Diwali Vs Halloween....

[Bathsheba]

AIBU to think that Diwali (a major festival in a major world religion) should be celebrated at least as much as Halloween (a festival for the very few actual pagans in the world but for the vast majority of people a dress up event).

Now - before we go any further a few things...

• I am a trained secondary Religious and Moral Education teacher, who lived in leicester for a while where Diwali is a huge celebration so I am especially aware of things like this

• I am a commited evangelical Christian and I don't actually do Halloween anyway. We will be attending a party on friday, but my church is running a children's "dress up" party as a Halloween alternative (there won't be any witches, ghosts, ghouls, devils etc) and my girls will go dressed as a cat and a bumble bee.

I've just collected DD1 from Preschool (attached to her Primary School) and commented to the teacher that I guess they will be doing a lot of fab things for Diwali (its such a great celebration to do with young children because of the lights and fireworks - so much potential for a lot of activities) and all she replied was "well yes we'll be doing a little bit for Diwali, but we can't do very much"....all the time whilst in a classroom decorated with pumpkins and witches hats etc etc...

I don't understand WHY they "can't do very much" for Diwali - its a fantastic festival. DD1's preschool last year (different school) did a whole week on Diwali and told them stories and drew pictures etc etc (okay, from my memory they didn't actually do it at the right time of year when it was Diwali, but they covered it...)

Surely Diwali is a bigger fstival and fits far more in with the RE curriculum than Halloween does...

Excuse me why have I just been jumped on. I am sure all your relations embrace our cultures. Great that's lovely for you. However, Expasperated said it would be nice if we all embraced other cultures and I said perhaps "some" could embrace ours. Could someone tell me where in that I said EVERYONE OF OTHER CULTURES DOES NOT EMBRACE OURS. Where? Where did I say ALL, I said some. SOME!!!

There are, whether you like it or not, SOME people from SOME cultures in the country who do not embrace ours!

Exasperated. No-one jumped on you and said WE DO, WE DO.

Please do not accuse me of spouting BNP stuff. I am hugely insulted

Daphne I do think you have a point. I have a hindu DH, we celebrate Diwali. I am white and christian. DMIL will not even say happy christmas but expects to be invited to see the children but will not touch any food which is not Indian

Daphne I can't even be bothered.

Thanks snotty, that is exactly what I am getting at. However, some on here seem to think I meant every person in this country who is not classed as white christian. They can be so narrowminded sometimes. It would be nice of your MIL to accept your traditions as you appear to have accepted hers happily. That is a shame.

The nursery I work at is doing both this week

Noonki. Just because your neighbour and yourself exchange xmas pressies etc, that doesn't mean everyone accepts our cultures, that is "what I am getting at" I didn't say everyone, I said some.

I am also similarly qualified (degree in world religions ) and I disagree

I do celebrate Diwali with my kids- by which I man more learn about, exprience bits of Indian culture food etc. ver important

But Halloween is part of their culture, not someone elses which ultimately Diwali is.

And that, very simply, is the key: its great good and extremey important to learna bout other peoples cultures but there is nothing wrong with having one of your own to celebrate more.

Isn' the christian interpretation of Hallowe'en as All Hallow's Eve, ie the day before 1 Nov which is All Saint's Day, the day when all the evil spirits etc are abroad before the holy day.

Daphne - many British people don't 'embrace' Halloween be it because they are Christians, Hindus, Muslim or just because they hate the Americanization of the event.

Halooween

Its one of those festivals that arose from assimilated pagan tradition existing in a Christian context

But I would say it has a very different cultural meaning now than even say 40 years ago, and appeals to very different groupings

Sorry Daphne, that was a little OTT of me, i think i jumped on you because someone had sent me a really awful racist email the other day, based around exactly what you said. So a bit of a sore point as this was someone i respet(ed).

I didnt explain myself well though, i just meant that if we were to make more of an effort to learn about cultures etc we mght be less suspicious etc. I think most people who choose to call this their home, integrate into our culture just be the very fact of being here. Is religion a cultural thing though? Is it? When a good proportion of this country has no religious beliefs? Does that mean they have no culture? hmmm, a long and high brow debate i guess and i feel too poorly to think just now

Daphne i AM sorry about the BNP comment, that was wrong of me.

snotty, you raise the point of your MIL being reticent to be involved in our cultural events and it IS a shame. I wonder if it is a generational thing. I remember being at my white MIL house once, in lewisham, bearing in mind that she is of the generation that woudl have seen the huge influx of immigrants in the 50s. I took a sweet potato to cook up for DD, she was weaning and really liked them - she was a bit shocked, and said to me, "but isn't that what the blacks eat?" i didn't really know how to answer that.

I just wonder if older people get set in their ways more? Hopefully things will be different when this generation grows up? Or am i hoping for too much.

It's funny how your perspective is coloured by your upbringing. I live in Leicestershire and was raised without religion in my house (bar Christmas, when we were introduced to Santa) so we didn't do anything for Halloween. So to me, Diwali has ALWAYS been a fairly big event, despite going to a Christian school. There was and still is beautiful decorrations up in the streets of leicester every year, the whole of Melton Road is ablaze, it's gorgeous. It's as big as Chrisrtmas, and certainly doesn't take a back seat to HAlloween.

Halloween is essentially christian as it is the eve of All Saints Day, when supposedly the barrier between this world and the next blurred, hence the dressing up and disguises. Divali is a lovely, joyful celebration.

Halloween is fun for children, we didn't have the 'trick or treat' thing when we were kids. You went to your neighbours, did your 'turn' (song, dance, joke, poem etc) and got a 'reward'. None of this demand with menaces! Everyone got into the spirit, dressed up and decorated their houses. Then you went home, had hot chocolate, told a few spooky stories and went off to bed.

I suppose Divali is celebrated more in some areas - I would never have heard of it as a child and we do get some fireworks here. There seems to be just one big 'winterfest' with halloween, divali, bondfire night and thanksgiving all rolled into one. But I do love tradition, so yes, I have organised a halloween party, will be going to bondfire night and recently celebrated new year (for the 3rd time this year).

I'd feel a bit odd celebrating a religious festival I have no background in or belief in.

I know that many Christians feel that Christmas has been hijacked by non believers like me and I sympathise, but at least I have the excuse of having been brought up celebrating Christmas.

I enjoy fireworks regardless of why they're let off - and I like seeing stuff about other festivals on TV etc.

But I can't see me celebrating Diwali as I'd feel like a fake and at worst, patronising to those it actually means something to. Would be different of course if I was invited to join in.

Peachy - good post of 15.35.

Daphne - "Yes, but it works both ways. It would be nice if some were able to embrace our cultures too whilst deciding to make this country their home." does sound pretty carpy..a response about what 'some' do not do about 'our' culture - plenty DO, and you must be aware of the currency of saying 'whilst deciding to make this country their home'. You sound resentful about it, and have to expect some comeback!