To ask why people celebrate Halloween

[Flippetydip]

This is absolutely not a goady post but I just don't get Halloween at all. It seems like a celebration of everything that is horrible. Why do people do it?

It's just fun for children. Dressing up, knocking on doors and being given sweets, decorations. Simple.

Yes it’s just a good opportunity to dress up in a silly costume and the tie in with fairies, magic and gross stuff helps.

Because winter is grey and dismal, and we need something round about this time of year to lift us!

It's not just fun for children - I'm having adult friends over for a meal and Stranger Things!

I hate it. I get involved as I don't want my kids to be odd ones out (like I was)
But I think it's grim. I don't like my kids being exposed to realistic dummies of dead people huge tarantulas, nasty sounds, scary noises etc.

" I don't like my kids being exposed to realistic dummies of dead people huge tarantulas, nasty sounds, scary noises etc."

Are they very young?

I love it. We've decorated the house and will be trick or treating. My ds thinks it is great fun.

Just fun here. Costumes, a couple of parties and sweets with friends rather than going out trick or treating. It's a nice marking of the changing seasons for us, so I bring out the autumny/ Halloween books and programmes on Netflix and we carve a pumpkin.

I love autumn!

I hate it. I get involved as I don't want my kids to be odd ones out (like I was)
But I think it's grim. I don't like my kids being exposed to realistic dummies of dead people huge tarantulas, nasty sounds, scary noises etc.

Yes, this is EXACTLY where I am on it. And they aren't very young - 6 and 8 but still....

It originates from Samhain, and is connected with the turning of the year (=death) from harvest to winter. There’s a lot of more modern stuff on top of that - I like pumpkins but am not a fan of the more gory aspects of decorating/dressing up - but I feel the celebration does make something very ancient which developed over many, many years to meet a need in people as the seasons change, and I find it comforting!

Another vote for fun midwinter festival. There's more to life than grey sameness.
Exposing kids to pretend scares in a controlled way helps teach them coping strategies for when real life nasty things happen.

Because it is fun, because it is cultural for me and links back to the older pagan traditions of my country.

Because children enjoy dressing up and visiting houses (and getting sweets!). And because at this time of year when it's dark and dreary, some lights and spooky stories and costumes are just nice to have.

Monsters, spiders, bats, pumpkins, witches and vampires. All good clean fun. Normally pretty easy to steer children away from the more serial-killery side of the festivities.

Because I find it great craic. I love the lights, carving the pumpkins, the apple cakes Halloween pudding and all the dressing up. This year I am having a Halloween baby, so I'll be having a party every halloween from here on in.

I enjoy the fun, we light our house green and put some cute cartoon ghost and skeleton stuff up, carve pumpkins and give out tonnes of sweets. I also enjoy horror and the more grown up side, haunted house walk through and scary films, but I know that’s not for everyone and keep the truly scary stuff away from children.

I am more a witches and wizards and spiders and ghosts in the lighthearted sense type of Halloween person, rather than horribleness! I don't think it has to be a celebration of bad things, if you don't make it that! We've always done apple bobbing and toffee apples and party games and pumpkins and making costumes and decorations.

I love Autumn but I don't love Halloween

It originates from Samhain, and is connected with the turning of the year (=death) from harvest to winter. There’s a lot of more modern stuff on top of that - I like pumpkins but am not a fan of the more gory aspects of decorating/dressing up - but I feel the celebration does make something very ancient which developed over many, many years to meet a need in people as the seasons change, and I find it comforting!

Ok, that makes total sense. I also like pumpkins and we've done the carving etc. I just hate the idea of celebrating the dark side of things. I'm afraid I don't see witches and vampires as good clean fun, I see them as pretty dark and scary.

Because it's a tradition and because people like having festivals which they associate with specific times of year, specific foods etc. Because kids like dressing up and because most people quite like something a little spooky even if they don't believe in ghosts etc.

Religious festivals often end up being kept alive because people like all the trappings and fun, rather than because of the original meaning. Think of Easter - a) a man being crucified, then rising from the dead is not exactly fun and b) what the hell have chocolate eggs got to do with it? Also 5th November - people aren't really interested in Guy Fawkes, they just like to have a special day where you have fireworks and a bonfire.

I don't understand why people get so antsy about Halloween. There are things like that in lots of cultures - Mexican Day of the Dead is much more spooky!

It’s a great excuse to get the kids together, let them dress up, play games, carve pumpkins and eat treats

I'm afraid I don't see witches and vampires as good clean fun, I see them as pretty dark and scary

But they are fictional!

I love it! My favourite festival. I like the history surrounding it (the Pagan festival - All Hallows Eve) and the mythology surrounding it. I think it is very atmospheric and magical and I always associate it with the changing of the seasons and being Autumnal and evocative of links to the old ways, pagan spirituality and connection with the earth.I also love how excited kids get and how magical it is for them.

You do realise that Halloween is not a modern American festival but goes back to Pagan times and predates most monotheistic religions?

Most of the classic fairy tales explore the dark side to some extent. Kids love it!

Children often love vampires, witches, werewolves etc - ime anyway. You should have seen my class decorating our room with some impressively spooky stuff and making up ghost stories! It's all in how you shape the stories and what you present to different ages.

I love the pagan meanings and origins and firmly believe that celebrating the full gamut of human faith, and experience is a fantastic idea. I was brought up mixed religion- Christian and Jewish- so am used to celebrating holy events from both sides, and love adding pagan aspects into the mix as well. We attend as observers Samhain celebrations that happen at a pagan site near us (invited- a good friend is pagan), and have loads of fun celebrating Halloween with candles, pumpkins, great food and films.

Human beliefs and experiences are so rich. I'm up for enjoying and absorbing it all!