Is dressing up on halloween bad?

[Linwe]

Ive never been allowed to dress up on halloween or go trick or treating because my mom says halloween is the day of the devil… Yeah i know wiccans use that day the most… But its not like IM doing anything bad… all i want is to dress up maybe like… idk maybe Hermione from harry potter (just an example) and go trick or treating how is that bad?

 

[Rascalking]

It’s not bad in the least, but people with too much time on their hands and an interest in bullying others can make it seem bad. Some priests even give out candy to trick or treaters!

If your still not comfortable with it, why not have your kids dress up as saints or something?

Good luck.

 

[KaneKatholic]

no halloween means “all hallows evening” or the evening of all saints day. (from what i know) basically (the evening of the day before) the tradition of trick or treating comes from a tradition of peasants asking for little cakes in trade for a prayer of the loved one of the person who made the cake.(purgatorian tradition) I personally will always dress-up for halloween and it is not a devil’s day it is the day before we celebrate the lives of those who lived and Died for our lord and his church. i personally dislike the entire harry potter deal because of the celebration of witchh craft (cheif vatican exorcist warned against it at one point) so i would shy away from that. I will dress as the Dumb Ox this year (dominican habit and all) it will be a perfect chance to evangelize to people who may ask. I will make it my little thing to dress as a saint in celebration of those men. so no halloween isnt bad but it shouldnt be a celebration of death i.e. fall season. It sould be a celebration of death to the world for a LIFE in Christ.

 

[PatriceA]

Ive never been allowed to dress up on halloween or go trick or treating because my mom says halloween is the day of the devil… Yeah i know wiccans use that day the most… But its not like IM doing anything bad… all i want is to dress up maybe like… idk maybe Hermione from harry potter (just an example) and go trick or treating how is that bad?

Its not bad at all to dress up or go trick or treating.

I LOVE to dress up and give out candy for the trick or treaters. Some Catholics will tell you it is wrong to dress up as anything but a saint and especially will tell you it is wrong to dress up as any character from Harry Potter. But there are also those of us that have no problem with Harry and his friends.

Go and have fun.

 

[Spirithound]

Ive never been allowed to dress up on halloween or go trick or treating because my mom says halloween is the day of the devil… Yeah i know wiccans use that day the most… But its not like IM doing anything bad… all i want is to dress up maybe like… idk maybe Hermione from harry potter (just an example) and go trick or treating how is that bad?

4th Commandment: Honour your mother and your father.
As long as you’re young enough to be taking orders from them, you’re young enough to obey on this matter.

 

[EasterJoy]

4th Commandment: Honour your mother and your father.
As long as you’re young enough to be taking orders from them, you’re young enough to obey on this matter.

Yes. Dressing up for Halloween is not a human right. Deal with the more serious issues with your parents, but realize that things like this are within the rightful boundaries of their veto. (Look at it this way: they let you read Harry Potter, so they could get more conservative than they are.)

 

[Callum]

You probably should try to enjoy yourself, but I think that it’s important to reclaim the Vigil of All Saints from pagan/commercial distractions.

If you liked you could go as someone particularly gruesome like St Lucy or St Sebastian (there are probably more) so that you can honour and bear witness to faith of these lovely martyrs without being specifically excluded from all the fun. Maybe you should talk to your parents about it.

This is quite an interesting article on the matter.

 

[JRKH]

4th Commandment: Honour your mother and your father.
As long as you’re young enough to be taking orders from them, you’re young enough to obey on this matter.

Be obedient to you parents in this matter.

Later, when you come into adulthood you can make your own choice for yourself and for your children.

When I was young (1960’s), we dressed up and went trick or treating, but it all seemed much more innocent back then. Than came the “razor blades in apples” and “poisoned candy” scares which really tainted the holiday.

Today - I’m just not all that sure. When I lived in a “busier” area, it seemed like the kids got older and more pushy. Now we might get a couple of little ones but that’s it.

I do agree that dressing up as saints can be one way to go and I have seen such costumes advertized.

Peace
James

 

[Bezant]

Ive never been allowed to dress up on halloween or go trick or treating because my mom says halloween is the day of the devil… Yeah i know wiccans use that day the most… But its not like IM doing anything bad… all i want is to dress up maybe like… idk maybe Hermione from harry potter (just an example) and go trick or treating how is that bad?

I also grew up without Halloween, both because of religious reasons (“It’s evil”) and even the more innocent practices simply didn’t translate, culturally (“Why do you need to beg the neighbours for sweets?”).

Halloween’s origins are from pre-Christian, Celtic/Anglo times, so originally there was no connection with Satan whatsoever. When the isles were Christianised, Halloween became a pre-fest to All Souls Day, with some of the old pagan customs remaining. In the UK, until the last few generations, people used to go door to door, exchanging “soul” cakes and money as a way to honour the dead. Nowadays it’s become re-imported as a meaningless and commercialised holiday.

So, to answer your question – is trick or treating “bad”?

It’s clear that most trick-or-treaters look for nothing more than a good time.

But that’s not enough, IMO, to say celebrating Halloween is okay. You note one major problem: Halloween is still a holiday for Celtic Neo-Pagans. This current connection is, for me, too close for comfort.

So while you should reconsider going trick-or-treating, and although I can’t decide for you, your mother has. You’re obliged to respect her judgement.

 

[Lucky102]

It’s not bad in the least, but people with too much time on their hands and an interest in bullying others can make it seem bad. Some priests even give out candy to trick or treaters!

If your still not comfortable with it, why not have your kids dress up as saints or something?

Good luck.

Halloween is a CATHOLIC holiday. It is all holy’s eve. The eve of all saints day. Tell your mom this. If she still says no then just let it go. I admit I have trouble doing this myself but it is probably the best thing if she still won’t let you though.

 

[Lucky102]

I also grew up without Halloween, both because of religious reasons (“It’s evil”) and even the more innocent practices simply didn’t translate, culturally (“Why do you need to beg the neighbours for sweets?”).

Halloween’s origins are from pre-Christian, Celtic/Anglo times, so originally there was no connection with Satan whatsoever. When the isles were Christianised, Halloween became a pre-fest to All Souls Day, with some of the old pagan customs remaining. In the UK, until the last few generations, people used to go door to door, exchanging “soul” cakes and money as a way to honour the dead. Nowadays it’s become re-imported as a meaningless and commercialised holiday.

So, to answer your question – is trick or treating “bad”?

It’s clear that most trick-or-treaters look for nothing more than a good time.

But that’s not enough, IMO, to say celebrating Halloween is okay. You note one major problem: Halloween is still a holiday for Celtic Neo-Pagans. This current connection is, for me, too close for comfort.

So while you should reconsider going trick-or-treating, and although I can’t decide for you, your mother has. You’re obliged to respect her judgement.

Halloween is NOT a pagan halloday.

 

[EasterJoy]

Halloween is NOT a pagan halloday.

Clarification: There is a Wiccan festival around that time, but the Wiccans and “Neo-Druids” generally don’t like to have it interrupted by trick or treaters. It would be a worse version of having a mall Santa Claus and a bunch of tacky “elves” barge in on a Christmas Eve Mass. That’s how far Halloween has gotten from anything remotely like a pagan observance.

The dressing up in disguises and all of that was a Christianization of what remained of the festival when Christianity arrived.

 

[KaneKatholic]

Its not bad at all to dress up or go trick or treating.

I LOVE to dress up and give out candy for the trick or treaters. Some Catholics will tell you it is wrong to dress up as anything but a saint and especially will tell you it is wrong to dress up as any character from Harry Potter. But there are also those of us that have no problem with Harry and his friends.

Go and have fun./Q

“Some Catholics”??? “it is wrong to dress up as anything but a saint”???

 

[Lucky102]

Clarification: There is a Wiccan festival around that time, but the Wiccans and “Neo-Druids” generally don’t like to have it interrupted by trick or treaters. It would be a worse version of having a mall Santa Claus and a bunch of tacky “elves” barge in on a Christmas Eve Mass. That’s how far Halloween has gotten from anything remotely like a pagan observance.

The dressing up in disguises and all of that was a Christianization of what remained of the festival when Christianity arrived.

This a myth. It started out as a completely catholic holoday, but he media added which costumes, decorations, ect. it is still NOT a pagan.