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AIBU?

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Original poster

Halloween and catholic school. What is the deal?

119 replies

TittyBoneGhoul · 31/10/2018 17:31

My child came home from school in floods of tears because apparently he asked his teacher why she had told them to stop discussing Halloween during their free time, and why the school don’t do anything at Halloween. Her reaction was to shout at him (he says) very loud , telling him not to be ridiculous and that if he wants to celebrate Satan he should do so at home and not in school. He then asked me, what is Satan.
For god sake I had no idea catholic people could be so against Halloween? They aren’t even allowed to draw a pumpkin picture..

Can anyone shed any light? We are not catholic but I didn’t know Halloween was meant to be to do
With satan?! Just a bit of fun at our end

OP posts:
chrisinthesun · 31/10/2018 22:47

Oh FFS! Hmm

@Growingboys

Why send your child to a Catholic school if you disagree with Catholic beliefs?

Does make you wonder why doesn't it?!

Knittink · 31/10/2018 22:53

FGS!
Half of posters: 'HmmYou shouldn't have sent your child to a catholic school if you're too ignorant to know that Catholics hate Halloween'

Other half of posters: 'Confused I'm a catholic. We've always celebrated Halloween'

Original poster
TittyBoneGhoul · 31/10/2018 22:56

I didn’t say I didn’t agree with their beliefs.
You made that part up.
And the majority of catholics or people with children at a catholic school on this thread seem to celebrate Halloween, so I’m not sure there is one set of “beliefs” where Halloween is concerned?

OP posts:
SnaccidentsHappen · 31/10/2018 22:58

I am catholic as are my 2 dc. I went to a catholic school as do they and both always celebrated Halloween, no issues

hollyhzd · 31/10/2018 23:04

Mine go to Catholic school. They don't celebrate Halloween and seem dead set against it, actively discourage any mention of it.

Original poster
TittyBoneGhoul · 31/10/2018 23:06

This is why I’m confused. And not happy the teacher said/shouted what she did. Very confusing for the kids aswell. Why not teach the two sides, what Halloween is and why some catholics choose not to celebrate?

OP posts:
StoneofDestiny · 31/10/2018 23:07

Not all teachers (or pupils) in a Catholic school are Catholic. The teacher doesn't speak for the school - worth checking what was intended by the comment.
There are lots of individuals who take a dim view of Halloween from various backgrounds, some take a dim view of Harry Potter stories - but never heard of it being policy to stop kids looking forward to Halloween in a Catholic school, even if they chose not to celebrate it by having a party.

Original poster
TittyBoneGhoul · 31/10/2018 23:10

Oh no nobody is taking Harry Potter away from us Halloween Shock

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Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 31/10/2018 23:15

titty

My inlaws take a very dim view of harry potter!!

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 31/10/2018 23:17

And what kittink said

Im a lapsed catholic...atheist in fact

And i would have said it was a 'some catholics/christian' thing

saoirse31 · 31/10/2018 23:20

I would say in Ireland, every single catholic school celebrates halloween, hugelyGrin

Sowhatifidosnore · 31/10/2018 23:27

Halloween - Irish Celtic festival made famous by Americans. HUGE in Ireland and Northern Ireland for centuries. A lot of people in Ireland - North and South- are Catholic. Catholic’s don’t have a problem with Halloween as far as I am aware.
Maybe one teacher at your kids school does. As for the whole Satan thing - your kids at a religious school so will learn about these fairy stories, but you kind of signed up for that.

Original poster
TittyBoneGhoul · 31/10/2018 23:29

You sign up for fairy stories at any school, just of differing sorts.

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SpitefulMidLifeAnimal · 31/10/2018 23:53

Hang on, let's backtrack...From your post, I understand that the teacher told the children to stop speculating about school policy whilst they were on school premises. Your son answered back. Teacher raised her voice and told them to talk about "Satan" (which could just as easily have been "the devil" or "witches" in their own time.

Is this really a religious thing? Or is it more of a "stop backchatting" thing? Perhaps the school doesn't do Halloween as they don't have the funds or resources? Perhaps the school needs to concentrate all its efforts on educating the children, the school isn't automatically fantastic just because it is Catholic, you know.

KatieMarieJ · 01/11/2018 00:05

If the Catholic church is anything like my own, people will be on a complete spectrum from folks who won't celebrate it in any way, shape or form, through to folks who arrange "trunk or treats" in the church car park (safe from physical and spiritual issues...), through to folks who just celebrate like the rest of the community and either have sweets in for door knockers or go knocking themselves.

In my experience things like that aren't just limited to Halloween, one thing I can say is that you can always trust a group of Christians to manage to polarise a topic. There's a sense in some ways of pharisee-ism where people use things like "not celebrating Halloween" to make themselves seem better and more spiritual, therefore more favoured of God compared with their friends and acquaintances. Quite quite wrong but absolutely human I suppose.

Original poster
TittyBoneGhoul · 01/11/2018 00:10

spiteful
Who said a school is automatically fantastic just because it is catholic?! You made that part up..
Of course it was a religious thing. She got angry and compared Halloween to Satan. She made the link...

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 01/11/2018 00:26

Maybe those insinuating that the OP should have known what she was getting herself into with a RC school should have read up a little on Hallowe'en and also Catholicism before leaping in?

Hallowe'en is the Eve of the feast of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, which is followed by the feast of All Souls. Most RC schools celebrate Hallowe'en or at least acknowledge it, and then have a Mass or religious observance on All Saints Day.

I am completely surprised that your DS' school doesn't do a Hallowe'en celebration or even an acknowledgement. It is really, really odd to find anti-Hallowe'en attitudes in RC schools in this day and age. This was the stance of the RC church in Ireland a few centuries ago when it sought to wipe out vestiges of old folk beliefs and customs. The attitude also owes a lot to protestant fundamentalism.

At school in Ireland (an all girls convent school) we celebrated Hallowe'en - we made masks, did paintings, wrote stories, learned about the folk history and also the RC holy day. Iirc, we always got the day off.

My DCs in RC school in the US just had a big day when they could wear their costumes to school and then when it was realised after an accidental setting off of the fire alarm that costumes could be a hazard in case of a real fire, the school had a 'wear black and/or orange' day, with an all-school Mass the next day.

mathanxiety · 01/11/2018 00:35

OP, you could approach the teacher with suggestions for reading material about Hallowe'en.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain This is a long read but thorough.

Just because an old tradition has been recently hijacked by wiccans, etc., doesn't mean it's all about evil.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 01/11/2018 00:58

Why are Christians allowed to suppress/ban/vilify the religion they have conquered/suppressed but they have no problem teaching religions they haven't violently conquered? Confused I wonder.

Willow2017 · 01/11/2018 08:33

Hang on, let's backtrack...From your post, I understand that the teacher told the children to stop speculating about school policy whilst they were on school premises. Your son answered back. Teacher raised her voice and told them to talk about "Satan" (which could just as easily have been "the devil" or "witches" in their own time

So asking a teacher a question is now backchatting?
Asking why they dont do something thats perfectly normal in your home is 'questioning school policy'?
Shouldnt the school 'policy' be clear for everyone not just the teachers?

Guess we want to raise a nation of sheep then?

School doesnt need 'funds' to allow kids to talk about something between themselves. Something they take part in. Telling kids that they cant mention a hugely celebrated event in the calendar 'just because i say so' is crap teaching.

junebirthdaygirl · 01/11/2018 08:59

Well around here in Catholic lreland people dress up as the devil, carry pitchforks..presumably for pushing people into hell so it obviously has something to do with hell! Shop windows have coffins and l hear of dc having cakes in the shape of coffins etc. None of these things fit with being a Catholic but people just ignore that and get on with it. I am not a Catholic but am familiar with their teachings and if people were to genuinely follow them this stuff would be out. Most people these days just pick the bits they like.
Teacher was wrong to shout and get so dramatic but they are staying true to Catholic teachings which is what you signed up for going there. I would be so relieved to be in a school where no children were encouraged to dress up so horribly.
People from lreland are very naive here if they think schools in lreland are generally following Catholic teaching. That day is long gone and most of it is in name only. I have taught in a good few of them.

tiredgirly · 01/11/2018 09:05

My DD's friend whose father is a c of e bishop refused to do anything Halloween ish

speakout · 01/11/2018 09:10

I think even within individual churches and denominations you will have differing views.

As many have said sometimes Catholic church members and schools are happy to celebrate Halloween, others not.
I have a Mormon family member- within that community there is a big divide of opinion over Halloween. Another family member is Baptist- on the whole not supportive of Halloween.

It's not just the churches that have differing views- it's the schools , school staff and wider church community.

Xenia · 01/11/2018 09:13

Hallowe''en is All Souls Day (followed today by All Saints Day) and we certainly would never have done ahallowe'en. It is not really part of the English tradition and we don't believe in ghosts. Also is all about sugar and junk food and just an Amercian import. Dont' get sucked into it!

Same with Guy Fawkes - we are kind of on the other side although we did as children have a bonfire in the garden just as that was more of an English tradition.

Original poster
TittyBoneGhoul · 01/11/2018 09:14

Teacher is very young too. Yes they are away to church today
No he didn’t back McLay he asked her a couple of questions as he didn’t understand.

math thanks I will take a look

OP posts: