Thoughts about Halloween

       1. Reformation Day vs Halloween

      October 31^st – since 1667 this day has been celebrated by Lutherans as Reformation Day. On October 31^st 1517 the German monch Martin Luther published his 95 Theses; in fact, he is said to have pinned them on a church door in Wittenberg. This document is widely regarded as the initial catalyst for the Protestant Reformation, in the course of which the Protestant church developed.  

However, in recent years on October 31^st another holiday has been becoming more and more popular in Austria. You all know what I am talking about – HALLOWEEN. Halloween originates from Celtic harvest festivals. The Celts believed that the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year's crops would be plentiful. 

      

       2. Scary vs. Sexy

  

      Even though Halloween originated in Europe, it has become extremely popular in the United States. There, it actually is the second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. Basically, celebrating Halloween involves dressing up in a scary outfit and kids knocking at their neighbor’s doors, asking for sweets (“trick or treating”) – At least that's how I viewed Halloween when I was a kid. As I am growing older, Halloween seems to be much more about having parties, drinking and dressing up in any kind of outfit, preferably in a sexy one. However, what does this development actually imply about our society? Well, I found a video in which four quite talented girls make an interesting point about the change in women’s Halloween costumes.

  

      Above all, I agree with their last point: no matter whether you want to dress up in a sexy outfit or as a monster, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable. 

       Happy October 31st :)