Can Catholics participate in Halloween?

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7discerning7

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Hi!

Are Catholics allowed to dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating, etc.?

I understand that Halloween was originally called “All Hallows’ Eve” before All Saints Day but since it has changed, is it okay to celebrate the modern-day All Hallows’ Eve? 🤷

-M
 
It’s acceptable to participate in Halloween today, but I’d recommend one’s mind, body, & spirit to focus on Godly ways, such as dressing up in an angel, saint, happy thoughts type of costume (depending on what you define ‘participating in Halloween’ by)… in essence, do it for the right reasons, rather than giving the devil glory for the ‘rising of the dead’ (modern Halloween). If you’re still in conflict with deciding to participate, pray about it above all & Jesus will guide you.
 
Why not?

It’s our holiday, All Hallows’ Eve, whatever modernism has done to it!

ICXC NIKA
 
To avoid scandalizing others, avoid celebrating Halloween practices glorifying demonic activity, such as the Occult or certain horror movies.
 
Interesting how Halloween and Christmas, once traditional Christian holidays, have been distorted and twisted into holidays that ‘idolize’ material gain, candy, gifts, etc, and that most people see it as totally harmless.

I guess this should not really be a surprise though, its pretty clear the enemy is running the show nowadays, although I think the major retailers (big business) is the main reason the distortion has been so successful.

Im a bit surprised the anti-religion groups have not spoke up about this, make it clear that all these people are celebrating Christian holidays, usually when it comes to defense of religion (especially Christianity), big companies shy away or do not acknowledge it at all…strange they would make major exceptions for these 2 holidays.
 
mikekle said:
Interesting how Halloween and Christmas, once traditional Christian holidays, have been distorted and twisted into holidays that ‘idolize’ material gain, candy, gifts, etc, and that most people see it as totally harmless.

I guess this should not really be a surprise though, its pretty clear the enemy is running the show nowadays, although I think the major retailers (big business) is the main reason the distortion has been so successful.

Im a bit surprised the anti-religion groups have not spoke up about this, make it clear that all these people are celebrating Christian holidays, usually when it comes to defense of religion (especially Christianity), big companies shy away or do not acknowledge it at all…strange they would make major exceptions for these 2 holidays.
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I could say the same thing for St. Patrick’s Day and St. Valentine’s Day.

Also St. Nicholas transformed into Santa Claus.
 
I plan to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids. I won’t be dressing up in costume though.
 
I have been a senior citizen a long time, and one year I decided to do my swan song in giving out treats as my doorbell rang frequently, and my dog barked relentlessly.

I made a poster in big letters and wrote on it “Happy All Saints Eve”. Then I opened the front window slightly and put my CD player there and it played hymns. I also placed any saint statues I had outside, and the house light by my front door shone on them.

I had a basket of lollipops and a bunch of scripture verse cards, and as the children came to my door I asked them their first name, then called them by name and handed them a scripture card and a lollipop.

Some parents looked puzzled, taking everything in…I live in the Bible belt.

One little boy commented to me that he didn’t like the house he had just passed (the owners had gone all out to make it a horror spectacle, with eerie sounds playing, arms sticking out of the ground, and other representations of horror.) I liked hearing what that child had to say. 🙂
 
theres huge huge debate about this i figure since halloween is a carry over and secularization of samhain or the celtic harvest and year end feast for remembering the dead its ok. the satanic elements are fairly recent like blood and gore, and kids fooling around with the occult. but for the most part halloween is secular and about trick or treat and costumes so dont over think it.
 
I don’t think trick or treating does kids any harm as long as their parents do their job and take them to Mass and teach them about God. Someone grounded in God and faith won’t be led astray by a little secularizing of Halloween. I do think the secularization of Christmas has gotten WAY out of hand.
 
mikekle said:
Interesting how Halloween and Christmas, once traditional Christian holidays, have been distorted and twisted into holidays that ‘idolize’ material gain, candy, gifts, etc, and that most people see it as totally harmless.

I guess this should not really be a surprise though, its pretty clear the enemy is running the show nowadays, although I think the major retailers (big business) is the main reason the distortion has been so successful.

Im a bit surprised the anti-religion groups have not spoke up about this, make it clear that all these people are celebrating Christian holidays, usually when it comes to defense of religion (especially Christianity), big companies shy away or do not acknowledge it at all…strange they would make major exceptions for these 2 holidays.
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I think any recognizable Christian elements have disappeared from Halloween such that it’s not on the radar of the professionally-offended anti-Christians. The kidnapping of Halloween by adults and what has become days of gore parties and virtually mandatory costumes in some workplaces have gone a long way toward accomplishing that. Which is not to say the “offense industry” doesn’t remain busy: when was the last time “St. Valentine’s Day” was mentioned in public, vs. “Valentine’s Day?”
 
There are certain aspects of Halloween that I think Catholics should avoid. However, one can certainly do it right. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with dressing kids in costumes and having a block party with candy and firepits. I don’t even mind most of the “scary” stuff as long as it doesn’t go over into the occult. I try to keep my decorations more “fall” than scary, although we do have one scary skeleton hanging by our front door. My toddler calls him “Pookie”. The rest is pretty much pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers, etc. I don’t like the glorification of the violent, occult, and the high sexualized costumes that are even starting to creep into the kids’ departments.
 
When our daughter was around 6 or7, Halloween fell on our prayer group night. My wife dressed her like St. Theresa. Everyone in the group was blessed by her costume. Other years she was an angel or ballerina.

When I see kids or adults dressed in gory & demonic costumes, I can only be repulsed by it and feel they are praising their god, satan!
 
truetofaith said:
When our daughter was around 6 or7, Halloween fell on our prayer group night. My wife dressed her like St. Theresa. Everyone in the group was blessed by her costume. Other years she was an angel or ballerina.

When I see kids or adults dressed in gory & demonic costumes, I can only be repulsed by it and feel they are praising their god, satan!
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I don’t know that I’d jump to the conclusion that they are worshiping the evil one. More likely they are going along with what they think mainstream culture is doing, without putting much thought into how it might scandalize or frighten others.
 
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