There’s a National Petition to Change the Date of Halloween – Do You Agree?

Change.org started a national petition to change the date of Halloween to the last Saturday in October and stating “It’s time for a Safer, Longer, Stress-Free Celebration”.

Some of the reasons for this movement are stated on their petition page. They include:

  • 3,800 Halloween-related injuries each year. Talk to your kids about safety before they head out!
  • 82% of parents don’t use high visibility aids on their costume, be sure to incorporate reflective tape, glow sticks, finger lights or light up accessories
  • 63% of children don’t carry a flashlight while they are tick-or-treating. Grab a clip-on light if they don’t want to carry one! Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween. Discuss safety, pre-plan a route, stay on sidewalks and use crosswalks
  • 65% of parents don’t discuss Halloween safety with their children. Talk with your kids and offer ways to ensure a fun and safe experience
    70%of parents don’t accompany their children trick-or-treating. You’re never too old to trick-or-treat! Grab a costume and take advantage of some good ol’ fashioned family bonding!
    51% Of Millennials say Halloween is their favorite holiday, why cram it into 2 rushed evening weekday hours when it deserves a full day!?!

Change.org would like to get 150,000 signatures, and currently have 96k plus.

Halloween’s roots back to before the birth of Christ, but it is associated with All Saints Day, which Christians celebrated on November 1. Mexicans also celebrates Dios de los Muerta — The Day of the Dead — which commemorates the lives of lost loved ones. In fact, the wonderful movie “Coco” uses this as part of its central theme. According to this post on Wikipedia:

The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and helping support their spiritual journey. In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural part of the human cycle. Mexicans view it not as a day of sadness but as a day of celebration because their loved ones awake and celebrate with them.

In other words, this is a seasonal celebration. Should we start to celebrate Christmas in July? Oh, wait…

NBC10 also reported on this hot topic, adding that, “Social media users responded to the petition almost immediately, many arguing that Halloween should stay put.”

What do you think?