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Have you heard about the surprising organization petitioning to move Halloween? Well, I found it surprising because they have “Halloween” in their name. It’s the Halloween & Costume Association.
Essentially, they wanted to move Halloween to the last Saturday in October.
They started the Move Halloween petition in 2018. Originally they wanted to get 75,000 signatures. They fell short last year. (By almost 20,000 signatures.)
This year they’ve resurrected it and have been getting lots of press. By the end of last week they finally had nearly 75,000 signatures.
Today I went to grab the link for the petition and noticed it had been amended since I visited a few days ago. It’s no longer called Move Halloween –but the intent (and cluelessness) is still the same.
Although now they’re saying they want to leave Halloween alone, just move the Trick-or-Treating to the last Saturday in October. (Not much of a change really.)
It’s also got a new goal: 150,000 signatures. As of this post, it’s got over 125,000.
The Update
We’ve listened to ALL of your feedback since the petition started in 2018 and view this as an opportunity to truly honor what Halloween is – a celebration of self-expression and unity. While we still believe an end-of-October Saturday observance will promote safety and increase the fun, this year we will be launching a national initiative designed to enhance the Halloween that we all know and love.
Instead of changing the date that American’s celebrate Halloween, we will be adding an additional day of festivities in partnership with Party City and other brands. National Trick or Treat Day will take place annually on the last Saturday of October so families across the country can participate in community parades, throw neighborhood parties and opt for daytime Trick or Treating.
We will launch the #ALLoween campaign designed to support the all-day celebration of National Trick or Treat Day AND the time-honored traditions of Halloween on October 31st.
With your support, we will create a safer, longer, bigger celebration for ALL by making National Trick or Treat Day official!
Not Needed
When I wrote about this on The Occult Section, I called the Halloween & Costume Association’s mission out. I’m going to do it again here.
They claim this is all to make Halloween safer and more enjoyable for children and their families.
Riiight…
It’s all about selling more costumes and Halloween goods. The proof is right there in their petition.
Exhibit A
Instead of changing the date that American’s celebrate Halloween, we will be adding an additional day of festivities in partnership with Party City and other brands. National Trick or Treat Day will take place annually on the last Saturday of October so families across the country can participate in community parades, throw neighborhood parties and opt for daytime Trick or Treating.
There is no adding an additional day of festivities. If Halloween falls on a weekday, the Saturday before is traditionally the busiest for celebrations of all kinds.
This is a thinly veiled attempt to still move Halloween! And to get people to buy more stuff in the process.
Exhibit B
With your support, we will create a safer, longer, bigger celebration for ALL by making National Trick or Treat Day official!
How are they going to make it longer when it still falls in October? Any Halloween lover knows Halloween is a season unto itself. Not just a day.
Again, this is all about emphasizing costumes and creating events where you’ll need one so they can sell you more of them!
Also, the longer and bigger the celebration, the more chance of people getting hurt. That goes directly against their alleged intention.
Exhibit C
Look at their bullet points on the petition. You’ll see how many reference costumes and safety paraphernalia. Convenient they’re partnering with a company that can sell you exactly what you need to keep your kids both stylish and safe.
What is Halloween?
No. Seriously. I’m asking.
According to the Halloween & Costume Association’s petition, Halloween is “…a celebration of self-expression and unity.”
Wrong.
The purely secular form of Halloween may be that, but it’s actually a time to honor the dead. That’s all gotten lost in commercialism.
Which this inane petition perpetuates.
Boycott Party City?
I happen to love Party City. I spend at least $200 there every Halloween season. (Just don’t tell my husband.)
If they’re supporting this National Trick or Treat Day nonsense, though, I’m out. Halloween is Halloween and that’s the day for trick-or-treating.
As I wrote on my Occult Section post:
Don’t create them if you can’t appreciate them.
Leave Halloween alone. You knew what day it fell on when you decided to have kids.
Save Halloween
I’d sign a Save Halloween petition. In fact, I’m so riled up about this I just may start one…
Check-In
Share your thoughts: how do you feel about moving Halloween?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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PLEASE start a Save Halloween petition. That’s what I think about moving Halloween.
The petition didn’t seem right to me, either.
Maybe they can petition for a national holiday on November 1st instead. That way kids can sleep in, parents who don’t have the day off would have to take one off, and that sucks, but if they partied late they’d want a day off anyway.
Done! Thanks for the encouragement, Bast!
Now THIS makes a whole lot more sense to make it truly a longer, safer celebration! Brilliant!