Halloween is a very popular holiday in the United States and at Benilde St. Margaret’s, but there are still many students who celebrate their own traditions separate from the spooky holiday we know and love. These traditions can include not celebrating Halloween for religious reasons, or celebrating a completely different holiday like Dia De Los Muertos.
Sophomore Cristina Sibri-Pina’s family doesn’t celebrate Halloween, though they did participate in trick-or-treating in the past. Now her family doesn’t participate in Halloween because they do not like how it is associated with evil spirits. They find respecting All Saints Day more important than celebrating Halloween. “It’s All Saint’s Day and not Halloween, so we celebrate it [instead],” Sibri-Pina said.
Junior Andrea Rojas-Arenas and her family don’t celebrate Halloween because of religious beliefs. She grew up with her mother telling her that the holiday is of the Devil and should not be celebrated. Instead, their family turns the lights off and they play games in the basement to hide from trick-or-treaters. Rojas-Arenas loves this tradition because it is something that belongs to her family and brings them together. “I’m grateful that my family is able to spend time together on this day doing something simple like games or watching a movie,” Rojas-Arenas said.
When asked for her opinion on Halloween, Rojas-Arenas says it sounds fun apart from the horror movies and haunted houses. It isn’t easy to break a tradition you’ve grown up with, especially when your parents expect you to keep the tradition going. She said that one day she might be able to experience the fun side of Halloween, but for now she prefers to stick to her own traditions “I think that the whole scary spooky season with horror movies and haunted houses might not be for the faint of heart, which I often am. Maybe one day I’ll be able to try a different side of Halloween, not just the scary one,” Rojas-Arenas said during an email interview.
Sometimes traditions can co-exist which is the case for senior Vic Zamorano. Her family celebrated both Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos is a holiday that celebrates the lives of deceased loved ones, by setting up an Ofrenda (altar) for them and bringing objects or food that the person loved. The holiday is celebrated during the first two days of November. When that time comes around, Zamorano’s family sets up their ofrenda, eats tamales, and trick-or-treats. “We are Mexican-American, after all, so we celebrate both,” Zamorano said.