# How did Halloween get so big? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097 "2016-10-30T08:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/41 "2016-10-31T14:08:12Z")
ISTM Protestant America and Secular America, who didn’t have the tradition of Carnival/Mardi Gras as a festival involving adults dressing up and partying, got the brilliant idea of “hey, what if we take the kids’ Halloween and make it into a grownups’ party as well?” Then the commercial Holiday-Industrial Complex took over. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/42 "2016-10-31T15:10:07Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Then the commercial Holiday-Industrial Complex took over. Are they like first cousins (once removed) of the Military-Industrial Complex? If so, do they exchange holiday cards? ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/43 "2016-10-31T15:57:50Z")
DKW you literally posted the question I was going to ask, thank you. But to add to it, I’ve noticed some east Asian countries find Halloween popular, why? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/44 "2016-10-31T16:59:49Z")
Christmas got bigger than Easter because retailers can make a lot more money off Christmas presents than they can with chocolate and eggs. Halloween took off when the first woman dressed up in the first Sexy Black Cat costume. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/45 "2016-10-31T17:30:19Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Halloween took off when the first woman dressed up in the first Sexy Black Cat costume. Yeah, before that, they tried Sexy Witch, but it was in Salem, MA and it didn’t go over that big. Set back the holiday for years, it did. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/46 "2016-10-31T18:02:48Z")
Halloween: \* I’ve always been big. It’s Christmas that got small!\* ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/47 "2016-10-31T18:31:29Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > A much more interesting question is how Christmas got bigger than Easter. Well that’s easy (IMO) - when our holidays started to get more and more commercialized, it was much easier to promote the holiday that is on the same day every year, rather than the one that moves from year to year. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/48 "2016-10-31T19:43:31Z")
actually according to what the history channels history of Halloween said what America calls Halloween today started in the 1930s and peaked out about the 70s to early 80s and has been of life support the past decade or so But here Halloween has been a “event” thing … the moose and elk lodges has little carnivals the city had its thing downtown Saturday …the churches have little things to do here and there theres still pockets of trick or treating . the grade schools aren’t calling it Halloween anymore its "fantasy dress up day " and the list of what they cant wear makes it not worth bothering … ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/49 "2016-10-31T20:20:42Z")
Halloween “got big” when the adults pretty much took it over. In how many cities and towns do you now see the following (a) a somewhat large “gathering” for the kids (and their parents) where the candy is handed out there, and there’s no door-to-door trick-or-treating, followed by (b) any number of costume parties only for adults - especially for younger adults, who would be most likely to wear the “sexy (insert the name of a profession here)” costumes advertised in Halloween store mailers / newspaper inserts? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/50 "2016-10-31T21:28:24Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Well that’s easy (IMO) - when our holidays started to get more and more commercialized, it was much easier to promote the holiday that is on the same day every year, rather than the one that moves from year to year. I don’t see how that follows in the slightest. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/51 "2016-10-31T21:48:31Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Well, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras isn’t just a day or two in New Orleans. And Alabama had it first. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/52 "2016-10-31T21:59:38Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I don’t see how that follows in the slightest. It’s far easier to point to Dec 25 every year for commercialization purposes than to figure out when Easter is every year and then try to advertise for it. There is no confusing when Christmas is and when the big sales for it are going to start (Black Friday). Easter’s fluctuations make it less present in the consciousness of ordinary people. Heck, folks at Church sometimes get surprised as to when Ash Wednesday is in a given year and sometimes only realize it a week or two beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/53 "2016-11-01T16:15:07Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Not the same thing. Where I grew up in West Texas, we had fireworks stands for a couple of weeks before the Fourth of July and New Year’s, just outside the city limits. But now in Honolulu, I’m seeing a BIG-ass Halloween store occupying prime retail space right in Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center, the largest shopping center in Hawaii, seventh largest in the US and the largest open-air shopping center in the world. What’s occupying that space when the Halloween store isn’t there? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/54 "2016-11-01T18:39:26Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > It’s also a holiday that (for the most part) is completely inclusive. Everyone gets to particiapte. I think this is it- it’s not explicitly religious- it’s a sort of pagan holdover celebrated the day before a big Catholic feast day. And it’s fun- adults AND kids get to dress up, eat candy, and generally have a good time with silly imagery and iconography drawn primarily from movies and folktales. Plus, there aren’t any familial expectations traditionally associated with it- no cross-country travel, etc… like Christmas and Thanksgiving. I mean, as a kid, it was Christmas first, then Halloween, then Easter, then 4th of July. Why? Because Christmas came with all sorts of treats to eat, presents and time off of school. Halloween had candy, dressing up and having fun. Easter had candy and (usually) good weather and coincided with Spring Break. 4th of July was hot, but had fireworks and watermelons. The other holidays just didn’t really even register. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/55 "2016-11-01T20:08:40Z")
People in message boards posting new Halloween-themed topics would have a lot to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/56 "2016-11-01T20:12:18Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It’s far easier to point to Dec 25 every year for commercialization purposes than to figure out when Easter is every year and then try to advertise for it. There is no confusing when Christmas is and when the big sales for it are going to start (Black Friday). > > Easter’s fluctuations make it less present in the consciousness of ordinary people. Heck, folks at Church sometimes get surprised as to when Ash Wednesday is in a given year and sometimes only realize it a week or two beforehand. This is an effect, not a cause: Were Easter a big holiday, people would know when it was from year to year, and not be surprised by it. Plus, given how big holidays work, it doesn’t much matter when the specific day is. Big holidays have seasons, with a long build-up to the final day, so Easter would grab pretty much all of early spring, just like Christmas grabs all of the first half of winter. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/57 "2016-11-01T20:25:28Z")
My parents often told me that when they were growing up (early 1930s, in Queens, NY), there was nothing special about Halloween. However, on Thanksgiving, kids would go door-to-door asking “Anything for Thanksgiving?” and get candy and other goodies. No costumes, no “trick-or-treat.” Can anyone corroborate this? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/58 "2016-11-01T21:54:38Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > My parents often told me that when they were growing up (early 1930s, in Queens, NY), there was nothing special about Halloween. However, on Thanksgiving, kids would go door-to-door asking “Anything for Thanksgiving?” and get candy and other goodies. No costumes, no “trick-or-treat.” > > Can anyone corroborate this? My mother ( born 1940) told me about it as well- but I remembered reading this recently [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/nyregion/what-door-to-door-tradition-came-before-trick-or-treating.html?\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/nyregion/what-door-to-door-tradition-came-before-trick-or-treating.html?_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/59 "2016-11-02T01:19:11Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > What’s occupying that space when the Halloween store isn’t there? I can’t say for that particular store, but there is a chain called “Spirit” - they operate on a pop-up basis. They typically rent space in strip centers that have empty stores. They rent for a couple months. Building owners like it because they can get some money for an empty space, Spirit likes it because undoubtedly they get a great deal. If the space is leased, they’ll just find another space the next year. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097/60 "2016-11-02T03:41:42Z")
I’m in the “Halloween isn’t any bigger, it’s just shifted focus” category. Last night, you virtually saw no kids trick or treating in my neighborhood and few houses were giving anything out. In contrast on Saturday night the bars were filled with grownups in costume. And back to the “why isn’t Easter bigger” question, maybe that’s because Lent has traditionally been a season of restriction and denial. (Advent historically was that way too, but it lost that mood long ago.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-halloween-get-so-big/770097.md?page=2)