halloween

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Coming from a person who was a witch for probably over a decade in my childhood, I loved Halloween and still do to this day. Like others have mentioned, it’s a day to get candy and have fun with others (many fond memories of going Trick-or-Treating with siblings and friends). Also, as a kid with a vivid imagination, it was a lot of fun getting to pretend for a day! 🙂 It has never impacted me negatively nor will it ever.
 
johnthebaptist2 said:
To me, Halloween is just a day, were you dress up and collect candy,we don,t celebrate it any other way,some say it,s the Devil,s day,but I don,t beleive it that noncence.
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Satan LOVES people like you…No need to intervene at all!! LOL

Im not for or against Halloween, but I would bet if you asked 100 kids about halloween, 99.9% of them would not know anything about all saints day, all saints eve, and would only know this is a day they get to dress up and go out and get candy, this is all they know and care about.
 
larsont7 said:
This is just a bit off topic, but don’t forget about the 8 days after Halloween and the plenary indulgences we can gain for the poor souls in Purgatory each of those days.

**Indulgenced Acts for the Poor Souls **
A partial indulgence can be obtained by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed, even if the prayer is only mental. One can gain a plenary indulgence visiting a cemetery each day between November 1 and November 8. These indulgences are applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory.

To attain a plenary indulgence, three conditions must accompany the prescribed act:
  1. the faithful must receive the sacrament of confession, either eight days before or after the pious act is performed,
  2. receive Holy Communion on that day
  3. and recite prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (one Our Father and one Hail Mary is the minimum, but any other additional prayers may be added).
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1178
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Excellent reminder!👍

I love Halloween! It’s all in good fun.🙂
 
MorEphrem said:
I read this thread and one thought passes through my head: overscrupulous.
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Me too. Maybe actually Satan is changing shapes and had decided that OCD sometimes is a better cover than a Superman costume?–LOL
 
mikekle said:
Satan LOVES people like you…No need to intervene at all!! LOL.
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Where do all these people get these ideas that it’s all about Satan?

There may be some people who think in those terms, but the vast majority of people see it for just the silly secular time that it is and that’s it.

Making more of it than what it really is is useless.

If you want to communicate the message of All Saints/All Souls day, then there are many ways to do just that, like dressing your kids as a lion (of Judah) or a lamb (of God) or any of the heroes of faith that we have so much knowledge of.

One could have them call out “Happy All Hallows Eve!” instead of “Trick or Treat!” and maybe we could give out some of the great Catholic tracts along with the candy, (or even in exchange for the candy that is given out, 👍), which I think is an awesome idea.
 
Hallowe’en (I prefer the older spelling) is a great, fun holiday. Our parochial school always celebrated it (mixed with El Dia de Los Muertos traditions, as I grew up in a largely Mexican-American neighborhood), and the priests had no problem with it and enjoyed it even as we kids did. It is a great way for children to learn to handle fears - of death, the unknown, the other (i.e., monsters) - in a safe way. We can treat it with a certain disdain and even mockery, as we know it’s not an end, just a beginning (a good one, we hope).

This is, I think, a good thing. We’re Catholics, we shouldn’t be afraid of death. This is the Capuchin Crypt you can visit beneath the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Via Veneto. The monks’ bones were assembled into tableaus to represent their disdain for the secular idea of death as the end. (Cappucino coffee is named after the color of the monk’s robes, by the way):

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

We save bones as relics of saints, we talk about their bloody and spectacular martyrdoms (the dates we celebrate as their feast days, instead of their birthdays), we live partly in this world and partly in the next. We care enough about our dead that we still consider them part of our Church, whether the Church Suffering or the Church Triumphant, and include them in our prayers and devotions. Some of the greatest works of Catholic artists (Dante, Hieronymus Bosch) are devoted to death, hell, purgatory, and the afterlife. There are traditions that we, as Catholics, celebrate in association with death, and Hallowe’en can be one of them. There are modern parts (vandalism, inappropriate costumes, Reformation Day celebrations) that I don’t like, but it’s a good holiday at it’s core. Talk to your kids about All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, and why it’s a part of our culture.

Plus, candy corn!
 
Arizona_Mike said:
Hallowe’en (I prefer the older spelling) is a great, fun holiday. Our parochial school always celebrated it (mixed with El Dia de Los Muertos traditions, as I grew up in a largely Mexican-American neighborhood), and the priests had no problem with it and enjoyed it even as we kids did. It is a great way for children to learn to handle fears - of death, the unknown, the other (i.e., monsters) - in a safe way. We can treat it with a certain disdain and even mockery, as we know it’s not an end, just a beginning (a good one, we hope).

This is, I think, a good thing. We’re Catholics, we shouldn’t be afraid of death. This is the Capuchin Crypt you can visit beneath the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Via Veneto. The monks’ bones were assembled into tableaus to represent their disdain for the secular idea of death as the end. (Cappucino coffee is named after the color of the monk’s robes, by the way):

http://www3.sympatico.ca/tapholov/Images2/Cappuccine_crypt_64.jpg

We save bones as relics of saints, we talk about their bloody and spectacular martyrdoms (the dates we celebrate as their feast days, instead of their birthdays), we live partly in this world and partly in the next. We care enough about our dead that we still consider them part of our Church, whether the Church Suffering or the Church Triumphant, and include them in our prayers and devotions. Some of the greatest works of Catholic artists (Dante, Hieronymus Bosch) are devoted to death, hell, purgatory, and the afterlife. There are traditions that we, as Catholics, celebrate in association with death, and Hallowe’en can be one of them. There are modern parts (vandalism, inappropriate costumes, Reformation Day celebrations) that I don’t like, but it’s a good holiday at it’s core. Talk to your kids about All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, and why it’s a part of our culture.

Plus, candy corn!
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I couldn’t agree more with every word you said–except for the candy corn! That stuff’s nasty–it’s all about battling your kids for the little snickers bars! LOL!👍
 
Starrsmother said:
BWA-HA-HA is right! Good one!
Thank heaven you don’t have a girl instead. You sound like you have my same sick sense of humor and would send her to school as Joan of Arc–burning on a stake! (PS–and yes, the school will complain about the incendiary device–you just can’t win anymore these days!)
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Everyone go as your favorite martyr… in the process of martyrdom. I can just see some boy going in toga with a cute stuffed lion sewn on the side going as St. Ignatius.
 
JRKH said:
I think it might be better said that no Catholic child should be taught to celebrate “All Hallows Eve” in an inappropriate way.
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👍 And as you alluded to James, and I will clarify, NO Religious celebration, including Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah… should be celebrated in an inappropriate way.

Peace!!!
 
FAB said:
A very selected history that doesn’t give a complete view of the day Catholic Origins.
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Really? I suggest that you show this alternate history.

Furthermore, it’s not meant to be a comprehensive tract on the Catholic holy days, but to show that it’s spin off as the secular commercial holiday that it is today…
 
Halloween is all in good fun. Just like anything, it can be taken too far, or unseemly thing introduced into it. Have to be careful of that, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Just as at Christmas, there is the danger of over-commercialization and a loss of focus on the birth of Christ, there are dangers from going overboard with Halloween.

Also, one of the best things we can do is to mock satan and the demons. Laughter and good natured fun are things that he hates, and laughing at him diminished him and keeps us from over-emphasizing him. Satan is not God’s equal or opposite. He is a limited creature, and having fun and mocking evil is an effective weapon against him.
 
mikekle said:
Satan LOVES people like you…No need to intervene at all!! LOL

Im not for or against Halloween, but I would bet if you asked 100 kids about halloween, 99.9% of them would not know anything about all saints day, all saints eve, and would only know this is a day they get to dress up and go out and get candy, this is all they know and care about.
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The heck with Halloween, children should know more about All Saints Day,the reason they do like Halloween is because of the Candy,and on all Soul,s day,they should be told that,that day is devoted to remembering the died.
 
johnthebaptist2 said:
The heck with Halloween, children should know more about All Saints Day,the reason they do like Halloween is because of the Candy,and on all Soul,s day,they should be told that,that day is devoted to remembering the died.
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exactly
 
Blessed_is_He said:
Do most traditional Catholics celebrate Halloween? I think Halloween celebrations and the like or even just giving recognition to Halloween is a smokescreen covering up the fact that it is evil. Satan can be crafty making it look harmless. Anyway, I am not sure if when my kid gets older to let him trick or treat. I feel pressure to let because he will miss out on flub. Makes me feel guilty. Am I the only one out there that think this? Thanks
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I have always felt that Halloween desensitizes us to real spiritual warfare. That goes for certain movies and TV shows, too.

Not a good thing.
 
mikekle said:
Satan LOVES people like you…No need to intervene at all!! LOL

Im not for or against Halloween, but I would bet if you asked 100 kids about halloween, 99.9% of them would not know anything about all saints day, all saints eve, and would only know this is a day they get to dress up and go out and get candy, this is all they know and care about.
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But subliminally, the message they are getting at an early age is that witches and demons and the like are fun. Later, as they enter their teen and early adult years, they can re-visit these harmless things by joining a coven or inviting a spirit guide to lead them into new levels of consciousness.

Doesn’t that sound like harmless fun?
 
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