Last week I attend the table talk about Halloween in Rose dining hall. What really attracts me about this table talk is the commercialization of holidays. I felt no surprise to hear that Americans spent the second highest amount of money in Halloween, which is only lower that Christmas. Even though I am a foreigner, I understand that people regard this day as an opportunity to dress up, have candies, spend happy time with families and friends. What is particularly interesting is that we can think about nowadays, whether the main content of holidays becomes consuming. For example, in China, Halloween is absolutely not a traditional holiday as it is in America. However, I know that not to mention in metropolitan cities, like Beijing and Shanghai, even in tiny cities like my Hometown, in Halloween/Christmas or other holidays in western world, businessmen have all their advertisements to encourage people to purchase their products and celebrate the holiday. Maybe commercialization of holidays is not necessarily a bad thing as some people think, but it is definitely a kind of phenomenon worth thinking.
Rose Scholars Fall 2017
Endless possibilities
So many of the holidays around the world have a rich cultural history that is truly fascinating once you begin to investigate it. It is a bit saddening to see how much tradition has been replaced in these holidays for our more modern commercial-centric celebrations. While one may argue that this is only the natural evolution of culture in the modern age, I find it someone disheartening albeit inevitable to see something as culturally rich as Halloween be reduced to sexy kitty outfits and cheap candy.
I’m interested to hear that commercialization of holidays isn’t just a western practice. Growing up in such a consumerist and materialistic society, it almost seems normal that businesses exploit holidays for profits with the festive season seemingly starting earlier and earlier each year. It is pretty disheartening but personally, I try my best to ignore it all to avoid becoming overly cynical and ruining my own experience.
The commercialization of holidays is definitely something that I believe is inevitable in todays capitalist society. However, I do not think that this is a good thing because the true meaning of such holidays is lost. I myself did not know the history behind Halloween until a couple of years ago. This just goes to show that in a world that is constantly moving towards materialism, we must try our best to preserve traditions in order to continue to give true meaning to certain festivities.
This is definitely an interesting thought that I had never given any consideration before. It was also interesting to hear your perspective, not having been raised here. As I take a step back to consider the impacts of business in America, I think that holidays have lost a lot of their luster and are just more of a marketing opportunity. Events like Christmas become more and more about the gift giving and less about the greater meaning of appreciation. Even Thanksgiving I feel is losing its importance. For my family, thanksgiving is just the dinner before crazy shopping sales and less about getting together.