What is it about Halloween?

I do not mean the history leading up to up to it - from the Celts to the Catholics, from Europe to the US and back again. I mean, why do we celebrate Halloween today? What function does it have, apart from being hugely commercial?


Not really religious - but thought it would fit best here.


Some say that it is like April fools day or carnival or fastelavn - that on that day, people in medieval times could forget the normal (strict) rules and thumb their noses at the authorities, and that even today Halloween retains some of that aspect.

In some places it was originally dressing up in scary clothes to ward off evil spirits, and many still have the horror emphasis on Halloween. Why? Is it a way to deal with fright and darkness - pull its tail, so to speak, in good company? Like the way zombies in some authors opinion is playing with break down of society? Is it the same with horror movies? I have always wondered the attraction of those.

Not all people who dress up are scary or horrible - many are elves, superheroes etc. Why is it such fun to dress up, to become another? Are the common main stream roles too constricting?

Do you like Halloween? What is fun or attractive about it? What do you think it means in this day and age?

Got ideas from these articles:
https://theconversation.com/halloween-turning-to-th…
BBC - Culture - Error