Not comfortable with Halloween

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People can turn anything into an issue if they want to. Next stop? Wreck Thanksgiving b/c it slams Native Americans. Do what you want, just please don't mess it up for the rest of us. TIA.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated with American Indians present and invited. They helped the colonist survive. Absolutely nothing about Thanksgiving slams anyone. In fact, honors them.

[Anonymous]

It's Halloween. It's fun. Get over it. Celebrate the religious aspects, or not. Decorate, or not. Dress up, or not. Like most things, if you can have fun with it, please do, otherwise please stay at home and keep your porch light off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's Halloween. It's fun. Get over it. Celebrate the religious aspects, or not. Decorate, or not. Dress up, or not. Like most things, if you can have fun with it, please do, otherwise please stay at home and keep your porch light off.

Did you read my original question? I mean... Did you take in the meaning of the words and tried to made sense of what was really being asked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Halloween. It's fun. Get over it. Celebrate the religious aspects, or not. Decorate, or not. Dress up, or not. Like most things, if you can have fun with it, please do, otherwise please stay at home and keep your porch light off.

Did you read my original question? I mean... Did you take in the meaning of the words and tried to made sense of what was really being asked?

Not the poster you are responding to. But wondering: OP, are you new to this board? So far this thread is actually not that bad. Not too many haters. I think you've gotten a good consensus - nothing devlish, enjoy the trick or treating. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

My husband says Halloween is for pagans, devils, witches. I'm like "lighten up Francis." I love Halloween. I love seeing the little kids all dress up. I also LOVE scary movies and watch all the classics during this time of year. Now that we have a little one I love it even more.

[Anonymous]

To me halloween is basically a big costume party, except instead of liqour you get candy. We do not decorate the house but the kids so dresses (princesses) and we leave candy on the door step.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Halloween. It's fun. Get over it. Celebrate the religious aspects, or not. Decorate, or not. Dress up, or not. Like most things, if you can have fun with it, please do, otherwise please stay at home and keep your porch light off.

Did you read my original question? I mean... Did you take in the meaning of the words and tried to made sense of what was really being asked?

OP, Halloween is fun. It is pagan in origin, but otherwise it is fun. Try to find the fun and you will enjoy the holiday. Don't get hung up on trying to attach it to a religion or making it something it is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Halloween. It's fun. Get over it. Celebrate the religious aspects, or not. Decorate, or not. Dress up, or not. Like most things, if you can have fun with it, please do, otherwise please stay at home and keep your porch light off.

Did you read my original question? I mean... Did you take in the meaning of the words and tried to made sense of what was really being asked?

Not the poster you are responding to. But wondering: OP, are you new to this board? So far this thread is actually not that bad. Not too many haters. I think you've gotten a good consensus - nothing devlish, enjoy the trick or treating. Good luck!

No, I'm not new here and I don't mind people being rude if they actually ANSWER the original question.

Very few people here actually tried to answer my main question. That's all.

[Anonymous]

If only people who didn't celebrate Halloween replied to your post, there probably would be maybe one reply. I'm just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No, I'm not new here and I don't mind people being rude if they actually ANSWER the original question.

Very few people here actually tried to answer my main question. That's all.

Because there's not a good answer. No one is going to provide you with an epiphany that is going to make this all gel for you and what you perceive to be a religious (or anti-religous) holiday. You are new to this country. Halloween is *very* American. It is garish, consumer oriented, creative and lots of fun. Take it for what it is. Create your own traditions around Halloween with your child -- carve a pumpkin together, bake cookies, make a costume. Experience Halloween and you will discover it is not religious, it is not about devil worship -- it is for fun.

[Anonymous]

My parents didn't let us celebrate Halloween because they were convinced it was the devil's holiday and satanists were out there sacrificing animals or something.

But Halloween is harmless. Actually - pagan origins aside it was a very Catholic holiday for a while. For young kids, they dress up as superheroes or animals or other harmless costumes and go to parties and go trick or treating. Some adults and teenagers like to have fun with the "horror" aspect, others do not.

[Anonymous]

It seems like with every holiday, there's a thread on here telling us that we need to celebrate it correctly, a thread telling the group it's inappropriate for YOU to celebrate (because you are not the 'correct' intended religion or ethnicity), a thread explaining why some people refuse to celebrate at all, a thread stating that the holiday has gone to pot, a thread explaining that the holiday originally had pagan origins, and a thread explaining that the holiday really has Christian origins. Good grief.

[Anonymous]

Play dress up and get free candy!!! WOOHOOOO!!!!

I grew up here, raised Catholic and I don't think a single one of us ever really bothered to care about 'the meaning of the holiday'. It's fun! Go with it!

I have lived in other countries and loved participating in some of their religous parades, festivals and holiday traditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like with every holiday, there's a thread on here telling us that we need to celebrate it correctly, a thread telling the group it's inappropriate for YOU to celebrate (because you are not the 'correct' intended religion or ethnicity), a thread explaining why some people refuse to celebrate at all, a thread stating that the holiday has gone to pot, a thread explaining that the holiday originally had pagan origins, and a thread explaining that the holiday really has Christian origins. Good grief.

But that is what is so great about Halloween. It is for everyone. Sure, it started with Pagan traditions, but that's not what it is today. Today it is a time to have fun with your family and friends. There's no stressing over what to cook or whose house or spending time with your crazy MIL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many Christians aren't comfortable with Halloween. Google Wicca and Halloween.

"The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions.

Christians attempted to co-opt the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences.

Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. For those who follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the devilish, dark side of the spiritual world."

As a practicing witch I object to this. We don't embrace anything devilish. We do take a moment out to meditate, if you will, on loved ones who have gone before us, and to think about how death is a part of life. To remember that and to value life while you have it. It is a day when many pagans believe the "veil between the worlds" is thinnest and one can commune with the dead. Whether or not such "communion" - reaching out to loved ones who have gone before - is evil is something the Church decided in an effort to demonize paganism and turn everyone away from the old ways and towards the new religion. Pagans do not see opposites the same way many christians do. Death is not the evil opposite of life. It is a natural part of life. Rituals that acknowledge that can help people make peace with the fact that all things die, including us. But life goes on. http://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/samhainlore.htm

I don't pretend that there aren't some crazy people who are evil, who celebrate evil, and who may use Halloween or any other excuse to do weird things. But then so do some Christians. Inquisition, anyone? Just like most normal christians would never burn someone to death or put them on a rack, most normal witches don't even BELIEVE in the devil, never mind try to worship or commune with him.

And even as a witch, I don't see any of what I wrote about wicca as having anything to do with the little kids who come to my door for peanut butter cups. Just think of it as a harvest celebration.

This is really informative - thank you.