In elementary school, Halloween was often a time for celebration — a holiday filled with outlandish costumes, jack-o-lanterns and the sweet rewards from trick-or-treating.

Images of witches and ghosts, black cats and demons might readily come to mind in conjunction with the autumn holiday, but the history of the day may not.

Megan Culbreth, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, said what she knows of the holiday is “only what I learned from Hocus Pocus, the movie,” referring to the 1993 spook fest starring Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker. Culbreth said she learned from the film that Halloween was formerly called “All-Hallows’ Eve.”

Riley Hoff, a freshman in veterinary medicine and self-proclaimed Halloween fanatic, said she also knows the old name for Halloween, but knows few historical facts beyond that.

However, limited knowledge about the origins of a favorite holiday does not make it any less appealing or enjoyable.

When asked to identify her favorite part of Halloween, Hoff was hesitant to choose one thing — she said she loves it all. Hoff highlighted receiving free candy at school.

Culbreth said trick-or-treating is her favorite part of the holiday. Although the American Halloween ritual is a childhood memory, Culbreth said she loves the two aspects of getting candy and hanging out with friends.

And she won’t let the fear of the holiday some have keep her from celebrating.

As a supporter of the holiday, Culbreth wants people to give Halloween a chance, saying that “although most people say that Halloween has a negative connotation, I think that if you really get into the spirit and enjoy the fun aspects of it, you see that there’s nothing really scary about it.”