of the American media is that some things can't convert over well. Like, where I'm from and what I've seen in some movies, is porch lights by the front door. On means you could knock, it got turned off when they ran out of candy or didn't want to participate. It meant people could decorate and not be available all night -- but in the UK, those lights are uncommon and just using decorations in the dark are harder to see and remove. It needs to be better adapted, but until enough make the effort to do so (I do think this year's pumpkin/skeleton/other decoration trails could have some promise), there will just be complaining about American traditions that look fun but in many spaces - even in the US - are an ill fit.

I use it as one reason why I am bothered. I value our culture and do not want us to be the 51st state in all but name.

I’m 55 so grew up in the 1960s and 70s

Halloween for us was turnips/swedes, bob apple, toffee apples, cinder toffee, turning the lights off, candles and grandad trying to scare you with spooky stories
Bonfire night - we did penny for the guy ( we made the guys from old clothes) and the guys would get chucked on the big bonfire on the local bombsite. Dads and older boys would spend days building the bonfire, all the kids had sparklers, baked spuds in the fire
I suppose I see a simplicity that is lacking now, but that goes for Christmas, Easter, mothers day etc.
And its a shame that trick or treating seems to have become the main feature - do children today know what bob apple is?

Isn't it a shame then that the festivals celebrated by many immigrants/people of other cultures who live in Britain aren't also celebrated in the same big way as Halloween (the modern American version of it)?

Bob Apple? Is that where you put apples in a tub of water and you dunk your head to grab one with your mouth? I did that when I was younger. I wouldn't do it during COVID-19 though.

We still have Carmel Apple too but I don't think people in America care too much for it. They like peanut Reese cup better

Hanging a bun covered in treacle from a washing line attached to a long string and try to take a bite as people wobbled the line. Not fun...

I fully admit to being snobbish about American influence on British culture. But if we don't maintain our own traditions we'll be absorbed. Like a PP mentioned, the growth of Halloween as a Big Thing is at the expense of Bonfire Night.

I also stand by my view that Halloween costumes in Britain should be spooky. Not random pop culture characters, which is how it's gone in the USA.

I did turnip lanterns as a child (80's) and went guising, and we'd have a party piece to do, like tell a joke or sing a song. DS actually said he wanted to do a turnip lantern this year, I said no, you have no idea how long that is going to take and either me or Dad will have to finish it. He had had a party piece ready for guising in previous years.

Apple bobbing in our house when I was a child was followed by trying to take a bite out of an apple fixed onto a dangling, horizontal bit of wood with a lighted candle fixed to the other end and suspended from a doorway. You had to nip in and grab a bite of apple as the piece of wood twirled around without singeing your eyebrows off in the candle flame. We did it after apple bobbing because your hair was always soaked by then, so less chance of conflagration.

@Triskelline

Oh my, that sounds just like my childhood, kids today don’t know what they are missing ,

Yes, I think that is it a bit sad, like we lack self esteem as a country. I have great memories of Bonfire Night - Catherine wheels, bonfires- checking for hedgehogs before my Dad lit it, sparklers... My youngest is just not as excited by it as Halloween, probably because you get to dress up. My eldest is teenager and is not excited by either event now!

I maintain that the American version of Halloween is popular in Britain because American things are generally perceived as being cool. There are other festivals we could adopt if it was just about it being "fun". How about Holi?

From BBC Bitesize: How is Holi celebrated?

"On the first night of Holi, people light bonfires and throw roasting grains, popcorn, coconut and chickpeas onto them.

The next day, people of all ages go into the streets for fun and paint-throwing. Everyone gets involved!

Hindus have fun by smearing each other with paint and throwing coloured water."

@Frequentcarpetflyer

I maintain that the American version of Halloween is popular in Britain because American things are generally perceived as being cool. There are other festivals we could adopt if it was just about it being "fun". How about Holi?

From BBC Bitesize: How is Holi celebrated?

"On the first night of Holi, people light bonfires and throw roasting grains, popcorn, coconut and chickpeas onto them.

The next day, people of all ages go into the streets for fun and paint-throwing. Everyone gets involved!

Hindus have fun by smearing each other with paint and throwing coloured water."

We've had a ball in Leicester at Holi -- not Hindus, but what is not to love about throwing coloured powder at people in the park? Diwali is pretty fun, too.

Saying that I can see why my DD thinks it's exciting as when I was growing up I remember seeing the trick or treating scene in E.T and being envious of American children being able to do that.

Halloween is NOT American, it’s a Scottish / Irish festival that the US imported, commercialised and exported back to the UK and the world. I went guisin or for ma galoshins as kid as did my parents, grandparents and so on back through generations. It’s not American in origin by a long shot.

I really don't like it and my shorthand for why I don't like it is indeed that it's too American. By which I mean it's not a tradition I grew up with - Halloween always existed but it was a minor day in the calendar not a marketing juggernaut. One might have mucked about with a toy spider or put some spooky makeup on but nothing more.

Bonfire Night was more important in my childhood and I still enjoy that - interestingly there's very little marketing associated with that although I'm sure various supermarkets have attempted to flog overpriced jacket potatoes with a Bonfire Night theme to us.

What I really don't like about Halloween now is to do with where I live (C London). I am a mile or so from some of the massive houses in Kensington which are entirely occupied now by American bankers - all the kids from miles around descend on this area because the effort is huge. It's almost like a Hollywood production - entire multimillion pound houses bedecked in plastic spiders webs, ghosts and witches. In a normal year the crowds are quite something and the cost must be incredible. There's often a maid standing at the door handing out sweets. My children think it is wonderful and I find it just a bit repellent.

So that's what I mean. It's a tradition that doesn't speak to my heart although I get that my children love it. It's not something I have passed on to them and it doesn't honour anything that matters to me.

Those of you who grew up with it as an active tradition probably enjoy it more because of that. And I don't object to kids running round their own neighbourhood all dressed up and collecting sweets from people they know who actively want to participate. Of course - that seems nice. But that's not what happens round here.