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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:

Original poster

TittyBoneGhoul · 01/11/2018 09:14

backchat

OP posts:

speakout · 01/11/2018 09:15

just an Amercian import.

Oh please.

Willow2017 · 01/11/2018 09:18

and just an Amercian import. Dont' get sucked into it!

Oh ffs edicate yourself

Willow2017 · 01/11/2018 09:19

educate! Stupid phone.

Willow2017 · 01/11/2018 09:26

And even if it was who cares?
Lots of things in uk originated elsewhere over the centuries (like people (Saxons , Normans, Vikings etc) traditions, food etc etc)

New things arent always bad.

MaruMaru · 01/11/2018 09:28

I'm a Catholic and my family have always celebrated Halloween. In fact I was shocked when my children went to a C of E school and it was absolutely not celebrated or mentioned. It was a terrible faux pas to admit to taking part- though many people did covertly...
I celebrate it because I think it's a bit of fun. It has developed from the religious feast day of All Souls where traditionally you might visit your loved ones graves... but it has become a fun, horror inspired dress up event. I don't believe in ghosts or spirits or the paranormal or the living dead etc.
By refusing to take part, the C of E school was almost suggesting they DO believe in these sortsof things.
The feast day was never about celebrating Satan. It was about remembering the dead.

DioneTheDiabolist · 01/11/2018 09:30

Complain to the school.

originaldiv · 01/11/2018 09:36

At my kids' RC school (primary) and at my ds's catholic grammar school they do not celebrate Halloween at all - not allowed to mention and the kids are all told that they should not participate in dressing up and are encouraged to light a candle in the window to show we are against it.

We do though, we just don't go on about it at school!

rosablue · 01/11/2018 09:54

Good luck talking to the teacher today OP - hope you’re going to give her hell for scaring your son about celebrating Satan

In an RC school im assuming that’s a pretty serious accusation, especially when it was in response to a very reasonable question. It sounds like your ds felt on the receiving end of a lot of venom, and belittlement, which are horrendous things to feel from any teacher and is going to seriously affect how your ds feels in a class with her from now on.

It’s one thing for a teacher to be cross and shout to interrupt chat when there shouldn’t be any (and most dc know there’s a chance they will be told off if they chat - they won’t like it but there’s no malice behind it and everybody moves on with no problems) but that sounds very different from the younger lashing your ds suffered here.

Hopefully you will speak to the teacher and the HT about this and your ds will be less upset and able to trust his teacher again.

Ds 1 had a really snide mean teacher in y1 who managed to suck the joy out of so much that year. I really wish I complained about her to the head but his reception teacher had been so lovely, I knew y1 was different so wasn’t sure if it was just normal as they grew older, less confident still new in the school environment and so on. However, by the time ds2 was at the school, I spoke to the lovely reception teacher when they were making up the classes for the next year that after the terrible experience that ds1 had with the teacher would she please ensure that ds2 was not put with her and if he was I would have to withdraw him from the school. Luckily she understood completely, agreed that the teacher would not be a good fit and he ended up with one of the other lovely teachers instead.

Here’s hoping doesn’t suck the joy or the safety out of your ds’s education this year...

JJ2018 · 04/11/2018 23:44

My boy goes to a very good oversubscribed Catholic school and they celebrate halloween. It's the day before old saints day, so I'm very shocked by what you're saying

Jamiefraserskilt · 05/11/2018 00:47

Our school board stopped Halloween events as it is church led....and yet they celebrate May day with a king and queen and dancing round the maypole. Also harvest festival.
These "Christian" events are based around Pagan celebrations , hijacked as they could not be wiped out entirely; Samhain, Beltane and Mabon. If those objecting, educated themselves, they would know this has sod all to do with satan.

TurkeyBear · 05/11/2018 00:58

Most Church going Christians do not celebrate Hollowe'en. My Aunt makes the sign of the cross every time she sees a fecking pumpkin

mathanxiety · 05/11/2018 01:00

Xenia, first, it's the eve of the feast of All Saints (which is followed by the feast of All Souls) and second, the secular holiday along with associated customs relating to food, carving of produce, and guising, has its origins in Ireland and Scotland and was brought to the US by the many millions of emigrants who left Scotland and Ireland for the US. Many Scots and Irish emigrated to England too, of course, and brought Hallowe'en to pockets of England with them..

Once in the US pumpkins replaced turnips and eventually candy replaced items like soul cakes. Barm brack and colcannon were done away with altogether.

The fact that England only turned (returned?) to Hallowe'en relatively recently and the fact that many English people are familiar with depictions of Hallowe'en only from American TV doesn't mean it is American.

mathanxiety · 05/11/2018 01:03

Originaldiv and others whose schools are set against Hallowe'en, does your parish celebrate All Saints Day, or do your schools have a religious observation/Mass for the school on that day? It's a holy day of obligation in my diocese and the school my DCs attended always has a Mass on All Saints Day.

mathanxiety · 05/11/2018 01:08

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.

No they're not actually.

Xenia · 05/11/2018 08:16

Yse, I know. It's All Souls day but Catholics don't believe souls come to life on earth hence it would have tended to be supported by many. It was certainly never something people did much about when I and my parents were young in our part of the country although people did have a bonfire on 5 November with in our case some reservations because of which side Guy Fawkes was on.

You can certainly go to mass on all souls day and think of your dead family members. The objection is to the idea they escape where they now are and come back to earth and haunt people. No one is stopping people choosing to go to mass on that day and pray for their dead relatives.

Willow2017 · 05/11/2018 15:25

Most Church going Christians do not celebrate Hollowe'en

What nonsense. What about all the Irish and Scots? Dont you think we have churches here?

Xenia · 05/11/2018 15:40

Depends what you mean as most - across the planet, across the UK or just England or whatever.

JeffVaderneedsatray · 05/11/2018 15:52

I'm a Catholic, went to a Catholic Convent in Scotland growing up. We used to sit and make masks and witchy hats to wear 'guising' on Halloween. We generally had a class party too with each one doing a 'turn', apple bobbing etc.
My Guide troop always had a Halloween party.
I now work in a Catholic school and we had a Halloween Disco which meant a whole dress up day.
I don't 'celebrate' Halloween the way it has become but if 'proper' guising with a turnip lantern was a thing here in England I'd be out with my kids. They don't go Trick or Treating because I am a meany pants and I don't do pumpkin carving because it should be a turnip!

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