Halloween in 2024

2022 Trunk or Treat event hosted by the Chaldean Community Foundation. Photo courtesy of CCF Staff

How are celebrations different in our community now?

By Jenna Abroo

Halloween is a tradition that has been celebrated by children across the United States for many years. The origins of the holiday can be traced back to the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain, where people would light bonfires and dress themselves in costumes to ward off spirits. Eventually, the holiday became fused with early Christian traditions when Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saints Day, to honor all Saints that have passed on to heaven. In modern times, we now celebrate with seasonal activities like bobbing for apples, carving jack-o-lanterns, and children dressing up in costumes and trick or treating in their neighborhood for something sweet.

As someone who grew up in the 2000s, Halloween was the most exciting day of the year. We would attend school dressed in our most exciting costumes, spend all day in class celebrating with a party and passing out candy to our classmates, and conclude the school day with a parade around the neighborhood. When we went home, we went back out to scour our neighborhood for more candy until well past dark.

I recall Halloween as one of the most fun and sentimental parts of my childhood. In recent years, Halloween celebrations here in the United States are vastly different from how they were celebrated just 10 or 20 years ago. Many parents nowadays have additional concerns when it comes to how the holiday is celebrated by their children. With the rise of fears like young children being outside after dark, contaminated candy, and overall safety/wellbeing, many families have found other alternatives in their communities.

One of the most common alternatives has become “trunk-or-treat,” the  new staple when it comes to celebrating Halloween. Originally started as a practice at local churches in the late 1990s, the idea grew from there. Now we see trunk-or-treats at religious organizations, schools, youth centers, and even local places of business. Many parents feel more comfortable with the controlled environment; their kids are in a smaller contained area, and they typically conclude before it gets dark out.

I work for a public school district here in metro Detroit, and quite a few of our elementary schools do annual trunk-or-treats. Last year I volunteered for a handful of events, and the majority of parents enthusiastically expressed that they were relieved that their children could experience Halloween fun without having to worry about them being out on Halloween night. Many parents mentioned that their children enjoyed going to multiple trunk-or-treats leading up to Halloween, and they did not feel the need to go out as much or for as long when Halloween rolled around.

They were also able to spend more time with their peers, and parents had the opportunity to socialize with other parents in the community, creating more developed relationships with students’ families and their peers. Many times, the holiday falls on a school night, and parents do not feel comfortable with their children being out so late when they have school the next morning, especially with the risk of reckless drivers out on the roads and in suburban neighborhoods. An enclosed environment is a win-win for the children and their parents all around the different communities.

Attending an event at a school or religious organization is a more secure option for many families, and parents can also more closely monitor to make sure that the treats their children are receiving aren’t contaminated. My neighborhood consists of a decent number of Chaldean families; some with young children and others with adult children who are similar in age to myself. I asked how many of them celebrated the holiday with their children, in past times compared to now in the present.

Parents with older children have expressed that this is simply a different time we are living in, and there is no such thing as being “too careful” when it comes to your children’s safety. Although their rules for their kids regarding Halloween were not as strict back then, things would be different now. The younger parents had mentioned that they took a more cautious approach to celebrating the holiday, and that alone gave them more peace of mind and actual quality time with their children during these celebrations.

The mother of an old childhood friend of mine that still resides in our neighborhood said that the transition of traditions does not surprise her with the new generation of families. “Kids who are used to trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods are adults now, and many young children simply do not know the difference,” she said. “This is their new normal. I have not put any candy out for trick-or-treaters in years.” This trend of more reserved celebrations has really taken hold.

Looking back at the recent years in my own neighborhood, the decline of trick-or-treaters out on Halloween reflects the testimony of these parents and families. Over the last 10 years or so, the number of trick-or-treaters has dwindled to almost none. It only makes sense after speaking with parents and hearing their perspective on celebrating in a safer and more family friendly way. Local community events can easily cater to parents’ growing concerns over their children’s safety, especially in Chaldean community where we are all remarkably close knit and often involved in many local church events.

While some hold nostalgia for traditional trick-or-treating, the assurance of our children’s wellbeing is worth turning to new traditions. Many local elementary schools have also shifted their focus to only having smaller parties during the school day and maybe a parade after school, to focus more on family-oriented events. This ensures students’ wellbeing while they are at school and in their home neighborhoods. The childhood art of walking all around town searching for the house that gave out the most popular treats, or the king-sized candy bars, is simply a thing of the past. Considering the dangers of child abduction, parents have the right to be concerned. Keeping their celebrations community-based drastically reduces the chances of an encounter with something or someone that puts a child’s wellbeing at risk.

The main consensus is that we are now adapting to the times that we live in. While trick-or- treating house-to-house may not be the main part of celebrating this fun and festive holiday, it does not mean that there aren’t alternatives. For families who have children interested in celebrating in a safer environment, look to your local schools, youth organizations, churches and local or family-owned businesses for seasonal events. No matter how you choose to celebrate, Halloween and autumnal fun can be had by all families in our communities!