All Holy Eve

[Suzannah]

Thought that since everyone else out in CF-land is debating this, I might as well ask for Orthodox input.

Are you or aren't you?

Is it a terrible thing or is it NBD?

Why or why not ?

 

[Suzannah]

By way of explanation: my priest gave an extended talk last night in lieu of catechumen class, on this subject. He gave a good hour presentation on the history of the pagan roots of this festival (which I already knew, being Irish), and then gave another commentary on this Homily of St. Nikolai Velimirovic.

http://www.sv-luka.org/articles/haloween.htm

 

[Moros]

I'm too old for halloween, I'm an only child, and no kids ever come to our door, so it's a non issue. Besides, here in America, everything always gets secularized and watered down, and essentially halloween is now just a.) an excuse for corporations to sell mass amounts of candy to the consumer and b.) for kids to get free candy and/or diabetes.

 

[Suzannah]

I'm too old for halloween, I'm an only child, and no kids ever come to our door, so it's a non issue. Besides, here in America, everything always gets secularized and watered down, and essentially halloween is now just a.) an excuse for corporations to sell mass amounts of candy to the consumer and b.) for kids to get free candy and/or diabetes.

Fair enough. But I'm also concerned about the constant bombardment of demonization...I mean, really and truly, this is just absurd: At my local grocery store, they have an aisle called "Promotional Seasonal". On one side of the aisle is all the Halloween masks, skeletons, blood and gore accessories, and demonic pets. On the other side, is all the Christmas stuff. It's absurd!!!!
And insulting!!!

 

[Moros]

On the other side, is all the Christmas stuff. It's absurd!!!!
And insulting!!!

A lot of western secular Christmas traditions are absurd and insulting also when considering the original point of the thing. But I see your point. IMO, one should be shocked when America starts incorporating a little culture into it's holidays as opposed to Demon-o-Mania sponsored by Snickers and Milky Way.

 

[Thomas C.]

Where I grew up, Halloween was mainly a child thing, fun for the kids, a cultural experience, and acts of mischief (some malicious and others not) by older kids.But where I go to school, there is much debauchery and sin that takes place on Halloween, and also have heard accounts that confirm it being like this in other places. I used to not care so much as I do now, and am a former participant. I believe it depends on the person, is celebrating Halloween a stumbling block for you and/or for those who know you? Maybe it was Paul who wrote of buying meat or food in the marketplace that had been sacrificed to idols. The answer, if memory holds true, is yes it is ok if it does not cause the person buying it to stumble, to feel as though they sinned. And those who witness that person buying the food, if they know it to be a sacrifice to idols, then how does that affect the witness of the purchaser? That to memory seems to be the passage in Scripture oft-quoted on Halloween. However you choose, do all things to the glory of God...be safe all you precious pumpkins

 

[prodromos]

This sums up how I feel about halloween

 

[CyberSponge]

you really needed an "other" option on your poll.

For around half of my life (the younger half ) I went trick-or-treating, and one of my parents always went around with me as I did it. I've never dressed up as a ghoul or anything like that...always a robot or a character from a video game or something else innocent like that (clown, train engineer, etc.).

I have always thought that the ghouly part to be weird and bizarre. I don't think it should be "Christianized" either. Just "de-satanize" it, I say. As long as kids aren't dressing up as the undead, and are trick-or-treating with at least one adult guardian, then let them have fun! It's especially fun to go with friends!!!

that's my 2 denari.

 

[Reader Nilus]

I see nothing wrong with it. The only demonic element in it is what is demonic about everyday life in the USA as it is, consumerism.
Reader Nilus

 

[countrymousenc]

Children dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating or going to a party at a friend's house. That's the sum of what it was about when I was a kid. We had no knowledge of its pagan roots, and it was just a cultural event. It's really too bad it hasn't stayed that way, because it was an occasion for parents to drop other things and spend time with their children, and so, it was good.

My issue is with the know-it-alls on both sides that dredged up the info and spread it around. One side used it to help resurrect paganism, and the other to react against it, and something that used to be innocent got caught in the middle.

 

[Oblio]

Like most of us, I enjoyed Halloween in my youth for the secular holiday that it is. It wasn't Halloween that made me aware of the evil one and his minions that seek to destroy me, but rather Holy Orthodoxy which exposed the enemy for who he is and that gives us the tools to battle him. As Jeff said, the only possible demonic element of the event is the temptation to give into the passions of consumerism and greed that accompany it. In that regard, Halloween is no worse than the rest of our secular culture.

 

[Momzilla]

Despite its pagan roots, Halloween, in the US at least, it a holiday for kids. I don't think it's the best holiday to be observing, what with all the candy and all, but I don't really see much harm in it. Andy, age 4, is so excited to go to "boo in the zoo" tonight in the robot costume I made him. For him, it's about dressing up and doing something fun. I just don't have the heart to take that away from him.

 

[CyberSponge]

Despite its pagan roots, Halloween, in the US at least, it a holiday for kids. I don't think it's the best holiday to be observing, what with all the candy and all, but I don't really see much harm in it. Andy, age 4, is so excited to go to "boo in the zoo" tonight in the robot costume I made him. For him, it's about dressing up and doing something fun. I just don't have the heart to take that away from him.

Just like what my parents did (my dad helped a lot w/my robot costumes...he went all out )

 

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

I see no harm in it. Halloween is a time for kids to dress up in costumes and collect candy. That's all it is in our culture. Does it have pagan roots? Probably, but Trick-or-Treating does not equal pagan worship. That's nuts. There are some Christian traditions that have pagan roots (so I'm told), but I don't think we need to toss them out just because of that.

If I were a parent, I would not allow my child to dress as a devil, or something equally dark and sinister. There are plenty of other creative ideas for costumes. I always loved Halloween as a kid, and there was never any Satan worship involved. I'm fairly sure the same is true for 99% of the kids who still do it today.

 

[Marjorie]

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/47/story_4771_1.html

Interesting article on Halloween. Don't know how accurate it is.

In IC XC,
Marjorie

 

[Photini]

This sums up how I feel about halloween

ROFL!

 

[Xpycoctomos]

I see no harm in it. Halloween is a time for kids to dress up in costumes and collect candy. That's all it is in our culture. Does it have pagan roots? Probably, but Trick-or-Treating does not equal pagan worship. That's nuts. There are some Christian traditions that have pagan roots (so I'm told), but I don't think we need to toss them out just because of that.

If I were a parent, I would not allow my child to dress as a devil, or something equally dark and sinister. There are plenty of other creative ideas for costumes. I always loved Halloween as a kid, and there was never any Satan worship involved. I'm fairly sure the same is true for 99% of the kids who still do it today.

Well said!

 

[Wiffey]

Well, I'd have a tough time explaining to my 10 year old why she couldn't trick-or-treat anymore (ooh, that sounds really weak). That being said, I absolutely LOATHE some of the costumes out there. Trying to find everyday clothes for a girl these days that do not make her look sleazy is quite a task. Halloween costumes are even worse! So I try to make the best of things with stringent ground rules for acceptable clothes/costumes/etc.
Sometimes it is a balancing act: I want to emphasize our faith in all that we do, but I don't want my child to feel like she is a weirdo and have her end up resenting orthodoxy. So I choose my battles carefully...
Wiffey

 

[Xpycoctomos]

I think you show a good balance in judgement. I'm not a parent, so what do I know, but I can imagine

John

 

[Vasya Davidovich]

I picked option #3.

Oops? I don't know. I had this vague thought of how cool a pumpkin would look with an ornate Orthodox cross carved into it, with the light of a candle inside making it glow.

But now I have read your posts, and I should probably respond.

My reactions are quite ambivalent. I loathe the demons, witches, and so on, but I also hate the knee-jerk antipathy of my Protestant past. I was one of those kids who was forbidden to go trick-or-treating. I must have been about 10 or so when the evil roots of Hallowe'en were revealed to me. But then, Santa Claus was equally foreign to my family. Now I tend to feel that children need a few holidays, something to get excited about. If they have Orthodox parents who give them all the Church holy days, then they won't feel much need for the secular holidays - I think (some parent want to test this theory?).

In the meantime, we would best off avoiding costumes of evil origin (ie. witches, devils, Bush, etc.) and costumes that completely conceal the face (more mischief is performed under conditions of anonymity...). Candy consumption can be curbed, and the children guided to safe districts, like friends' homes. This to me feels like Christianizing the holiday. Cleansing it a little. Oh, and don't decorate the house and/or yard to resemble a charnel-house. It isn't very joyful. My two cents.

-Vasya

PS. When I say Christianize, I would like to caution against what a Baptist church did when I was a kid. They encouraged all members to bring their children for light snacks, games, and a little protective prayer. Oh, and dress like a biblical character. (I remember that I was St. Philip's Ethiopian.) The Sunday School superintendent's son came in dressed as the demon-possessed Gadarene - you know, the guy called Legion. Obviously, somebody had being paying attention in Sunday School. Needless to say, this felt to many to be completely missing the point. What is it about costuming that brings out the worst in us? Maybe I will need to make a new post. Later.