BOO! Fans of Halloween, from kids wanting candy to grown-ups wanting to dress up and act like kids, love celebrating this holiday. It happens every year on October 31, of course, and that sometimes means staggered trick-or-treat times and dates, Halloween parties all over the map, and people sometimes taking a day off work for Halloween-related reasons (often in anticipation of, or to nurse, a hangover if the parties get crazy...)
A lot of people over the years have said Halloween should be on a Saturday night every year, because let's face it: that's the best day for trick-or-treating and also for Halloween celebrations. But Halloween currently falls on a Saturday roughly once every 7 years.
Now, a Change.org petition is aiming to change that. Launched by the nonprofit Halloween & Costume Association, the petition argues that moving the date of Halloween will lead to a "safer, longer, stress-free celebration."
Halloween, an abbreviation for All Hallows' Eve, originated as a pagan festival celebrated by the Celts thousands of years ago. It was established to celebrate summer's end (although in Wisconsin, it's about 6-8 weeks too late) and people would go "souling," a ritual where they would go door-to-door asking for "soul cakes" or food and drink in exchange for a song, dance or prayer. That's how trick-or-treating got its start.
So how does moving a date make this spooky holiday safer? In theory, it would mean Halloween would kick off during daylight hours and not interfere with work or school schedules. So far, the petition has over 100,000 signatures as of this weekend.
Find out more about the petition here.
What say you? Do you think it's a good idea, or overblown and we should stick with the tradition of keeping it October 31st? Feel free to comment!