Halloween is a staple for children all over America, and everyone has their own stories connected to the holiday. But the day means something different to everyone.
We walked around campus to find out what Halloween means to different students.
Costumes take planning, and that’s not for everyone. But it doesn’t mean you can’t put together a last-minute outfit.
Benjamin Yu, a USC student, made a costume out of his existing wardrobe.
Benjamin Yu: I just put on a University of Michigan Ann Arbor T-shirt and called myself a student there. And I went to, like, one party, met some people, and it was a ton of fun. And someone actually told me they liked my costume because their mom went there.
Other people put a lot of thought into their costumes. Sarah Neff, also a USC student, had a killer costume for this year’s Halloween.
Sarah Neff: So it’s like the staff dress up thing and I’m a pun: Holy guacamole.
Amongst USC students, there are as many people who go all-out on their costumes as there are people who prefer not to dress up. Sarah says she just wants everyone to have fun while being comfortable.
Neff: I think people should dress them like whatever makes them comfortable and there’s no obligation to celebrate anything. But I do think it’s I do value a little bit of spirit on Halloween, like the actual day, but I get the whole enjoying party on the weekends. You know, costume parties are pretty fun.
People call it Halloweekend because some students get all the Halloween out of their system by Sunday.
For USC student Malaya Goldberg, weekdays are for studying.
Malaya Goldberg: I just have a midterm tomorrow, so I’m going to be staying in.
However, not everyone grew up trick-or-treating and going to haunted houses. USC reports that roughly 25% of its student body are international students. And because Halloween is a western holiday, many Trojans are just now experiencing it for the first time.
Lary Liu is a Chinese student at USC who is excited to embrace the American tradition.
Lary Liu: Well, I didn’t have a lot of experience with Halloween when I’m when I was back home in China. And I it’s kind of like a fresh experience for me. And I find that really interesting.
Whether you’ve never celebrated Halloween before or you go all-out every year, Halloween is what you make of it, and it’s something everyone can enjoy.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Nolan Ezzet.