Halloween has come once again. People love getting into the spirit of spooky fun. With Halloween being a beloved holiday that has quite a few different traditions, everyone likes to join in on the fun, whether that means dressing up and trick or treating, or staying home with your family and friends to watch the newest and oldest Halloween classics. Even IHS and the city of Issaquah have their own preparations and tricks that they like to bring out on the spookiest night of the year. From Reese’s Pieces to scary costumes, there is something special for everyone on Halloween night.
While most people went with time-tested costumes like a dinosaur onesie, or a bee, there were quite a few creative ideas at the school. One of the best examples was the teachers. Each department had a different costume theme. The English department were all dressed up as the Barbies from the movie “Barbie,” the math department were pirates, the Preforming Arts were Jedi Knights, and the CTE department were construction workers. While the teachers no doubt had a lot of fun, the students also had their time to shine. Senior Lily Finnigan says, “I went as incognito mode, which means a black coat, ski mask, sunglasses to cover the eye holes, and black pants.”
There were many spooky goblins and gremlins out at the school, but there were just as many frights out and about. Many family and friend groups have traditions related to Halloween, like sophomore Terry Clark, when he and his friends “Get together and watch scary movies.” It is no surprise that people are in the mood for scary things like movies and haunted houses. If someone likes spooks and fun around the season, then they might want to check out “Washington Haunted Houses” a website with all the local haunted houses. If someone has younger siblings, then they might want to check out “Boo at the Barn,” an event hosted by the city of Issaquah for children on Halloween.
Many people like to carve pumpkins and put them out on their doorstep as decorations. One such person is junior Weston Bernett, who says “Yeah, I do it with my family every year.” Another fun thing to do on Halloween is trick or treating, although some people have different opinions on when you should stop trick or treating. Freshman Karam Farah says, “You should stop trick or treating by high school,” while Weston disagrees, saying “You should be able to trick or treat as long as you have fun.” Trick or treating is a fun tradition to be enjoyed by all of any age. As with all things in life, if it brings you joy, why not?
Almost everyone likes parties, and one of the best things about parties is spending time with friends. Everyone knows the best parties have costumes, so it stands to reason that the greatest parties are the ones during Halloween because they have both costumes and candy. They are always great fun and easy to find. While some people did not want to wear costumes to school, plenty of people still wore costumes for parties, or went trick-or-treating. Finnigan says “There was a Teletubby.” Some people dress to impress with tuxedos and fairy tale dresses, while others went down the route of comedy, such as with the Teletubby. There were dinosaurs, dragons, and ducks (Oh my!). A lot of people went the way of the onesie, where they would wear a pajama onesie of a character or animal so they could be both comfortable and fashionable. People love franchises and want to be part of them, so they recreate them for their Halloween costume, like with the Barbies in the English department. Others just want to be fantastical and adventurous, like a pirate or non-descript wizard. Some express their creativity through house decorations to scare trick or treaters, like the ever-popular 12-foot skeleton, or a classic plastic hand stuck in the ground, or a candy bowl that spooks all that try to take its candy.
There is never a shortage of spooktacular Halloween movies to watch every year, from classics like “Hocus Pocus,” “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare Before Christmas.” There are also brand-new thrillers to enjoy like the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie, which is based on the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” video games series. Whether someone likes horror or not, there is something for everyone to have fun with and enjoy, whether by themselves or with others.
Some holidays are only celebrated by specific religions (Christmas), while others are only for specific countries (Guy Fawkes Day). There are many holidays and Halloween is one of the greatest. It has been celebrated in many different ways and forms, from the Celts Festival of Samhain to New Hallows Eve. What originally started as a warding off of spirits has become a beloved holiday celebrated all over the world, from USA to Japan.
