Halloween

Halloween is a holiday celebrated annually on October 31st, whilst many may think that it is a relatively recent celebration, its history dates back to the Celtic period.

The tradition originated with the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated on 1st November, the date in which the winter period was considered to begin. On this day, people would typically light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, as it was believed that ghosts returned to Earth on this day. Given its Christian ties, the exact meaning of the word ‘Halloween’ is ‘holy evening’.

Over time, Halloween has evolved into an exceedingly popular celebration around the globe, being host to a day filled with festive activities. These observe: trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, dressing in spooky costumes and festive parties. More recently, a unique festivity regarding pets, in 2021, Americans spent nearly $500 million on costumes for their pets.

Despite the Irish Roots of Halloween, the top 2 countries where Halloween is most celebrated, are the United States and Canada. Something not coherently surprising, considering Halloween is the second most celebrated holiday in America, above Easter and Thanksgiving.

However, there are actually numerous intriguing laws internationally that influence the extent of celebrations, many of which may come as a surprise.

In the country of Jordan, Halloween has been completely forbidden since 2014, lawbreaking can be met with punishments including arrests. Furthermore, in Rehoboth, Delaware, Halloween is prohibited if the celebration falls on a Sunday. This law is not entirely absolute, as private celebrations are still authorised, yet trick-or-treating and generally going out in public dress for the occasion is disallowed.

Now, in the UK, anyone dressing as police with intent to deceive could face up to 6 months in jail and an unlimited fine, this falls under section 90, of the Police Act 1996. This is a law unfamiliar to the majority, since even if you do not intend to impersonate or deceive people with your costume, those dressed up could still be fined up to £1,000. So, this is something to be mindful of if this Halloween, especially if this was in your costume plan.

Alabama holds 2 prominent laws regarding dressing up, that are in place all year round, but most notably around the Halloween period. Firstly, you cannot dress as a religious clerk (from any religion), at any point within the year. Next, fake facial hair is also banned in Alabama churches, particularly if it is funny enough to make other individuals laugh. This is as a result of historical pranks that caused disruption during church services.

It is common practice for children internationally to take part in trick-or-treating on the occasion, however Bellville, Missouri, have imposed age restrictions on this festivity. Any child above the 8th grade is forbidden to go trick-or-treating, those in eighth grade are typically aged between 13 and 14.

Many of these laws and legislations are in place for a reason, considering Halloween, and the month of October in general, witnesses a rise in anti-social behaviour (ASB). In 2022, reports of ASB were 17% higher in October compared to the monthly average for the rest of the year, the causal factors of this were said to be Halloween and longer hours of darkness due to the clocks going back. The worst affected area was London’s Metropolitan Police Force which reported 36,524 cases of ASB in October, compared to the standard monthly average of 21,235 the rest of the year. In 2014, the Crime and Policing Act 2014 was introduced in an attempt to create powers for local authorities and police to tackle ASB more effectively.

This article is merely a summary of some of the fascinating laws associated with the celebration, there are many more that are not well known. So, however, and wherever, you celebrate Halloween make sure that you are aware of the laws surrounding the celebration in your area, as there may be some that you are unaware of!