Halloween is arguably one of the most fun, carefree holidays for people young and old. From dressing up in costume to consuming wild amounts of candy, there's a lot to love about this holiday with one exception - its date of October 31. The event sometimes falls in the middle of the week, which can cause some issues for parents concerned with their kids' busy schedules. And this could be one reason why a petition to move Halloween to the last Saturday of the month has gone viral. But some might be wondering: Does this suggestion have any chance of happening?
The petition in question was first launched in 2018 by the nonprofit, the Halloween & Costume Association, a "trade organization to promote and build a celebration of Halloween in the United States," according to CNN. And despite being an old petitioner, it recently started gaining traction online with over 97,000 signatures as of Sunday.
Here's what's going on in a nutshell: The petition suggests that bumping Halloween from its current date into October will create a "safer, longer, stress-free celebration." It also means no more rushing to get off work in time to take the kids trick-or-treating, missing out on all the good candy, and battles to get to school the next morning.
The petition claims 3,800 people are injected every year on Halloween and 82 percent of parents don't prioritize high-visibility aids, like reflective tape, glow sticks, or finger lights, on costumes. And while child safety is a noble cause, it's going to take more than support from the public to see Halloween moved to a new date because it requires the help of politicians.
As noted by KXAN, an NBC News affiliate station, President Donald Trump would be the first to go to Congress and ask that Halloween be named a government-regulated holiday. That has only happened six times since 1888, according to the outlet, so the odds of it happening for Halloween aren't great. What's more? This cause doesn't appear to be on Trump's radar right now, which is somewhat unsurprising.
As for the list of current federal holidays, it includes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Inauguration Day, George Washington's birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, according to ThoughtCo. And according to the publication, local and state governments establish their holiday schedules, while businesses are free to do the same. This explains why some stores remain open on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, while others close.
It's important to note that some of the aforementioned holidays have become government-regulated events more recently than others. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, for example, was first celebrated as a holiday in all 50 states in 2000, according to USA TODAY. This should give hope to those who want Halloween moved to a new date, as there's a chance it could have added to the official list of federal holidays. That being said, I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon.
