Pumpkin Fest in Ohio
Alice Fox, an American student who is spending her second year in the Netherlands, is noticing Halloween’s increasing popularity. ‘There are more Halloween parties than last year, the same with stores and Halloween decorations. Last year you could barely find any of those.’
Fox shared some of the traditions she associates with Halloween. Back in Ohio, she couldn’t miss going to the apple orchid with her family, climb trees with her cousins to pick fruit, and buy pumpkins to cook or carve them. ‘My hometown has a whole festival called Pumpkin Fest. It has the world record for pumpkin pie, so we do that.’ Fox recognizes this might not be the case for other regions across the U.S. ‘This is pretty specific due to the Midwest being a more harvest-oriented region. New York is much more party-esque.’
But Fox isn’t so reluctant to Halloween parties, as she will be hosting one this year for her international class. Planning on following her own harvest-oriented traditions and offering pumpkin pie, Fox said her classmates are looking forward to the experience. ‘A lot of people coming have never celebrated Halloween, so they’re very excited to see what it is.’
A Dutch interpretation of Halloween
Davida Flinsenberg is a Dutch student who grew up celebrating Sint Maarten, not Halloween. But she recognizes how Halloween is becoming more present in the Netherlands. ‘When I was little, Halloween wasn’t a thing here. Now it’s really starting to catch on.’
Having lived in the U.S. for a couple of years, Flinsenberg suspects this phenomenon could be mostly ascribed to Hollywood. ‘It is not so much the strictly American Halloween, but a Dutch interpretation of it. We think we know what Halloween is because we see movies about college kids using every excuse to dress up and get ridiculously drunk.’
However, she confessed she finds Halloween ‘perfectly fun’ and she will most likely celebrate it watching horror films. ‘I love creepy, scary things. I find a holiday that makes it possible for people to celebrate a certain aspect of their personality really liberating.’
When asked why she thinks people would like to celebrate scary things, she reflects, ‘If you’re actually scared of vampires and you see people running around with fake teeth and Dracula capes having fun, then you’re associating something good with something you’re scared of.’
The Day of the Dead
Pedro Arias, a Mexican student, explains why he thinks that Halloween is often compared with their local celebration of The Day of the Dead. ‘They cope with a similar thing, to me, it has always been about handling certain parts of the unknown.’ But he believes these celebrations do not conflict with each other, as he finds something valuable in addressing death in the Mexican way. ‘It makes me appreciate the beauty in life coming to an end, especially with how we decorate, because it’s all colorful, it’s a party’.
On the other hand, Arias finds in Halloween’s celebration ‘an opportunity to think about what you’re afraid of.’ He sees value in partying around what frightens us as ‘it lightens it up a little.’
Like previous years, Arias is joining the Atlantis’ association party dressed up as the Joker. ‘I put a lot of effort for Halloween’, he confesses, ‘I think it’s a good opportunity to explore a different side of yourself with a costume.’
