The old time tradition of going out on the night of October 31st, dressing up in scary costumes and going door to door asking for candy started in America in the 1950s. Generation after generation, people wait all year for that fateful night of October 31st to play their tricks and receive their treats, but that might not be true for the following generations.

The Halloween and Costume Association has launched a petition to change the date from October 31st to the last Saturday in October. The association and some parents say that having Halloween on a Saturday might make it so that parents can accompany their kids to festivities easier. They say that changing the date of Halloween will make it safer for kids to go out and trick or treat, but some of the public might not agree.

“[I] don’t really [think that changing the date of Halloween will change the injury rate],” sophomore Micah Rayburn said. “It’s on a weekend and people tend to be more active on the weekends because they don’t really have anything else to do. I think that would bring more people out because the main reason why kids aren’t allowed to trick or treat is either because it’s a school night or it’s dangerous.”

Changing the date of Halloween and breaking a tradition that has been in place for years, might not be the real reason that Halloween is so dangerous for kids.

“[I think the cause of the violence on Halloween is] messed up people that are trying to take advantage of children,” Rayburn said. “Teenagers are just messing around trying to have fun. I think that people just need to be a bit more aware so that they can take the measures to avoid danger. ”

The official date of Halloween hasn’t changed yet, but as the number of people supporting the petition keeps rising, the Halloween and Costume Association and parents are getting closer to their goal. Nevertheless, even if the official date is altered, some people may not follow through with the change.

“I would celebrate Halloween on the 31st, [even if the date changed],” Rayburn said. “I don’t really see why they would need to change the date, it’s unnecessary. If it gains more traction, then maybe [I would celebrate on the day], but right now, I feel like people are stuck celebrating on the 31st.”

Changing the date of Halloween might not be drastic to some, but the reason behind it can affect thousands of people. Trying to make Halloween safer can be a noble cause, but the actions that are being taken to make Halloween safer might not be the most effective way of going about this.

“[Some ways to keep people safe on Halloween are to] raise more awareness on the dangers so that people would be more aware and conscious about what’s going on,” Rayburn said. “A bunch of people don’t really think of the dangers of Halloween.”