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?

I agree with many of the points made here about Samhain and telling spooky stories etc. However, none of this changes the fact that Halloween's 2017 manifestation is pretty tasteless and tacky.

What really winds me up is when people dress their small children up inappropriately (as characters from horror movies etc). Don't these children ask questions about what they're wearing? The worst I've seen this year is a photo a family friend put on FB of her small boy as Chucky from Child's Play - considering that this film was instrumental in the kidnap, torture and murder of James Bulger, surely IANBU to find this in incredibly poor taste?

It is not a centuries old tradition - there was never ever Halloween when I was growing up - just bonfire night when we did our fun bits.
The halloween stuff we now have has been imported from the USA and grown into a big sell, sell, sell thing for supermarkets and the marketing of tasteless tat.
I hate it - when I lived in a small town I dreaded (as an older person living alone) the trick or treaters ringing the bell when it was dark outside.
If it had remained as a pagan festival I would be fine with that - that was their tradition. I just hate the whole commercialisation, unsavoury aspects it has now acquired (thanks to the USA )
I avoid any celebration of Halloween in any form. I wonder why people find it fun - but to each their own!

You see these ridiculous "light festivals" that local churches put on piss me off way more.

Another way for christians to say oh look at those bad people in the dark join us while we usurp a perfectly good holiday, twist it to our own liking and try to increase our diminishing flock.

Give me ghosts and ghouls any day

It is not a centuries old tradition - there was never ever Halloween when I was growing up - just bonfire night when we did our fun bits

It's thousands of years old! Perhaps not in your area but in Ireland it's a massive part of our ancient history and culture. It was transported to America by Irish emigrants hundreds of years ago.

Because scary things are fun when you know that they are fake.

Oh yes that 5th November and 'Burn the Pope' stuff. Nice.

Let's celebrate torture!

Where did you grow up Ollie that there was no Halloween? I'm 47 and from Scotland, we had it here when I was young!

ollie my Grandmother (born before the First World War) went guising.

The only real difference between guising now and what I did as a child are the pumpkins and quite frankly given how hard it is to carve a turnip (swedes to you English folk) they are a welcome change!!

Kids also tend just to get sweets now, whereas we got sweets, fruit, nuts and 2 pence pieces!

It might not be traditional in your area Ollie but that doesn’t make it an American import (who do you think took it to the USA in the first place?!)

I hated it when I lived in England but find it's a bit better-natured over here in NI (or at least in my part of it!).

The Irish government is reclaiming Halloween's origins (while acknowledging the role of Irish immigrants to the USA in keeping the traditions alive and influencing modern practices). Like it or loathe it, it most certainly is thousands of years old.

Ollie

RTFT

Yes, I TOTALLY take the point about November 5th and stand corrected.

Two things 1. my children aren't precious snowflakes sadly, they might be a bit easier if they were.

2 *You see these ridiculous "light festivals" that local churches put on piss me off way more.

Another way for christians to say oh look at those bad people in the dark join us while we usurp a perfectly good holiday, twist it to our own liking and try to increase our diminishing flock*

I haven't seen it like that at all, more as an alternative for those whose parents don't want to take their children trick or treating or who don't like Halloween. Don't like it, don't go - can't see why it pisses you off.

I don't like Halloween therefore I don't partake but it doesn't piss me off. I was just interested in why people celebrate and I have been highly enlightened by the thread.

I think it s All Hallows’ E’en (evening) and I understood it was the night the spirits rose from the dead (or something along those lines) so ghosts and spirits were the costumes when I was young in Scotland, I blame Hollywood for all the gory stuff. And we had to say our piece (do a turn) to earn our often homemade sweets and peanuts, not just knock on doors.
Guy Fawkes is about burning catholics at the stake, so a British thing.
Eggs at Easter are a representation of the boulder being rolled away from the cave where Jesus body lay. Hence rolling hard boiled eggs down a hill.

I don’t like how Halloween is celebrated- it’s very hard to escape these days. Not that long ago, you could take or leave Halloween. Now the shop assistants are dressed up, there are costumes and decorations everywhere. If you go out, it will be Halloween themed. I’ve answered to door to people that were scary and intimidating. The costumes these days are awful, and inescapable.

I used to take my kids to a pub for a meal, then go for a walk in the dark, play tag with torches etc. Or we'd fill and bake a pumpkin and play hunt the thimble with Maltesers. It was great fun. I also organised parties at church for people who didn’t want the children to miss out but didn’t want trick or treating either.

I love Hallowe'en.
But,the reason being the seasonal changes.
The colours of the trees the bountiful harvest of apples and vegetables.
I love the smell of fireworks in the air. I love the little ones coming to the door and I spend ages making up little bags of treats.
I also have a marathon bake off of apple crumbles.
I don't think about the evil or any other connotations it's just about food and party for me

I hope we haven’t spoiled 5th Nov for you Flippety!

Halloween was always a 'thing' when I was growing up, and we don't do 5th November here (N Ireland). I've always thought that Bonfire night looks like fun.

But when I was wee no one thought twice about Halloween, it was just 'tradition'. Now it is denounced as satanic and devil worship, which I don't understand at all. It's just silly dressing up and a few skeletons. It's not the occult.

Personally, I’d quite happily let it pass me by, but the kids enjoy it. I do loads of stuff I’d rather not because it makes my DC happy.

Melony the church says that eggs at Easter are a representation of the stone rolling away - in fact they are a pagan fertility symbol for the pagan festival of Eostre which the church nicked. Like it nicked Samhain for Hallowe’en and Yule for Christmas.

The eggs and the lambs and the rest of the Easter stuff is a celebration of spring and new life. Christianity co opted it to get more people to accept the new religion.Nothing to do with stones being rolled away from tombs.

"*You see these ridiculous "light festivals" that local churches put on piss me off way more."

Again totally standard traditional European way of celebrating All Souls.

Neither of the two are particularly English, but neither is a new invention either.

@Flippetydip Have you met any witches? Generally they're a very easy going live and let live lot.

There is a very sensible article by Ronald Hutton about the origins of Halloween here www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/28/halloween-more-than-trick-or-treat-origins

As the Celtic people's left no written records we don't really know what they got up to but celebrating the turning of the year is something humans do whether they are pagan or Christian or something else.

Easter was nicked from the pagans by the Christians (again).

My DD says I'm a grump about Halloween. To be honest I'm a grump about about Xmas too as I hate the fact that everything turns into me needing to buy stuff we don't need.

But this year I've given in to her and bought her a costume , arranged to go out trick or treating with a group of friends , carved pumpkins, made Halloween themed chocolate and cakes and decorated the porch. She is so excited and is enjoying all of the build up. Today she asked me if I could pretend to enjoy it so that her friends don't think I'm weird!

So this year I'm celebrating it to make a 9 year happy and I am actually looking forward to tomorrow.

What I'm sad about is how bonfire night has been completely relegated and is a bit of a non event these days. I have such lovely memories of local community bonfire night parties , baked potatoes and doing penny for the guy. Much better than Halloween.