Who doesn’t love free candy and dressing up for a night? Throughout the years, Halloween has continuously changed. What was once a time of appeasing dead spirits, the holiday is now commonly viewed as a time to get together with friends and dress up as the ghouls of our imagination.

According to History.com Editors, “The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts” (Halloween: Origins, Meaning & Traditions). Over time, people began to use the traditions of the Celtic Festival. When lots of people celebrate the holiday, we create new ideas for it and new heritage. This is how we got pumpkin carving, branching out into different costume designs, tricking-or-treating, and fun, friend filled gatherings.

Halloween was once a Pagan holiday that later combined with the Christian All Saints’ Day. Each year, people believed that the spirits of the dead would come back on October 31st. To appease these spirits, everyone would dress up as demons and ghosts, dance around a bonfire, and give offerings of food and drink. After time, we seemed to have flipped the script, so to speak. Now we go to the doors of our neighbors dressed up as everything from our favorite celebrity to monsters, looking for an appeasement of candy and sweets. 

Now, you’re probably wondering, “Well Adellyn, how does this even relate to the overarching question: how old is too old to go trick-or-treating?” My answer to that is, never!

When Halloween was first celebrated, the age never mattered as long as the spirits of their dead were happy. Why should the age limit matter just because we dress up and go out to get treats for one night out of the year? This night is supposed to be meant for fun and expressing your creativity through costume. There will never be an age limit in my heart because this holiday is different from others. It’s different for the fact that it’s not supposed to be bright and cheery, it’s meant to be scary and exciting. 

I believe everyone should be able to participate in this holiday because of its unique traditions.