One of the most notable U.S. holidays is Halloween and for so long it’s been celebrated on Oct. 31. But what if it was celebrated on Oct. 27?
Well it seems a growing group of people are pushing to move the Halloween holiday from its long-held position at the very end of October to the last Saturday of the month. But before complaining, take a look at the reasons, which do make some sense.
The petition — created by the Halloween & Costume Association three months ago — is called the “Saturday Halloween Movement.” The goal of the organizers is to make Halloween a full day of celebration rather than “cram it into two rushed evening weekday hours” after school and work.
The petition goes on to offer a bulleted list of all the safety concerns that come with the holiday. As we all know, it’s primarily celebrated with trick-or-treating in the dark evening hours. The association claims that 70 percent of parents do not accompany children when they go trick-or-treating and that 82 percent don’t put high-visibility aids on their children’s costumes.
Commenters in favor of the movement also noted that having Halloween on a weekend is a win for schools, who have to deal with issues surrounding costumes — particularly those with masks and weapons — and for teachers who have to continue to educate especially distracted students.
“Have it always on a Saturday so that we don’t have to worry about getting the kids home and in bed early for school the next day,” one parent wrote.
Another parent added that it would allow working parents to enjoy Halloween “without all the rushing, taking time off work to spend the evening with their children.”
So far, more than 8,000 people have signed the petition, which has a goal of getting 10,000 signatures.
By: Maytinee Kramer
