Halloween has become one of the biggest events in the British calendar. There have always been traditions associated with 31st October, but the present extravaganza, with its epidemic of ‘trick-or-treating’, is a recent phenomenon.
A decade ago, spending on Halloween in the UK was only £12m; now, boosted by Hollywood and marketing, it is £300m.
Financially, Halloween is now, after Christmas and Easter, our third highest grossing celebration.
Yet Halloween has seized this position without any serious consideration of what it stands for and whether or not we even want it.
When people talk about what happens on 31st October a little phrase commonly heard is that Halloween is ‘harmless nonsense’. But is it indeed harmless? Is it merely nonsense? It’s time to do some hard thinking.
Read the full article at http://www.mirror.co.uk/opinion/news-opinion/reverend-j-john-six-reasons-2486777