Christians-dealing with Halloween?

[poshme]

Just wondering what other people do- I'm not very happy anout my DCs doing Halloween activities- school topic/ school disco/ cubs all currently focussing on Halloween.
I've said no to school disco, and told cubs DS won't be there & my DCs are upset they're missing out.
I don't agree with trick or treating so we don't do that.
Just wondering how other people deal with it.

[msmiggins]

Apologies for misquotes- an early morning. My sentiments still hold true.

[Italiangreyhound]

TheIggorcist thank you for that lovely comment. I think it is important to hear everyone's views and even though I may not agree with everyone I still want to know what they think. In fact I think it is really nice people can come on and engage about these topics in a friendly way. It gives me hope.

Tigeresswoods that's a very sad thing to be left out and I am sure your Mum did it for the best reasons in her mind, as I am sure you know. I think now days most schools know kids will have not be encouraged to join in really scary stuff so school try and pitch it at a more 'accessable' level. Our school called it something other than a Halloween disco and due to half term it was not on the actual day of Halloween. My dd went and enjoyed it and I was not bothered by the spiders and pumpkins on display. I think in the USA the dressing up is a lot more general, pirates, fairies, fruit (!) etc. I love dressing up and I think kids love it so dressing up parties are great.

I am a bit bored with all the TV programms for kids having Halloween versions and they are still screening them now a few days later.

[Tigresswoods]

This touches a nerve with me. When I was about 7 my mum insisted I sit out of all Halloween related stuff at school. I remember sitting in the library for hours with a little boy who was in the same boat. His parents were J Witnesses. We attended a Baptist church & I think my mum had been told to ignore Halloween.

Anyway I can't ask her as she's been gone now for 11 years but I do dress up these days for Halloween as does DS who is 3. We don't do T or T as he's too young. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable with that activity but I love the dressing up & opportunity for a party.

[TheIggorcist]

Italiangreyhound, you seem to be a very even-handed and approachable person, and I appreciate your responses to me on this thread.

[TheIggorcist]

Msmighins - that was a long comment on something I never even said!

[spicynaknik]

There's none so blind as those that will not see...

[alemci]

I think the light party is held so that the dc don't feel like they are missing out. There was about 50 dc at the one at a nearby church. Perhaps parents like the fact that it is organised whereas wandering around the streets trick or treating may not be that safe or the dps may not want to go out and do it with their dc.

I will answer the door to t or ts and have sweets but I would not encouraged my own dc to do it or instigated it.

I didn't mind if they went to an organised halloween party.

I don't really want to celebrate halloween. it is imported and on the dark side.

[Italiangreyhound]

Poshme maybe you will do something nice next year.

We had the party, which was lovely, and then DD and I went out treating, we took sweets and we got sweets. We had asked a few people if we could pop round. We had never done it before and DD was very happy. Then we had a take away! Not sure if that is in anyone's tradition!

[Italiangreyhound]

msmiggins I don't think a light party is antagonistic. I guess we will just have to agree to differ.

msmiggins I think it was me who said I thought it was strange people celebrated Christmas without Jesus, not TheIggorcist. I think that is right, apologies TheIggorcist if I have that wrong.

msmiggins I think the 'star' is part of a Christian idea of Christmas and I am not sure you can claim 'song' as being something exclusive to any group. When I said about people celebrating Christmas without Jesus I did not mean people who were 'pagan' or any other specific group, I meant people of no particular religion who call it Christmas and send cards with Christmas scenes but don't enjoy the Christian meaning of it.

Don't get me wrong, I am not stupid, I totally get it, it's a time of fun in an otherwise cold and miserable time of year. It's also sometime a stressful time when families get together and don't enjoy it and get into debt over the over-priced gifts. I guess what I meant in a way was if it has no religious significance then I wonder why people do it, but I know why they do it, we as people like a party, and nothing wrong in wanting to enjoy the season.

TheIggorcist I agree Light parties are a bit invented, though we believe what we are celebrating in celebrating The Light, so it is true, it is not fake. If hat makes sense, for us as Christians. In one sense I could say it is bad that we are just responding to what others are doing, but in another sense maybe Christians should be responding to others! If we just do our own thing and ignore everyone else we may get told we are cold and unapproachable and if we do something else different we may get told we are being antagonistic.

[poshme]

From my understanding, the term light party comes from 'saints of light' because its celebrating all saints day. Which is part of the Christian calendar.

[msmiggins]

OldLadyKnowsNothing well said!

TheIggorcist I don't know why you thik it's amazing that people celebrate christmas without jesus- most people do! It is an important secular and pagan festival and was so long before the invention of christianity. Despite the failed hi-jack attempt by the church it's good to see that christmas is being released from it's christian shackles and once again being embraced for the meanings enshrined at its inception.
I take it you don't have a christmas tree TheIggorcist - I find it amazing that christians would want one despite the warnings in the book of Jeremiah.
In fact if we examine the motifs of christmas we don't see very many christian symbols being used at all by most people. Holly, christmas trees, christmas star, santa ( should be particulary offensive to christians if they trace his roots) stockings, decorations, yule logs, mistletoe, offerings for santa, reindeers, feasting, song, yule logs, fires, chimneys.
Jesus doesn't come into it for most people.

I still find it strange that you should want to have an antagonistic party on such a specific day.

[Kleptronic]

OldLadyKnowsEverything. She does, you know.

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

In the UK, what is now called Hallowe'en, the evening before All Saints Day in the Xtian calandar, used to be Samhain, a major event in the pagan calander. Just as Xtians appropriated the pagan Midwinter festival (Xmas) and the pagan Spring festival (Easter, they didn't even bother changing the name, just the spelling) they also took Samhain, but that hasn't "caught on" in the same way. And now, even Xtians don't underestand that Satan, ergo Satan-worship, is an entirely Abrahamic idea... Gah.

[TheIggorcist]

I suppose because it is a sort of "invented" party, rather than one following the Christian year? I had never heard of these before this thread, it is not as if I have a strong opinion either way.

[Italiangreyhound]

Thank you for replying TheIggorcist.

[Italiangreyhound]

Serin Is that the one where people walk around with lighted candles in their hair!!

TheIggorcist I am really surprised anyone would see it is silly. I can think of tons of things that I would see as silly about the way that Halloween is celebrated by some but I can't see why having a Christian party would be silly, I mean don't get me wrong I totally understand that lots of people aren't Christian and would not want to go to a Christian party, so I do understand that. But I am surprised that anyone feels it is silly for a religious group to celebrate things in a different way. But it is interesting as it had not occurred to me that anyone would have a problem with it, (not you necessarily) but I think others have. It's just interesting, it won't change what I do but it is interesting to be aware. It's amazing for me that many people celebrate Christmas with no reference to Jesus but I would not call them silly, I do see it as a genuine choice

[serin]

Our Church has a festival of light on 13th Dec (St Lucy's day). This is common to most Scandinavian countries.

[TheIggorcist]

A light party isn't offensive, it just seems a bit silly. You either observe the day, or you don't. And to give a new Christian theme to something that already has a Christian theme is going a bit far.
In response to the earlier question, how about pin the tail on the 95 theses? (Dh suggested that one).

[Italiangreyhound]

Oh, just thought of something, some churches have super hero parties instead of Halloween parties. This is a genuine question - is that less or more offensive than a Light party?

I actually suggested the superhero thing because I think it is a great theme. And kids can dress up as made up superheroes so they don't need expensive costumes either.

[Italiangreyhound]

TheIggorcist that is a lovely idea, not sure how many children's games can come out of that theme though!

But I like the idea, any other days we could celebrate we don't normally? (genuine question).

Personally, I would like to see international day of the girl child celebrated but I guess we would then also need an international day of the boy child too!

www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/

[TheIggorcist]

.. or you could celebrate Reformation day, which was yesterday too.

[Italiangreyhound]

How can it be antagonistic to call it a Light party if you have just said
Halloween is a festival that finds fun in the dark side of things

It is because we do not want to find fun in the dark side of things that we celebrate the Light. If we wanted to celebrate the dark side of things we would go to a Halloween party.

[Italiangreyhound]

I guess I can't I can't explain it any more fully so maybe I have failed! We don't celebrate Halloween, we offer a party on that day as an alternative. Much as someone, anyone, may wish to offer an alternative to what is generally on offer. If that is perceived as a judgement on what others are doing then I can't alter that. As others have pointed out some of All Hallow's Eve has it's roots in Christianity so I can't see it is wrong for Christians to behave in a certain way on that day.

Anyway, it is facinating to read this as it had not even occured to me anyone would object to the holding of Light parties!

[msmiggins]

Even the name "light party" does suggest some antagonistic reason.
Halloween is a festival that finds fun in the dark side of things, the theme of your light party is obvioulsy set to counter that in some way.

[msmiggins]

That's exactly as I see it. Why celebrate at all? If you don't see halloween as fun then your kids are not missing out are they? I simply see these light parties as a bit of a protest, as Iggorcist says I wouldn't muscle in on Divali of feast during Ramadan. Why does your light party need to be the same day as Halloween? If Halloween is so dreadful then why do you even celebrate then?