According to the United States Census, an estimated 41.1 million trick-or-treaters hit the streets in 2015 donning store-bought costumes in search of Halloween sweets. Historically, Halloween began as a Celtic tradition on the thirty-first of October when people believed that ghosts of the dead returned to Earth. Various other cultures engage in fall celebrations honoring the dead, like Día de Los Muertos in Mexico where people build altars and bring offerings into cemeteries for those who have passed on. While many other celebrations trace their origins back to religious ideologies, the American Halloween celebrates drinking, costumes, and trick-or-treating. The cultural phenomena surrounding Halloween in the United States reflects the practices …show more content…
When looking at American culture critically, many of the widely-accepted customs reveal moral lessons or beliefs within the society. So, although the Halloween traditions may seem like nothing more than seasonal fun for children, it expresses much more complex economic ideologies, gender values, and aggressive masculinity within the American culture. For the sake of analyzing the American Halloween, first one must understand what separates the celebration from other variations of autumnal festivities. Originally, Halloween traces back to European traditions of celebrating the festival of Samhain 2,000 years ago. On October thirty-first, Celtic celebrations included lighting bonfires and wearing disguises to ward off evil spirits. During …show more content…
Every year, another variation of the classic slasher film hits the big screen and commonly depict aggressive and violent behavior from men. Geertz also found that Balinese cockfighting related very closely expressions of masculinity and honor, “To anyone who has been in Bali any length of time, the deep psychological identification of Balinese men with their cocks is unmistakable” (Geertz 263). In other words, the men express themselves through the cockfighting, which explains why losses and victories are so important within their society. Men can see themselves within the fights. While men do not typically see themselves in Hollywood villains, many of the latent meanings translate into real life. Slasher movies are uniquely violent against women and tend to have some sexual connotation (Linz 243). While media alone does not perpetuate violence, it does support our society’s view that men should act aggressively and act dominant to maintain their masculinity. Respectively, women repeatedly being the victims of the aforementioned violence encourages the idea that women are passive and/or in need of protection. Additionally, large horror movie franchises tend to create a culture desensitized to violence which in turn increases risky behavior (Linz 240). Halloween films and their connection to masculinity support the unintended values that Halloween represents in America.
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Late autumn has arrived and with it comes the dark magic of Halloween--and, of course, the
Different cultures have different holiday traditions. At this time of year different cultures are preparing to celebrate Halloween or the Día de los Muertos.These two holidays occur around the same time of year. October 31st is Halloween and the Day of the Dead begins on November 1st and ends on November 2nd. Halloween is an American tradition and the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico, and other Latin American countries. Both holidays share some similarities but also have some differences.Some common themes between the two holidays are food and religion. For example, Pumpkin is associated with both holidays. And Christianity is the religion associated with both holidays. The symbols for these holidays share some similarities , for example skulls. While Halloween also is associated with ghosts and witches. A big
El Dia de los Muertos goes back to the Aztecs, who had not just a few days but an entire month dedicated to the dead. When the Spanish conquistadors vanquished the Aztecs, they changed the tradition so it was at the same time of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. El Dia de los Muertos was brought to the United States when Mexican-Americans underwent a cultural reawakening in the early 1970s. The holiday's popularity has since spread to other races and cultures.
The movie, Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinity produced by Jackson Katz and Jeremy Earp, deconstructs the concepts that create the social constructs of masculinity. Masculinity, a set of behaviors, roles, and attributes correlating to men, is earned, not given (Conley 190). Starting from television shows to children’s toys, the idea of masculinity has infiltrated their minds starting at a young age. Moreover, the concept of masculinity has physical attributes, such as muscles, a deep voice, and be able to protect themselves. Masculinity, for boys of any races, socioeconomic classes, or ethnicity, has grown up with the same stereotypical image of what a man should entail. Since many media outlets show that a form of masculinity
When I learned that I would have to do my ethnographic report on what I did during Halloween, I was worried because I live in Turnpike and the most excitement that happens in turnpike is the sound of the garbage truck when it comes to pick up the Wednesday trash. Fortunately something did happen to me and I realized I would not have to write a boring paper of how I woke up and just stayed in my room the whole day. Well the day started off with me waking up and walking to the bathroom to take a shower, as soon as the turned the water on I realized I had left my shower and rather than turning off my shower I stayed in because the warmth of the hot water was too seductive for me to get out and get my towel. In the shower I had my usual thoughts about life, death, and comebacks to old arguments. Afterword I got out of my shower and reached for my toothbrush, which was located in a cupboard behind the toilet, but I grabbed at it too quickly and it fell in the toilet. I stood over my toilet for about five minutes just staring at my toothbrush in the toilet not believing what just happened, after that I started blaming myself for being too impatient. When I was done feeling sorry for myself I went into my room in search of another toothbrush but unluckily I couldn’t find one, so I had to go walk to the local store at around 7:30 in search of a toothbrush. While searching for a replacement toothbrush I realized that not that many people were in the store, I had always thought that stores were busiest in the morning and evening but apparently that’s not true. Once I got my new toothbrush I finished brushing, got dressed and went to catch the 11 to the Transit Center.
Halloween is believed to have been developed over two thousand years ago, before even the birth of Jesus. It originated from the Celtic people native to Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, and
By the mid-1820s masks and costumes were again legal. The first documented Mardi Gras parade took place in 1837, and the parade soon became an annual tradition. However, outbursts of violence at the parades gave the festivities a bad name.(?Mardi Gras? Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99) Shrove Tuesday immediately precedes Ash Wednesday and is the last day before Lent. Mardi Gras has been noted for the elaborate mumming parades and boisterous parties that characterize its celebration in New Orleans, Trinidad... ...
Constant throughout time, when American horror films have been released, the primary viewing audience has often been young men. Because of this horror films, especially ones with female sexuality and sexual violence, target them with the intent of appealing to that broader audience. The treatment of women in these films is meant to appeal to unrealized appetites for “revenge” against women, or the desire for them to be “put in t...
Due to the strict religious beliefs of early colonial Americans, it was extremely limited. As many cultures began to mix, America's own version of Halloween began to emerge. By the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland’s potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. It was from this sudden immigration that came to the story of the jack o lantern. The story basically told is that in 10th century Ireland there was a mischievous man named jack. Once in the middle of his schemes, he was encountered by the devil. In the middle of this confrontation, he tricked the devil into climbing a tree. After that, he drew a cross on the tree and that meant the devil couldn’t get down. So he made a deal with the devil. If he let him go, the devil could not let him go to hell. The devil agrees and jack lets him go. The years passed and Jack eventually dies. He couldn’t enter hell because of his deal, but he couldn’t enter heaven because he was too sinful. So he was cast away to somewhere in between. In this place, he could find a pace for his soul to rest. He was in total darkness. So he asked the devil if he could at least see where he was going so he could find a place to rest. So the devil tossed him
Halloween is theoretically the most dangerous holiday celebrated in America. The practice of trick-or-treat allows criminals the opportunity to hurt children by tampering with their Halloween sweets. For decades, many Americans have understood that this traditional practice of door to door candy collection was absolutely unsafe, and still many today aim to abolish it completely. Nevertheless, they have failed to recognize that theoretical dangers do not always apply to real life scenarios. For example, Black Friday shopping poses as more of a danger than Halloween due to the excessive traffic, colder weather conditions, and larger crowds of people; yet, people still participate in the event. As for Halloween, the children can participate in an activity to collect free candy under lesser hardships, such as being involved
Chapter 13 Ruth Edna Kelley's Halloween In 1919, Ruth Edna Kelley, a 26-year-old American librarian, authored The Book of Hallowe'en, which marked the first serious historical treatment of the festival. Published by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, a renowned firm known for children's books, literature, and mythology, the book was a departure from the typical Halloween entertainment pamphlets of the time. Its beautiful gilt-decorated cover, illustrations, index, and bibliographic references reflect a serious scholarly approach. Kelley's book is a treasure
Halloween and El Dia de los Muertos both recognize the dead but for different purposes. People would celebrate Halloween, on October 31st, as an appreciation of the afterlife and the survival after death. This day meant that All Hallows' Day, also know as All Saints Day, would come the following day. People believed that on Halloween ghosts of the dead returned to earth. For that reason they would dress up and have special rituals. For the Day of the Dead, people celebrate on November 1st and 2nd. On these two days, people in Mexico remember and honor friends and family members that
There are several traditions that Americans take part in before actual Halloween day comes on October 31st. Most families today decorate their houses inside and out for Halloween, some more in depth than others. Many people will put out fall decorations including pumpkins, gourds, hay bales, and Indian corn. Some Americans go all out with the typical fall decorations, but also add in some Halloween symbols. Common Halloween symbols that
Timothy grabbed his bag of Halloween candy and stared hauling ass back down the street.
During the holiday season, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. As cliché as this may sound I find it to be very truthful. There seems to be a lot of pressure put on regular everyday average Americans, to celebrate, share the good will and get that perfect gift for that special some one in your life. Possibly your lover, mother or brother. Each year the same trend seems to be followed. September and October roll around and the season begins to change. The trees color turn light red and yellow as they begin to loose their leaves. The temperature drops and it is soon October 31st, Halloween as we all know. A fun tradition that all enjoy participating in. Children dress up in costumes and run from door to door trying to spread cheer and collect as much sugary candy as possible. As fun as it all seems we all know what the true meaning of Halloween is and it is to prepare you for Thanksgiving.