Halloween, Hallelujahs, and History
This past weekend, I, along with many of my peers at Northwestern University, celebrated Halloween. Decked out in costumes ranging from funny to scary, many people spent their time with friends and family at parties or out trick-or-treating to celebrate the holiday. Personally, I attended several parties, wearing four costumes throughout the course of the weekend. However, I did not always celebrate Halloween this way.
One of my costumes from the weekend was TV host and internet sensation Wendy Williams.
Growing up, I was not allowed to celebrate Halloween. When I asked my parents why my friends went trick-or-treating or wore fancy costumes to school while I did not, they said that Halloween was ‘the devil’s birthday’ and that it should not be celebrated. One school that I attended held a Career Day on Halloween, which my parents permitted me to dress up for, and I sometimes attended ‘Harvest Hallelujah Night’ held by churches throughout the city. However, I never grew up with a traditional American Halloween experience.
A meme poking fun at the alternative Halloween celebrations held by churches.
When I got to college and began talking with friends about their plans for Halloween, my Black friends often shared similar anecdotes to my own. The majority of my Black friends did not grow up in houses where we celebrated Halloween; they also had their fair share of Harvest Nights and church parking lot trunk-or-treats. When I had these discussions with my nonBlack friends, they did not tend to share similar experiences. This led me to reflect on the history of the Black church and how it approaches secular matters differently from religious white people.
A car trunk decorated for a trunk-or-treat celebration.
Having been raised in a traditional Black Baptist church, I know many of the conventions of the Black church and how Black Christians approach many topics. However, I did not expect to see a divide between Black Christians and white Christians at my university when it came to Halloween. Does this divide suggest that Black Christians are more devout than white Christians? Statistics prove that Black women are the most faithful church-goers in the United States. Does the divide suggest that white Christians are more progressive than Black Christians? It could be argued that the white church has moved beyond 20th-century ideologies while the Black church remains rooted in the past. There are a plethora of theories on the differences I have seen.
Children at a New York City elementary school wearing Halloween costumes.
Whatever the reason may be, it will probably be different in the future. The world is becoming more and more secular, and even many of the most devout Christians have started to celebrate Halloween to some extent, including myself. What Halloween would look like if everyone celebrated it would be a sight to behold.
