Month: November 2018

By Mansi Patel

“Ding dong!” goes the bell over and over during the famous celebration of Halloween. Kids dressed up in costumes asking for candy is actually a relatively new idea, considering that the original Halloween tradition started about 2,000 years ago. Many people celebrate Halloween without truly understanding where it really originated from and why.

Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, whose people would wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The Celts lived 2,000 years ago in what is now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France. They celebrated their New Year on Nov. 1, and celebrated the now known tradition of Halloween on Oct. 31.

The day of Halloween was given its name, All Hallows Eve, by the Celts. The Celts believed the unearthly spirits would damage crops, therefore, they would dress up in costumes to ward those unwanted spirits away. They also believed that the presence of the spirits allowed the Druids, also known as the Celtic priests, to look into the future during this special night. These predictions were very important to the Celtics because of their strong belief of prophecies and what will be coming in the future.

In the second half of the 19th century, many immigrants who were affected by the Irish Potato Famine fled to the United States, and brought with them the celebration of Halloween. There are many superstitions that come with Halloween, such as black cats, witches, ghouls, pumpkins and more. In the late 1800s, Halloween became more about getting together with the community instead of ghosts, pranks and witchcraft.

At the turn of the century, Halloween became more about games, foods that represented Halloween, festive costumes and having a day dedicated to fun and candy. Right now, high school students go out on Halloween night to visit haunted mansions, spend time with friends goofing around and to get some candy to last the rest of the year.

Though many children trick-or-treat on Halloween starting from elementary school or earlier, we must not forget the origins of this tradition that started as a day to rid one’s life and community of trouble and fear. ◆

By Henry Zheng

Halloween was once reserved for the nobility and the rich. Now, it is accessible to everyone, all thanks to commercialism.

What was once candy and treats for the rare wealthy is now a common handout during the holidays, along with spooky costumes and extravagant decorations.

Although the average Halloween advocate has benefitted from commercialism, the few who truly benefit from these holidays are the large companies and corporations who have found the Halloween market to be highly profitable.

With money on companies’ minds as the Halloween season gets closer, these large corporations take advantage of such a holiday, knowing consumers are willing to spend unreasonable amounts of money in the name of festivity.

And they’re right. Unbothered by costs, many of us often spend unreasonable amounts of money during the spooky holidays without thinking twice.

An article on wearetop10.com stated that on average, Americans nationwide spend over $9 billion just on Halloween, and with our over-the-top spirited population, it doesn’t look like this number is going down anytime soon.

Year after year, the American public endorses this spirit of celebrating the dead and collecting candy from strangers, establishing this holiday to be a true American tradition.

And who’s to say this spending is bad? Despite the hefty costs of candy and costumes, the true heart of Halloween, the spirit and fun of going out and trick-or-treating or giving out candy, negates many negative aspects of spending, and if anything, spending also provides some incentives to go out and have fun.

“I think it’s a good way to bond with your family and friends in a fun and festive way (as) giving out candy brings up the spirit of other trick-or-treaters,” says senior Jason Damasco.

Yet, at the same time, it is important to not be overrun by commercialism in times of mere spirited fun. People who have no costumes while trick-or-treating are often scrutinized by parents and given less candy. Similarly, neighbors compare each other’s houses and shame those that aren’t decorated.

Along with this, many naughty kids, dressed up in their costumes, often become enraged when houses don’t respond to trick-or-treaters or if members in the house are already sleeping.

So the next time you trick-or-treat, it is indeed important to have fun, but also keep in mind that Halloween is something for everyone to enjoy. ◆

By Rose Lu

It’s already less than a week before Halloween and you still have no idea what  costume to wear. Don’t fret! The Legend  has your back. Here are some simple, last-minute Halloween costume ideas that can come in handy for you.

A Ghost

All you need is a bedsheet and some scissors. Don’t try this at school though, because full-body costumes are not allowed.

Rosie the Reveter

Male or female, all could be a reveter! All you need are denim jeans, a denim jacket, and a bandana. You also need some rough and tough arms.

Identity Theft

For this simple costume, all you need are post-it notes with some names written on them. Stick them all over your body and now you have many identities.

Chip on the Shoulder

Stick a small bags of chips on your shoulder, then you are done.

Self Portrait

All you need is a picture frame to carry around school!

Dominos (Preferably with friends)

All you need are some solid colored t-shirts, tape and construction paper! Pick a number applicable to the domino numbers and just tape it onto your shirt!

Self Absorbed

Are you self-absorbed? Then you should get some sponges to tape all over your body.

Error Code

Think normal costumes are lame? That’s fine! Just wear an error code costume, all you need is a message saying “costume not found.”

Facebook

All you need is a marker to write “book” on your face.

Fruits

Pick a fruit you like and find a solid colored shirt pertaining to your fruit. Then, make some seeds out of paper and voila! This would also be a cute idea with a group of friends, with one being a tree.

Emojis

Remember what the teachers did two years ago? Dress up as an emoji, you can either tape it on your shirt, hang it around your neck or dress up as it.

If you don’t like these ideas, here are some guidelines to help you find your perfect costume. First, pick a theme and then pick something specific from the theme. Then get creative and go make it and wear it! Make sure you get creative, but most importantly be safe! Happy Halloween! ◆

By Janelle Perez

Costumes, candies and spooks is not what Day of the Dead is about. Day of the Dead, or Dia de Los Muertos, is oftentimes confused with Halloween. Although Day of the Dead starts on Halloween, the former holiday is about celebrating life.

Day of the Dead originates from Mexico. The Aztecs used this day to honor their queen of the underworld through a big festival in their community. Current day celebrations primarily take place in Mexico and are celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 all over the world.

People who celebrate the holiday are typically those who wish to honor their loved ones who have passed. Day of the Dead is about honoring the life that the dead once lived, not to mourn the loss of their loved ones. However, the holiday is not for everyone. It varies from what a person’s beliefs are to what a person may feel is honorable and respectful.

A traditional Day of the Dead celebration includes an altar with pictures and ofrendas (offerings), marigolds to guide the spirits home and a sugar skulls used to decorate the altar. An altar can either be small or big. Smaller altars are oftentimes seen in places where the holiday is not as big, like in the United States.

In Mexico, people gather together a couple of days before the celebration and head over to the graves of their loved ones. They spend their time sweeping their areas and decorating with bright papel picado and ceramic skulls decorated with intricate designs.

A simple altar can include pictures of the loved ones being celebrated and the infamous pan de muerto, which quite literally translates to bread of the dead. Pan de muerto represents the bones of the dead in a delicious way. The preparation of the decorations and food all leads up to the final celebration day.

The big celebration day is held on Nov. 2. At this point, altars and decorations have been up for two days and every celebrator has been anticipating the final day. In Mexico it is accustomed to throw a big party at the graveyard with music and food. It is said that the spirits travel to Earth on this day and celebrate with their families, which is why marigolds are used as a way to guide them down to the graveyards. During the celebration, people tell stories and remember happy times spent with those who are no longer with them.

On Day of the Dead, life is celebrated through bright traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. ◆