By Marcy
Image by Christian Moreno from Pixabay
Scary witches in tall black hats making their way down the hall at school, ghosts weaving in and out of the students, and superheroes galore striding confidently in their midst ready to go to battle to fight evil villains - it must be Halloween! Celebrated on October 31, this holiday, which is a favorite of many, signals a time for American children to assume a new identity for the day and enjoy parades to show off their costumes, parties to share seasonal snacks, and evening walks, usually with parents, to go trick or treating in their neighborhood. Trick or treating, a popular American custom, involves children going to their neighbor’s front door and shouting “trick or treat” when the door is opened. The neighbors hand out wrapped candy to their young visitors and exclaim how clever their costumes are. They might pretend in fun to not recognize their young friends at all because of their wonderful disguises. It’s an enjoyable evening for all involved.
Moms’ can buy costumes at local stores or sew them. A costume can represent anything from people, famous, infamous, or unknown, inanimate objects like a computer or an oversized piece of fruit, evil villains or witches, or beautiful royalty. Sometimes children plan together to share a theme, like going as two characters from the same fairytale. Adults can get in on the act too, dressing up to take their children trick or treating or handing out candy at home or having costume parties with friends. It’s an opportunity to share some fun before the long nights and cold weather set in. When darkness falls on October 31, I’ll have my porch light on, a signal that I’m prepared for trick or treaters, and my candy bowl ready for my little visitors.