Am I all alone in being totally against Halloween?
By kbkbooks
@kbkbooks (7022)
Canada
October 24, 2007 8:40pm CST
I know I will get a lot of flack on this one. There will be all kinds of people who will reply and say I am taking all the fun away from the kids, and that trick or treating is harmless.
The fact is, I am totally against Halloween. Originally it was All Hallows Eve, when Christians prayed for all the departed and prayed in All Saints Day. Eventually, non Christians decided that in order to scare away evil spirits to accommodate the saints, there should be a massive amount of gruesomeness and scariness. The tradition of trick or treating comes from wassalin...or "asoulin'" where one blessed neighbors with small trinkets or treats to symbolize bounty and prosperity. Common society has turned this into the habit of sending children door to door to collect (beg for) treats, supposedly resulting in tricksters causing problems if not pleased about the reception and "gifts" they get.
This has evolved to what amounts to all kinds of vandalism, from toilet paper streamers to more destructive vandalism like breaking windows, soaping windows, throwing eggs at houses and cars. One year we even had a raw egg all over our mail the following day because someone had placed it in our mailbox. Strangely enough, this was one of the final years when actually did give out treats. The scaring element of All Hallow's Eve has evolved over the years where it is now as gruesome and "scary" as possible. The costumes are no longer focussed on cute princesses and Batman and Superman, and innocent bedsheet ghosts. Skeletons, walking dead, and the Grim Reaper are much more popular.
Personally, I have given up. For the last four years on Halloween night I put out our dog, who is friendly but will bark at strangers and most of all at weird costumes. I turn out all my house lights and leave the house for the evening until the trick or treat monsters are forced inside by the town curfew. Towns around here set curfews and also usually give some sort of party to distract kids from going out too much. They have fun at the parties and they are generally pretty innocent. I have never encouraged my kids to go out, except a couple years when they were very small and Grandma thought it would be cute to dress them up. I don't carve pumpkins because they just get smashed by vandals.
I just don't feel that the original spirit of All Hallows Eve is alive at all anymore. It has become distorted beyond recognition. People don't even realize the holiday has been taken out of Christianity and turned over to Satan. That may sound a bit strong, but its the truth. For me, it is a good reason to cringe every time this "holiday" comes around.
6 people like this
16 responses
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
25 Oct 07
I don't have children but I know if I did with the weirdo's around these days I would not like my kids trick or treating, one I would not want my kids knocking of peoples doors and these days I wouldn't trust what some people would be giving the kids, we don't really celebrate halloween here in Australia but I really think it is a dangerous thing as well.
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
25 Oct 07
I agree and disagree. I do think this day has turned into a money making holiday. From sales of candy, costumes, to weird things. I have 2 young kids and all they really care of is getting free candy. This day is also like the other holidays where stores relies on these holidays for money to survive. Halloween isn't even here yet, and stores already have Christmas stuff displayed.
My kids wears the innocent costumes. I seen the costumes for my older daughter, my husband commented on how they look like they have been sexed up. So my youngest is going as sleeping beauty and my oldest is going as a princess from the 1700's.
I don't buy pumkins either, not for the fact of being smashed. I don't see the point of wasting my money on something that you carve and display for a few days, then will have to throw away. I have a fake pumkin, that I can display and then put up for next year. I go with my kids, this year my husband will be home and our new dog will bark at any thing that comes near the house, so that might keep kids away. Depending on the weather, my kids might not even be out that long anyway.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
It only takes a couple cups of pumpkin pulp to make a pie so a medium sized pumpkin might make two. I don't know how to pick a good pumpkin. One year I baked one and when I went to process out the pulp, all I ended up with was a lot of fibers and liquid, no real pulp. Other times I have had good luck with them. It's still just easier to buy the canned pumpkin pulp and add the stuff to it for a pie. I have also served canned pumpkin, unsweetened and just heated up with butter and salt for a vegetable.
1 person likes this
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
28 Oct 07
I never thought of using pumkin by itself like that. I know you can use a can and mix it with other things and use for breads and such especially with kids that don't like eating there veggies. My daughter's pumkin is on the tiny side, she's tiny herself so it's only fitting that her pumkin to be small, lol. So I would only be lucky to get a few seeds out of it.
1 person likes this
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
25 Oct 07
Only person in my family that likes pumkin pie is my husband so it's a waste of money to buy a big enough pumkin to make a pie out of it. It's cheaper to buy one already made, along with the seeds. My daughter did get a small one from her very 1st field trip. I don't think we will carve it. It's to small to make a pie. I did take pictures of her with it, so when it goes bad. She will always have pictures.
With the weather of trick of treating, if it's raining or cold. Why even bother with the whole hoop la, it's better just to stay home and watch movies.
1 person likes this
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
Some of my best childhood memories are of me and my friends dressing up and going trick or treating. It was great fun. We never egged someone's house, never smashed a pumpkin, none of that. In fact, I think the vast majority of children are good kids, and go around our neighbourhood, and just trick or treat.
I give out treats for the kids, and the vast majority of kids are little ones who come with their parents. I don't think they are thinking about a religious connection, they are just having some innocent fun.
I also don't object to the tooth fairy, easter bunny or Santa. To me, it's all in the same category.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
I know there are a lot of parents who raise their children to believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa. My children's father and myself decided early on that this would not be the primary focus of our children's education about life. There are so many children who get to a point where they find out "accidentally" that these are not real and they end up getting traumatized.
I am not at a point in my spiritual life where I can reconcile fantasy and religion, which I consider reality. I know not every considers religion reality. I have a devout Jewish friend who swears the Bible, particularly the old testament is totally fiction. I don't get how as a "devout Jewish" person he can reconcile that!
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
I think it's unfortunate when some children have no fantasy in their lives.
@luzamper (1357)
• Philippines
26 Oct 07
I am a Christian and therefore I am not celebrating the Halloween. Halloween is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church embodied in the Catechism which is followed by the Catholics instead of the Holy Bible. I follow the Holy Bible and Halloween is not in the Holy Bible.
@asgtswife04 (2475)
• United States
25 Oct 07
You are definitely not alone at all in this. I, for one, do not allow my children to walk the streets and going door to door. You can't do that these days anyways. It has become such an evil holiday and the people that come out on that night are just, well, alot of them are just plain evil. I don't mean the mothers and fathers taking their kids out, but the ones that have actually turned into violence and thinking that it is Satan's day. My church does a trunk or treat thing that gets the kids off the street though, which i think is great. it is followed by a short service in teaching children about God. I do let my children go to that, but they know that there are certain costumes that are not appropriate and not tolerated in our home and they are taught that we don't celebrate Halloween.
1 person likes this
@asgtswife04 (2475)
• United States
26 Oct 07
yeah, alot more churches are starting to do stuff like this around where i live, which i am so thankful for. You can't trust anyone when it comes to your children these days and some people have just taken everything to an extreme. I, too, love the idea of getting all the kids off the street and we had a really good turn out last year so hopefully it will be as good if not better this year. There were over 400 children last year that came. It was so awesome! thanks and God bless you!
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
•
25 Oct 07
I disagree with you on the origins of Halloween but I notice someone else has already mentioned that so I won't go into it again. However, here in the UK Halloween is not nearly as big a deal as it is in the US and Canada. Most people don't do anything at all to celebrate it. I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be celebrating anyway(!) In recent years I would say more has been made of it but I suspect that's mainly due to seeing American programmes on TV. We do have some Halloween traditions but it's always been fairly low key. It's not a holiday here.
We tend to make more of a fuss about Bonfire Night (5th November) which commemorates Guy Fawkes' thwarted attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament hundreds of years ago. It's customary here for children to build a "Guy" to burn on the bonfire and then go round the houses looking for "a penny for the guy". That's sort of become merged with the idea of "Trick or Treat" in recent years.
My daughter is grown up now but she did do it when she was younger although always with a group of friends and only round the immediate neighbours who knew her. When she was very young I went with them. It does concern me when I see small children going round the doors with no adults present. I sometimes wonder if their parents ever read the newspapers!
1 person likes this
@sylvia13 (1850)
• Nelson Bay, Australia
25 Oct 07
I think Halloween is mostly an American holiday and in other places it is just an excuse for shops to make money selling costumes and sweets for the kids. I also don't think that people pay any notice to the religious aspect of it, they just ignore the holiday altogether, as something completely foreign that has nothing to do with them!
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
People also ignore the religious aspect of Christmas and Easter. That doesn't make a holiday mean any less than it is supposed to, it just makes people more ignorant, or less educated depending on how you look at it. Somewhere, over time, the world population has become very immersed in the false philosophy that if it feels good, we should do it, and fun is supposedly harmless. There is a very fine line between harmless fun and malicious rowdiness.
@Eskimo (2315)
•
26 Oct 07
Halloween has always been celebrated in Scotland, where the children go round and 'Earn' their treats by giving recitals of stories, jokes or singing, however in the past few years it seems to have been hijacked by the American 'Trick or Treat' which is spoiling it for them and turning the children into vandals. I really can't be bothered with this any more.
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
25 Oct 07
I find several things wrong with your arguement against Halloween. For one, Paganism was around BEFORE Christanity. Therefore, the traditions of Halloween are actually Pagan to begin with (that's where the tradition of jack o lanterns came from. Carved (actually carved turnips, carved pumpkins did not arrive until much later, and were brought here by I believe, Irish immigrants, that I'm not sure of) to help chase away bad spirits). Christians took the traditions of Halloween and moved it around to make it in line with the popular religion at the time of Paganism, only to gain some favor with the people that were still Pagan. Please do not try and claim that Christanity was around before Paganism, or that all holidays that are Christian are manipulated by Pagans. It's extremely false. However, I observe your right not to celebrate Halloween because of vandals, or you own personal beliefs, but please try and get your history correct.
Secondly, it's never been all nice either. Children in Europe used to dress up in scary costumes so they would not be stolen by the fae (fairies). People in general would wear pretty gruesome costumes because it is believed that on Halloween (or All Hallows Eve) that the veil between the worlds is thin, and that by wearing scary costumes, they would be safe from wandering spirits that may try and take them back to the otherworld with them. Halloween here is just a continuation of that tradition, we just started out a bit nicer than most when it first started here. Halloween is now moving back to it's originial roots so to speak.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
First of all let me say I totally respect your discussion and purposely am not calling it an argument. What I wrote was based on the fact that I have read and researched a lot on this subject over the years. I have heard your arguments before and I have heard a lot of arguments from the same side I take. It's really a point for discussion that I think will remain unresolved. I am not out to bash Pagans or Wiccans or anyone else. Everyone has to make their own choices in terms of what they believe. I think that Christians often make the mistake of using Pagan as a general term for everything that is against what they believe in. It is also commonly thought that Pagans and Wiccans worship Satan. I personally know some Pagans and Wiccans and I have know Satanists. In terms of the passage in the Bible where Jesus tells the disciples that "Anyone who is not for us is against us," that may be a right assumption, but Pagans and Wiccans don't worship Satan as far as I am aware. Again, it's a personal choice that everyone has to make. I know that traditions have varied and changed so much over the years that it's hard to say what was really meant at the beginning and where traditions were merged and confused between groups. In any case, it is based on my own research and experiences, I choose not to recognize the traditions of this day.
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
25 Oct 07
I have a friend who doesn't allow her children to celebrate Halloween either,so you aren't alone. However,I am a Christian but I find that we can seperate the holiday from any beliefs that are involved in it. My children dont know about and I am sure they don't care about the history of the day. It is about fun to them. I don't tell them that they are begging for candy- just asking. I also don't allow them to go to strangers houses.They know that I don't approve of really scary or gruesome costumes so they are usually something nice. I see nothing wrong with it if it is done in a correct manner. I think that adults are taking too many things away from kids due to the adult mindset and not that of a child. I am sure that many kids don't care if Satan or someone is behind the real meaning of the day.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
Suppose Al-Qaeda were to declare a holiday. It is to be celebrated with joy and dancing and music and feasting. The children will be showered with trinkets and candy. Everyone will get a day off of work. The holiday is to celebrate the festiveness of killing and terrorism. ...Same idea as a holiday behind which you find Satan. Would we celebrate it anyway because it's all meant in fun? DUH. Although I never encouraged my kids to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny, Satan IS real. His "lifestyle" may appear to be "fun" ...partying, frivolity, and anything your heart desires. If Al-Qaeda got us to celebrate, we would end up in misery eventually. Same thing...and no one will convince me of anything else.
@yomistel07 (62)
•
25 Oct 07
Halloween, for me, has been taken into the extreme. The grotesque masks and frightening costumes are not what is needed for Halloween. I'm not interested in the holiday anyway, but I hate it when people frighten me.
1 person likes this
@MommaOfAllTrades (969)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
You are not alone, I'm totally with you on this one! I hate Halloween too. Unfortunately your facts are a little backwards, ALL Christian Holidays have been put in place to mask other rituals/beliefs, not the other way around. All Hallows Eve is a Satan celebration. Period! (And I am a Christian so I'm not saying anything wrong against Christianity although I hate ALL religions too but that's a whole different discussion)
My big beef with Halloween is that you teach your children over and over and over again that YOU DO NOT SPEAK TO NOR ACCEPT CANDY FROM STRANGERS! Well except once a year when you go begging door to door for candy! THAT'S Ok my sweet little darling dressed as a gruesome devil! How Cute! NOT!
I'm fortunately to have married a man whose birthday is on October 31st and have celebrated his birthday on that date with the children ever year. Daddy is WAY more important!! Of course, I'm the first one at Walmart the next morning to buy all those treats at a ridiculously low price!
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
That's cool about your husband and how you celebrate the day. It's totally true that parents tell kids it's cool to go out and beg for candy from strangers, which is wrong. Some parents do supervise their kids and drive them around. It used to be safe for us to walk around when we were kids, and I remember there being dozens out at once. Now the kids go around before dark in some places. In these ways I think parents are trying to make it all okay. Still, I don't see it that way.
@ALouie (118)
• United States
25 Oct 07
I respect your opinion about being against Halloween. I have actually been against Hallowen myself, at some point in the past. Lately, though I have come to find that Halloween is almost a relief to have available amidst a world community that is flooded with so many opinions, and so much pressure. I don't know much about the historical realities of this holiday, but as long as it is celebrated harmlessly it can be quite stress relieving. Orange and black is a pretty color combination and pumpkins make great decorations. Wearing a mask is also a nice way to hide from the world for a day. I started going to a friend's Halloween party with my wife since last year and I found that I was able to be much more relaxed and social dressed as Gilligan, rather than going as myself. It's a day to just have fun and people can dress up to be anyone they want.
@moonbugster (10)
• United States
30 Oct 07
I do know where you are coming from on this view point. I see this day as a day to possible reach some very lost souls though. Our church is having a festival and we will be having a ton of games and things as well as having some great door prizes. The catch is that in order to win a door prize you must be present and it will be given after the youth put on a skit and everyone in the place has heard the gospel. As Christians we are suppose to reach the lost and what a great "holiday" to plant some seeds.
