Spooky season has begun, from young to old, people of different ages celebrate Halloween. Whilst everyone will be out and about in their impressive costumes, it is imperative that we know what Halloween is and how it is celebrated. According to an article from History.com, Halloween is a holiday celebrated on 31 October and it was a day when people dressed up to celebrate their ancestors who have passed on but the day has found its way to our shores, and it has taken a fun new twist. Did you know? Historically, people dressed in costumes to ward off restless spirits…spooky if you ask me. Halloween has transformed into something rather fun than scary, although people are no longer trying to be ghostbusters and chasing spirits, the day is still celebrated in a way that is spooky but nice with the history of costume wearing still being preserved 2000 years later. We spoke to Xenia Steeneveld, who resides in America, who agreed to answer a few questions about her first American Halloween experience. She mentioned that she is excited to celebrate the day because it is extremely celebrated in her neighbourhood and all around. She also adds that people decorate their houses and stores, changing their entire look including packaging to fit the Halloween theme. The club culture in Hatfield has caught on to the trend that students love a good time, whether it’s chasing after good vibes or you are just someone who enjoys the practice of Halloween. The holiday caters to everyone who takes interest in it. Did you know? The phrase “trick or treat” made its appearance in the 1930s and originates from a Canadian newspaper. A lot of people get the concept of Halloween, be it from watching their favourite American films and series, but how we as a country and especially the club culture got assimilated into this trend remains a mystery. We spoke to a regular club goer who would like to remain anonymous who asserted that clubs like making money and anything that brings money they will do even if they do not understand the history or the very purpose of the practice. We also asked what their go-to costume would be to which they responded, “anything cheap would do”. In essence, Halloween is increasingly becoming a thing in South Africa, we do not question it but try to understand it. So, if you are ever in the mood to dress up as your favourite movie characters like Wonder Woman or Spider-man, the time is now as spooky season is here. Why is it important to know about the history of our adopted holiday that is increasingly gaining popularity in our country? It is important to know more about the history of Halloween just so we know what we are participating in and how we got assimilated into the spirit of Halloween. The localisation of Halloween would mean the coming together of people to celebrate while wearing their spooky costumes all in the spirit of Halloween. Did you know that Halloween is not the only day where people wear costume-like attires and celebrate. The 5th of November is a day called Penny Penny, the day is often celebrated in townships where children of different age groups take to the street, cross-dress, and ask for money from neighbours, one can even mistakenly understand it as a South African version of Halloween. Like Halloween, Penny Penny Day has a rich history that has been skipped over by kids who see it as a day they come together and have fun. The day can also be looked at as the children’s way of portraying a very important meaning, the flattening of gender roles and norms. The act of being involved in revolutionary acts of challenging society’s system without even knowing. If the practice is preserved, in the future it can be a very powerful tool that teaches young people to normalise gender fluidity and so much more, especially in townships where many people are ignorant of homosexuality. As someone who grew up in a township where Penny Penny was celebrated, I initially thought that Penny Penny was our localised version of Halloween. Kids of all ages would come out in numbers and dress up in their guardians’ best-oversized dresses and suits, then go door-to-door dancing, and instead of getting treats, we would get money. This was also a way of flattening gender roles as we would dress like the opposite gender and that is now associated with homosexual rights. When I asked students around me about this holiday many had not known about it, and we happened to not share the same childhood, I then realised that I needed to educate them about this holiday as it is very special to the locals in townships. It goes without saying that these holidays share similarities and one could say that Halloween and Penny Penny could be cousins, figuratively speaking of course. It is great to see people celebrate Halloween and it would be just as great to have the spirit of Penny Penny catch up to everyone who has not experienced it as it is just as fun. With that being said…when dark shadows form and costumes are seen, the moon will shine brighter cause tis’ Halloween that’s near!
Gontse Mabaso