The Usual Haunts

Harvard is not renowned for its lively party scene, and Halloween is no exception. While Tuesday will be one of the wildest social events of the year for most campuses, for many students at Harvard, Halloween will be a tamer affair.

With just a few days until the holiday, many students seem non-committal about the holiday and haven't made firm plans for the evening, although some have decided to celebrate over the weekend instead.

One obvious choice is parties. The traditional Adams House Masquerade is expected to draw hundreds of students, many of whom--if tradition holds--will be turned away at the door. Others are seeking out alternatives.

"I'm probably going to the heaven and hell party," says Roxanna N. Curto '01.

For those who want to relive their childhood days, trick-or-treating is a perennial favorite. As Corina C. Franklin'01 put it, "Why not go trick-or-treating?"

It doesn't have to be childish, students say.

"We are going to party like wild women and then go trick-or-treating," says Sarah E. Tavel '04.

More socially conscious peers are combining fun with community service. Alice O. Wong'04 plans to take elementary school students at Fresh Pond Enrichment Program out for the evening. And Jordan A. A. Bar Am '04 says he is organizing a group to go trick-or-treating to raise money for UNICEF.

Eve G. Marson'04 plans to be more generally charitable.

"I am going to buy a candy for any trick-or-treaters who stop by my dorm," she says.

But trick-or-treating requires a costume. A few resourceful students already know what they are going to wear.

"I am being Marilyn Monroe because she is hot and because I am secretly a transvestite," says Lee H. Teslik '04.

For Andrew D. Goulet '04, dressing up provides an opportunity to recreate a childhood fantasy.

"I'm going to be Waldo to relive a fifth grade experience," he says.

Amy E. Keel '04 is going to dress as she did while in high school, as a bumblebee.

For those who haven't found a costume yet, Cathy A. Johnson, an employee at Oona's, a Square costume and novelty clothing shop, has some suggestions.

This year, many popular costumes come from recent movies and television shows such as The Ladies Man, Shaft and Charlie's Angels, she says.

Unsurprisingly, "girls want to be sexy" with their costumes, she says. In particular, "lots of sexy devil cats" are in demand.

The men at last night's Adams Drag Night might not have much competition. "Guys aren't doing drag that much this year," she says.

Making fun of the past is always popular. According to Johnson, the 1980s are in this year.

If students don't want to dress up themselves, they can always unleash their creative energies on gourds. The first-year prefects, for instance, are sponsoring their annual pumpkin-carving contest this week. The winning first-year entryway will receive a pizza party.

For the jaded, the ambitious and those who are tired of the Harvard social scene, there are opportunities outside of Cambridge.

Jorge Ditas '01 plans to go to a costume party in Boston. One first-year entryway is going farther afield, to Salem, Mass.

Graham F. O'Donoghue '02 has an out-of-state field trip planned: "I'm going trick or treating at Foxwoods," he says.

Amid the festivities, some students have stepped back to reflect on the meaning of it all.

Teri T. Kleinberg '04 says that not trick-or-treating for the first time will be a seminal event: it "marks the end of my childhood," Kleinberg says.

Others are upset because this will be their first Halloween away from home.

Karawan N. Kouki '04 says, "I'm depressed because I will not be able to see my sister in her Halloween costume."

For some students from abroad, it will be an exciting night. Nicole C. Nitsche '04, who lived in France for eight years and missed the fun, says she is excited to be back for this most American holiday.

But despite all their peers' plans, it wouldn't be Harvard if some undergraduates didn't decide to sit the holiday out.

"I hate Halloween," says Oliver A. Lennox '04. "I am going to study in my room."