Halloween is one of the few holidays out of the year that can really get under your skin, but it still has its place in modern American society. First of all, why do we celebrate a holiday dedicated to the dead? Originally it was a day in which Catholics dressed up to ward away evil spirits. More people have attributed this holiday with Satanic and Pagan rituals, but what does that prove for our youth? Today, Halloween no longer has a true religious purpose; it is merely a commercialized event promoted by selective industries to make money before the next season. Halloween is a primitive holiday aimed at candy, textile, and makeup sales.

There are two major factors that lead to the success of this commercial event. The first and most obvious is sales promotions and marketing ploys. The entertainment industry makes movies and creates characters that will become the basis for costumes. The textile industry makes the costumes, based on both those presented by the entertainment industry and also more creative designs. The farming industry promotes the sales of pumpkins. The candy industry does rather well for apparent reasons. They are by far the most ingenious. These companies have found a way to contradict everything modern nutrition has tried to teach children.

The other major factor that has energized this holiday is thrill seeking. People are becoming more and more obsessed with scaring themselves. Originally people thought that goblins and ghost existed, and they hid from the spirits on the day of the dead. But today we will go out of our way to be frightened. The insatiable desire is now aided by technology. Every time the entertainment world creates a new monster and desensitizes us from its horror, we seek the next level. The biggest flaw with Halloween is the day itself. Why do we consistently celebrate it on a weekday? The trend is for children to go out at night and beg for food by dressing up in outfits. Children have to go to school in the US by law. Why do we encourage them to neglect school to go wander about looking to get free stuff? The best part is how modern legislation has even lent a hand by proclaiming that only children under a certain age can participate. Who are they to say that anyone can or cannot participate?

What they actually are trying to say is that parents won't buy for older kids and that they would feel unsafe having them around the children, so they might not participate: hence they would not spend as much.