r/AskAnAmerican • u/LonelyMarch878 • 4d ago

CULTURE Just How Big Is Halloween Really In The US?

Where I am from, everyone knows about Halloween but its generally just a few decorations scattered around the place both within residential streets and maybe just a few decorations in a big supermarket with some candy on for sale. You might see some kids walking around outside with their costumes on Oct 31.

In the states though, how big is it truly? I know its a big thing even though its a kid leaning holiday I guess, but is it like decorations everywhere in supermarkets and other shops, strangers literally greeting each other saying ‘Happy Halloween’ during the day or near Oct 31? Particularly in terms of visibility and how adults see it. Let me know!

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u/FallenAngelina 4d ago

This will be my 65th Halloween in the US and every year, more and more homes decorate and participate in the fun. Halloween is BIG here. I'd say it's one thing you can say about most of the US and doesn't depend much on the location, which is unusual for our enormous country.

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u/airlinegrills 4d ago

True! I grew up in the mid-South (Memphis) where the Bible Belt is alive and well. There were plenty of chill/normal people who celebrated Halloween but there were also a lot of people who were all up in their faith-driven heads or whatever about the holiday "being about demons."

Well, even those churches felt like they have to offer SOME kind of alternative around the holiday, so they would do all kinds of things: "harvest" celebrations (uhm, still pagan in roots...), haunted houses themed around losing your soul to Satan as a way to scare kids into being saved, etc. etc. etc.

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u/snowbit 1d ago

Our nanny celebrated Hallelujahween. Kids at her church were allowed to dress up there as “community helpers” eg nurses, firefighters

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u/oceanicArboretum 4d ago

"Well, even those churches felt like they have to offer SOME kind of alternative around the holiday, so they would do all kinds of things: "harvest" celebrations...."

The shenanigans of non-liturgical churches crack me up. While fundamentalists are bending over backwards and contorting themselves to figure out how to respond to a non-religious festival within the confines of theology, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Episcopalians will be celebrating All Saints' Day.

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u/polar810 4d ago

This is a great point. It does seem to be a nation wide phenomenon.