Halloween

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Our local paper featured a story about a local (non-Catholic) church that put on a scary show to frighten kids out of wanting to celebrate Halloween. There was a picture of a little kid bawling his eyes out on the front page. I found it wrong and manipulative!
 
Halloween is very misunderstood. Perhaps it’s my Irish blood, and I’ve researched it with great interest, but Halloween itself, historically anyway, is actually Catholic. I find myself smiling when Christians go to “Harvest Festivals” instead of celebrating Halloween (All Hallows Eve) because Samhain was, to the Druids, a harvest festival. :confused: While the Druids are an enigma, Samhain is also an enigma. Samhain was basically a time of transition. The Druids had practices, though, that alarm, such as human sacrifice, but keep in mind that very few info is written about the Druids, and most of what we have is from Romans such as Julius Caesar. The Romans felt superior to many other cultures, including Carthage, another culture that participated in human sacrifice, and this was very taboo to the Romans. Why do you think the Romans hated Christians so much? Answer: they equated Christians with the human sacrifice of our Lord.

Anyway, the concept of Trick or Treating is from the medieval practice of “Souling,” when people would go door to door asking for bread in exchange for prayers.

Halloween as we know it today has become commercialized, but is still, to me, a day of remembering the dead and the following All Saints Day, and I also enjoy the candy and snacks, and dressing up. I also don’t like the sleazy costumes marketed towards women, but you don’t have to go that route. I dressed up as a video game character last year and it was a blast.
Our pastor gave a talk on the Catholic origins of Halloween this year, entitled: “The Celtic High Holy Days”!
 
Ok, I am ready for all of the day after stories from those who warned us about the evils of Halloween. Just how bad was it in your neighborhood?
Nothing worse then a family outing to confession and then the local zoo followed by a butterfly and minnie mouse tearing up the neighbor’s houses collecting candy and glow sticks.

Then after bath and bed time…hubby and I sat on our porch enjoying a beer, chit-chatting with neighbors and handing out candy until we ran out.
 
Our trick-or-treating was on Friday, and I forgot to light the jack-o-lantern for the real Halloween night. :(. Does this mean the evil spirits weren’t frightened away and my house is at risk of being open to evil spirits?

;). 😛
 
To further reiterate my first statement in that last post let me pose a question.

Is it really a good idea, and in keeping with my duty to instruct my children in the faith, to tell a 4 or 5 year old that they have to choose between Jesus and candy? How do you think that is going to play out?
Funny!
 
Ok, I am ready for all of the day after stories from those who warned us about the evils of Halloween. Just how bad was it in your neighborhood?
It rained cats and dogs in Portland. Surrounded by unclaimed Halloween treats, my greatest temptation is gluttony!! :o
 
It rained cats and dogs in Portland. Surrounded by unclaimed Halloween treats, my greatest temptation is gluttony!! :o
Tell me about it! We had one big batch of trick-or-treaters, and that was it.

Fortunately, I got the good stuff.
 
I’m coming at this from the perspective of a former evangelical protestant - who viewed Halloween with extreme suspicion and shut down any mention of it or celebration of it in our family and so on. Our church was equally anti. But now I’m moving towards Catholicism I’m wondering what the Catholic position is on celebrating it - particularly as one of the objections to it from my evangelical days was the ‘Papist’ elements of it. I’m wondering what’s appropriate for my kids to join in with. Any advice?
Me and my parents have always liked it.
 
Our trick-or-treating was on Friday, and I forgot to light the jack-o-lantern for the real Halloween night. :(. Does this mean the evil spirits weren’t frightened away and my house is at risk of being open to evil spirits?

;). 😛
You should be fine.

That stuff is superstition I think and just old customs that have been handed down. I believe in ghosts and spirits personally and nothing has ever come from not lighting a candle in a pumpkin.
 
So, we weighed up various bits of advice and decided to put a lit pumpkin on our doorstep and had nine trick or treat groups show up. The kids loved handing the sweets out and we did some Apple bobbing afterwards and said some prayers. It was pretty cool. Thanks for all your (name removed by moderator)ut everyone, it’s been enlightening.
 
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