Spooky Fun During Halloween By: Lianna Oldham

From spooky fun to silly fun, Halloween is the time of year for everyone to dress up and enjoy an exciting night. According to History, “Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2025 will occur on Friday, October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.” On Halloween night, Hillgrove students experience joy and excitement. Junior, Eli Sherman, shares what he thinks is the best part of Halloween, “I think my favorite part about Halloween is definitely the candy, because it's like the one time every year you can get free candy.”Senior, Anthony Young, expresses that Halloween is the one time of year when you can really see everyone's creativity on display, “I think the costumes can get really creative. It'll show people a side of you that they ain't never seen before. You know, with the different characters, you may be introduced to characters you never knew somebody liked. You know, pretty interesting.”

Traditions play a big role in how people celebrate Halloween. According to Lombardo Homes, “Common Halloween decorations include traditional symbols like pumpkins, skeletons, and ghosts, as well as spooky elements such as tombstones, spiders, bats, and witches. You can also use decorative lighting like candles and lanterns, atmospheric props like fog machines, and larger installations like inflatables and animatronics to create a haunted atmosphere indoors or outdoors." Junior, Ian Wilcox, describes the unique feeling that comes with Halloween night, “Just kind of just like a free feeling, just like you just gonna go out and be out late and just get free candy again.” Junior, Eli Sherman, shares comforting memories of past Halloweens. “My favorite Halloween memory was back when I was, like, five years old, and my dad made me my own Halloween costume for Halloween.” Whether it’s the thrilling fun of dressing up or the joy of free candy, Halloween is an exciting time to create and cherish memories.