Halloween still brings with it traditions that were familiar in the 1940s. But the celebrations on the home front during the war years also had some key differences. Many of us grow up with memories of Halloween and have an idea of what it's about and why we celebrate it. Today, we're thinking about how this year's trick-or-treat celebration might be different from years past, but it's not the first time Halloween has had to make some adjustments. From 1942 to 1944, many Americans experienced a different Halloween than they did before the war. The similarities and differences can be seen in the types of activities, decorations, and costumes for the holiday, as well as the impact of the war on communities at the time. What images do you think of when you think of Halloween? Perhaps it's images of children in costumes running down the sidewalks in their neighborhoods, or parents driving their children from house to house shouting the traditional phrase "trick or treat." During the war years, there were many articles from around the country reporting on Halloween activities, especially parties for children and others for adults only. One adult-only party was described in The Muncie Sunday Star newspaper in Muncie, Indiana, on October 25, 1942. The celebration was replete with "Traditional Halloween colors, orange and black were used in the entertainment rooms and black cats and pumpkins were placed at various intervals in the living room. Guests were masked and led through a haunted house, and costume prizes were awarded.... Games were played and prizes awarded during the social hour." Most children's parties were organized by clubs and community organizations, houses of worship, school groups, and parent councils. In 1942, some communities canceled Halloween, which meant no more parades or large public gatherings - but house parties were still allowed. Other communities continued to hold parties and announce Halloween parades. In Clifton, New Jersey, The Morning Call promoted a parade where children could participate in a Kiwanis-organized parade at 7:30 a.m., starting at a local park and ending in a schoolyard. Upon arrival at the school, participants "parade through the bleachers where Kiwanians review the costumes." The Kiwanians then chose a winner. Halloween celebrations were not the same across the country, however. In the American South, segregation also played a role, causing a difference from today's celebrations. The News and Observer, a Raleigh, North Carolina newspaper, described the city's plans for Halloween on October 27, 1942, and the newspaper described the programs and activities for white and black children. Today, many children choose their costumes by either reading ads in the newspaper, researching on the Internet, or going to a department store to pick out what they want to wear for the occasion. It's not as easy as it is today to figure out what costumes were popular in the 1940s. Most of the pictures we can find of Halloween costumes are from newspaper articles that appeared after October 30. These black and white images from the war years show a variety of children in Halloween costumes. In these photos, we can see some trends in what characters children wanted to slip into for Halloween. Most of the costumes were ones that many of us might be familiar with, such as animals, pirates, ghosts, witches, and clowns. Some costumes included racial and cultural stereotypes that would be considered extremely insensitive today. Other costumes showed the influence of the World War, with children dressing up in patriotic costumes like Uncle Sam, Red Cross nurses, and commandos in disguise. Costumes were not only worn at parades and house parties ; local movie theaters also joined in the action. On October 31, 1942, a movie theater in Kansas City, Missouri, announced a Halloween costume contest, complete with a Halloween party and matinee. As part of the war effort, the same movie theater advertised in the Kansas City Times that patrons could receive a free bag of popcorn if they brought at least one pound of junk! Halloween movies were also popular with moviegoers. War thrillers included The Glass Key (1942), The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942), A Scream in the Dark (1943), The Mark of the Whistler (1944), and The Woman in the Window (1944), and for those who preferred romantic comedies, I Married a Witch (1942). Much like today, there were concerns about Halloween pranks during the war years. Warnings and preparations were part of the news. Curfews were imposed and enforced to prevent Halloween pranks. Some newspapers, such as the Des Moines Register in Iowa, even compared the thugs to saboteurs "aiding the Axis powers." All of this may seem a bit harsh today, but in a world where many things were rationed and personal property could not be easily replaced, it was extremely important to curb vandalism. If someone had decided to TP a tree when it became difficult for us to buy a package or two a few months ago, we all would have been more than mildly annoyed. The Des Moines Register even advised against ringing doors late at night because it might disturb the sleep of people who needed their rest to work in a factory making much needed munitions for the war. Does this mean that vandalism has taken a break? Not at all! Reports of damage in Alexandria, Louisiana, were printed in The Town Talk on November 2, 1942. Halloween vandalism included "windows soaped, garbage cans overturned, chairs and benches and other items left outdoors stolen." A few cases of actual vandalism were reported in which things were stolen or broken." Not only were warnings published in newspapers throughout the United States, but verbal admonitions were issued at local schools by teachers and principals. The Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ran an article in 1942 about American youths in some cities in the United States who responded to local concerns about vandalism and sabotage by organizing campaigns against vandalism and holding junk collections. Along with the tricks, there are always tidbits. One thing that was different than today was the rationing of some goods that we take for granted. When it comes to Halloween, sugar tops the list, and it was one of the first foods rationed during the war years. How did rationing work during Halloween? Since Halloween parties were still held in private homes, baked goods were an important part of the food that hosts served to costumed guests. Newspapers published numerous ration-friendly recipes in advance of the holiday. Everything from popcorn balls to donuts and apple cider to Halloween cakes and spice cookies could be found on newspaper pages across the United States. Today, Halloween still features some of the traditions that were common in the 1940s. In a year in which we are dealing with difficulties and uncertainty, it is important to maintain some semblance of normalcy when celebrating the holidays in order to keep our spirits up. This is just as important today as it was during the war years. Although there were wartime challenges and restrictions to celebrating Halloween in the 1940s, adults, families and children were still able to make their celebrations special. Even today, despite the new challenges, we can create our own fun and develop new traditions as we observe the different phases in our cities and towns. The spirit of Halloween is what we can dream up and conjure.
Source : National WWII Museum, New Orleans
