Halloween, anyone?

[Bublnbrnsuga]

I remember when I was little, I really liked this holiday. Mainly because I got to dress up and I got all of that candy, but as I've gotten older and researched the history of Halloween, I've been less interested in celebrating it. Although I am less interested in it, I can't help but think it is just for fun,plus this is the only time little kids get to dress up in abundance of costume choices. I know I wouldn't be conjuring up spirits or sacrificing children or animals that night, so sometimes, I think it's okay to celebrate it. What do you ladies think?

 

[esoterica]

Ancient Origins
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/?page=origins

 

[good2uuuu]

We just don't do halloween here. I've told my son that when people ask him what he is going to be for hallowen, tell them he is going to be himself. If others want to do halloween, I don't knock them. I have gone trick or treating as a child. I just don't get why people get upset when halloween falls on sunday and they don't want to go trick or treatingfor religious reasons. To me is shouldn't matter because in my mind you are just trying to justify serving two masters. That's justmy .02.

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

My father never let us celebrate Halloween. He says that "we don't do that back home". My family is West Indian. He also use to say something about it being the devils day or for people who worship the devil. Now that I am older I still do not celebrate Halloween and I don't think I ever will.

 

[SUPER SWEET]

I dont celebrate that holiday. I'd rather just throw a costume party for my Bday.

 

[JuJuBoo]

I don't celebrate Halloween and as I child I never did either. They'd allow me to dress up in balarina costumes to go to school, but they NEVER allowed me to trick or treat. I remember BEGGING AND BEGGING AND BEGGING to go trick or treating. Looking back, there were SO many other things I was blessed with as a child, not being able to trick or treat didn't scar me in the least. Besides, I used to get so much candy from my church's "fall festival", I'd have more junk food than the trick or treaters anyway. When I have kids, they won't be celebrating halloween for spiritual reasons.

 

[Blossssom]

Christians aren't to celebrate anything but Easter and Christmas.... and I'm not 100% sure if that's biblical.

 

[pebbles]

I don't celebrate Halloween and as I child I never did either. They'd allow me to dress up in balarina costumes to go to school, but they NEVER allowed me to trick or treat. I remember BEGGING AND BEGGING AND BEGGING to go trick or treating. Looking back, there were SO many other things I was blessed with as a child, not being able to trick or treat didn't scar me in the least. Besides, I used to get so much candy from my church's "fall festival", I'd have more junk food than the trick or treaters anyway. When I have kids, they won't be celebrating halloween for spiritual reasons.

You just described my childhood!

 

[life_is_great]

I was not allowed to celebrate Halloween as a child and I still don't celebrate it with my child. We have Hallelujah Night at my church for the kids which usually consists of a carnival and other activities. However, costumes are not allowed.

 

[victorious]

I was not allowed to celebrate Halloween as a child and I still don't celebrate it with my child. We have Hallelujah Night at my church for the kids which usually consists of a carnival and other activities. However, costumes are not allowed.

We do something similar at our church. It's a Hallelujah Celebration, and the kids dress up as biblical characters. The little ones just say the name of the person they're representing, and the bigger ones tell the story of the person they're representing.

The costumes and accessories are cute and creative. The little ones are so adorable. A few adults wear biblical costumes too. There's also food, music, games, etc.

 

[Browndilocks]

I don't celebrate halloween and if i ever have children, they won't celebrate it either. I also don't think its really appropriate to have an "alternative" halloween party at church, even if the children are dressing up as biblical characters. IMO, doing that is basically a subliminal celebration of halloween. I can understand having a church activity or service on halloween so that kids do not have to worry about feeling left out in school when they do not participate, but costumes of any kind on halloween and trick or treating have never been allowed while I was growing up. I certainly plan on practicing the same thing.

 

[phynestone]

I loved Halloween as a child and the churches I attended had Halloween carnivals. There were teachers at the elementary schools I attended who would not let their classes have a Halloween party b/c they felt it was worshipping the Devil. How is this so? I still don't understand it.

 

[BLESSED1]

Christians aren't to celebrate anything but Easter and Christmas.... and I'm not 100% sure if that's biblical.

Someone posted that even those holidays had pagan origins, is that true?

Oh and I stopped celebrating Halloween years ago, plus that's when the gangs here usually do their initiations so everyone's better off staying home. My church runs the Harvest Hallelujah too.

 

[Cincysweetie]

Yes Blessed, Christmas and Easter are pagan holidays also. People need to stop listening to what the media and their pastor tells them and start doing their own research on the history behind man-made holidays, Christmas and Easter included.

ETA: The only thing Christians are told to remember/commemorate is the death of Jesus Christ...no where in the Bible is it referenced to the mandatory need for celebrating Christ's birth...a date isn't even given! The Devil really has blinded people from the truth!

 

[divine]

I'm going to have fun....

Find me some little kids to scare, and then steal the little brats candy.......

 

[Poohbear]

I've never celebrated Halloween either. When I was a child, my parents didn't allow me to trick or treat, mainly because of the warnings about contaminated candy. (Plus, we lived out in the boondocks). I didn't learn that Halloween was an evil holiday at my church until I was a teenager. So, that's my little story on Halloween.

 

[shunemite]

Yes Blessed, Christmas and Easter are pagan holidays also. People need to stop listening to what the media and their pastor tells them and start doing their own research on the history behind man-made holidays, Christmas and Easter included.

Totally true. My dad gave us the spill on all the holidays when we were wee little. We never celebrated halloween, never had a Christmas tree because its origin is pagan, and never did Easter egg hunts because of that origin too. I felt like I missed out.

I celebrate holidays anyway, because what you're celebrating is based upon you. Some holidays, like Valentine's day, aren't biblical but the stories behind them are isnpiring. By the way, did you guys know that Sunday used to be a pagan sun worshipping day?

 

[beyondcute]

I docelebrate Christmas and Easter but without Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. I celebrate them every day. Halloween was never an option in my house. My aunt used to try and get my mom to let us go out but I wasnt pressed any way. We were never candy kids.We didnt use alot of suger growing up so candy was just over kill.

 

[Blossssom]

Someone posted that even those holidays had pagan origins, is that true?

Oh and I stopped celebrating Halloween years ago, plus that's when the gangs here usually do their initiations so everyone's better off staying home. My church runs the Harvest Hallelujah too.

And that's why I said I don't even know if celebrating Christ's birth and resurrection are biblical.

Even if they are okay to celebrate, the way the holidays are celebrated now, as a whole, has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.

 

[Blossssom]

I docelebrate Christmas and Easter but without Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. I celebrate them every day. Halloween was never an option in my house. My aunt used to try and get my mom to let us go out but I wasnt pressed any way. We were never candy kids.We didnt use alot of suger growing up so candy was just over kill.

If Easter and Christmas are to be celebrated, you're doing it the right way. Honoring your Lord, and not the shopping centers... and especially not honoring Bugs Bunny and a fat man in a red suit!

 

[pebbles]

I docelebrate Christmas and Easter but without Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. I celebrate them every day. Halloween was never an option in my house. My aunt used to try and get my mom to let us go out but I wasnt pressed any way. We were never candy kids.We didnt use alot of suger growing up so candy was just over kill.

Yes. At my church we don't use the term "Easter." We call it Resurrection Sunday. A whole different meaning from Easter. Has nothing to do with the Easter bunny.

 

[star]

I was not allowed to celebrate Halloween as a child and I still don't celebrate it with my child. We have Hallelujah Night at my church for the kids which usually consists of a carnival and other activities. However, costumes are not allowed.

Hallelujah Night is the way to go; let children or adults dress as BIBLICAL characters. Anything that does not gloried God in some way should not be celebrated by Chrisitans. Most of all the others holidays of course Christimas and Easter but also Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents day etc. If God can be gloried by the fellowship it is OK. God does give us some area of choice as long as it does not mock Him. In other words Labor Day, Thanksgiving all these can be Christ centered.

 

[life_is_great]

Yes. At my church we don't use the term "Easter." We call it Resurrection Sunday. A whole different meaning from Easter. Has nothing to do with the Easter bunny.

Same here. We celebrate Resurrection Sunday at my church. My family also celebrates Christmas, but without Santa. I have received criticism from family and friends b/c I always taught my daughter that there is no Santa.

 

[BLESSED1]

Okay I see know, thanks y'all for clearing that up!

And divine, these kids nowadays are bigger than us, you better not steal their candy I don't want to have to fight some 6ft tall 10 yr old girl for going after you