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Halloween’s mutation: From humble holiday to retail monstrosity
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Halloween is a combination of two holidays: All Saints’ Day, which was a Catholic holiday moved to Nov 1 to co-opt the other, Samhain, an old Celtic pagan holiday.
PHOTO: PIXABAY
NEW YORK – In 2024, consumers in the US are expected to spend US$11.6 billion (S$15 billion) celebrating Halloween, up from US$3.3 billion in 2005. Perhaps it is time to eat some crow.
Halloween, steeped in tradition, has transformed from a pagan feast to a celebration with lovingly homemade costumes and treats to one of the largest consumer spending holidays. Every October – or earlier – millions of people in the US are spending on costumes, decorating their homes and lawns with garish skeletons and spiders and doling out candy to little superheroes and witches. But how did this holiday with humble origins become an economic juggernaut with growing global appeal?
