Attitudes toward Halloween varied widely among the various European groups
that settled in North America. New England was initially settled by English
Puritans, members of a strict Protestant sect that rejected Halloween as
a Catholic and pagan holiday (see Puritanism). However, other British colonists
successfully transplanted Halloween traditions in southern colonies such
as Virginia and Maryland. Irish immigrants helped popularize Halloween traditions
throughout the United States in the mid-19th century. As belief in many of
the old superstitions waned during the late 19th century, Halloween was
increasingly regarded as a children's holiday.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, young people often observed Halloween
by perpetrating minor acts of vandalism, such as overturning sheds or breaking
windows. Beginning in the 1930s, Halloween mischief gradually transformed
into the modern ritual of trick-or-treating. Eventually, Halloween treats
were plentiful while tricks became rare. Nonetheless, the tradition of Halloween
pranks still survives. In some areas, October 30 (one day before Halloween)
is called Mischief Night, and vandalism often reaches dangerous levels. In
Detroit, Michigan, Mischief Night-known there as Devil's Night-provided the
occasion for waves of arson that sometimes destroyed whole city blocks during
the 1970s and 1980s.
Since the 1970s, Halloween celebrations have become increasingly popular
among adults. The Halloween parade in the Greenwich Village neighborhood
of New York City features elaborate satirical costumes and drunken revelry.
Especially popular among the local gay population, the Greenwich Village
parade serves as a model for many other adult Halloween celebrations around
the country. Similarly boisterous public Halloween festivities are celebrated
in San Francisco, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Key West, Florida. |
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Halloween
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