By Mira Tupper, published November 4th, 2021
OPINION -- Hallowe’en is a popular, secular holiday celebrated in many places, including here in British Columbia. Children are often seen collecting candy (trick-or-treating) late into the night. There are also teens and even adults hosting parties and staying up late. For most people, Hallowe’en isn't a night of rest and relaxation, but instead exhaustion and sleep deprivation. So the question is, why are we going to school like this? Would it be a good idea to have a day off afterwards?
It’s possible teenagers would use this as an excuse to party later, but it wouldn’t be any worse than when the Hallowe’en is on Friday. It could also prevent hungover teenagers from going to school the next day, where they’re not going to get much work done anyways. This holiday could help you rest and recover after a long night. Another benefit would be easier school parties and celebrations. Without a school day after, more students would be free to attend activities where they could show their school spirit.
There is a question of where the school time would go, since there is a minimum amount of time that students and teachers must be in school each year. A proposition is that we take a day off winter break, adding one more Monday before break. This would also be useful to hand in late assignments and tests, since most teachers and students want to finish their work before the break.
The day after Hallowe’en is always a day filled with jittery, buzzing kids. It’s also a day where everyone is sharing candy, which is problematic during the pandemic era. Having a holiday could encourage children to eat by themselves at home. This could also be a “Candy day”--a day where kids can enjoy eating their candy without being too much for their teacher.
Imagine how beneficial making the day after Hallowe’en a statutory holiday would be. This system would without a doubt make a difference to how we celebrate this day of the year, for the better.