Parents who follow a religion ......

[superbagpuss]

what do you do about halloween?

We are Christian (liberal but church going) and our children go to a C of E school

I don't allow my children trickle treating and we don't dress up but do have a tub of sweets if anyone comes to the door - we live in a family friendly estate and its pretty safe.

As my DC get older they may question this - anyone have any ideas or experience?

I'm not religious, but I have lots of friends who are and lots of friends whose children are not allowed to go trick or treating because the parents don't agree with it for other reasons and the children accept it. My children do go trick or treating with me and DH but tbh they enjoy giving out the sweets just as much as anything else xxx

That phrase "trickle treating" conjures up some delightful images.

obviously I meant trick or treating :-)

Sorry, just pulling your leg.

How do you feel about celebrating a pagan festival? Does that sit well with your faith?

silver-fish.hubpages.com/hub/halloween-turnips

When i was a kid my friends mum would throw what was essentially a Halloween party without the usual decorations and costumes. We'd go in normal fancy dress (rather than themed "scary" costumes). It was such fun i didn't ever want to go trick or treating instead. Loads of sweets, no walking required, all my friends.

We are not religious, but I have never allowed my DDs to go trick or treating - its a silly Americal import, and not a British tradition at all. I don't answer the door to trick or treaters at halloween.

I have never know a trick or treater to perform a trick on me when I've refused a treat either.

middle- trick or treating is a british- or celtic tradition brought to the US by Irish migrants in the 19th century. Trick or treating or as it is still know "guising" has continued since those times.

The tricking element however is a bastardization by the Americans during prohibition when the threats with menaces was introduced.

Here in Scotland children simply dress up and sing songs or tell jokes in exchange for jokes.

It is far from being an american tradition.

I thought trick or treating was an old European tradition?

scurry- yes it is- it is celtic. THe celts occupied a large part of Europe at one time, including britain.

People have been guising in Scotland for a very long time.....

I remember my grandmother telling me stories of her guising with friends using a turnip lantern - and she was born in 1891. They would dress up as witches or ghosts and visit neighbours for an apple or a sweet, she would go apple bobbing too.

Sorry Combust, my comment was aimed at Middleagedmother - you were quicker and explained more

All Hallows Eve is no more pagan than Easter of Christmas surely? If you're religious wouldn't you explain to your kids that it's a day for remembering the dead (or however your Church interprets it) just as I imagine you try to draw their attention away from the aspects (commercialisation etc) of Christmas that you don't feel fits your beliefs.

Do you mean they'll question not going trick-or-treating?
Or that they'll question why you give sweets to others who are allowed?

I don't have any problem with Halloween - like many other originally-pagan celebrations, Christianity has hijacked the date and put a layer of Christianity on top. And I say that as a Christian!

So Christmas = light (of Christ) coming into the world
Easter = new life (Christ's resurrection)
Halloween = celebrating those who have died

We are enthusiastic Catholics but with an American DH there was never going to be a time when "Trick or Treating" wasn't a time honored tradition in our household. They know that I am never going to be a promoter of anything truly evil but running around in silly costumes (and not particularly scary ones) and begging candy from the neighbours doesn't fall into a category that concerns me. Just as I believe my children are intelligent and discerning enough to read and enjoy Harry Potter without wanting to be witches and wizards.

We do also discuss the origins of feasts and festivals and of course the next day November 1st is All Saints Day (All Hallows) which we also celebrate as a family.

Halloween is NOT an American 'thing' nor is children dressing up and going from door to door for treats. They imported it from us. It's a very, very old festival and many of the traditions practised now stem from Irish and Scottish (i.e. Celtic) practices.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

Halloween has always been celebrated in Ireland as far as I know despite Ireland being a very Catholic country until very recently. It's a celebration of the end of Autumn as much as anything else with a lot of apples, dried fruit and nuts, colcannon and so on and jack o'lanterns (turnips have morphed into pumpkins - that is an American influence I'll grant), games, bonfires, costumes and fun. It's not sinister. It's just a seasonal festival and in fact it's probably my favourite because it's just family fun for fun's sake and an opportunity for the neighbourhood to be kind to children. It also was completely uncommercial in my childhood - costumes were always homemade etc. and we even used to get more apples and nuts than sweets in our collection bags. Now, sadly, American influence has made it more commercial and sweets are replacing the old fruit and nuts that used to be handed out though people still have plenty of bowls of these at their Halloween party along with the requisite 'barmbrack' (a sort of bready fruitcake) with hidden ring inside it.

Anyway, in answer to the OP, personally I don't see how being a Christian or religious should preclude you from participating in Halloween festivities unless your religion forbids you from having any party or celebration that is not expressly for religious purposes.

It may not be an "American thing" but it is much, much bigger there than in Europe in the 21st century. (Don't forget millions of Irish people emigrated there particularly in the mid to late 19th early 20th centuries) We lived there for 12 years and our kids were all born there. In the US it is much more a holiday for younger children a la Charlie Brown. The kids wear any kind of costume they want and usually only get interested in the scary side when they are 8 and above. Our kids dressed as princesses, dragons, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz etc. anything they wanted. The whole neighbourhood would be out on Halloween night and many of the adults gave out cider and warm drinks to the adults who were with their young children as they went door to door. It is very family - focused and fun.

The teens did the scary stuff but my kids weren't old enough at that stage to be interested. Basically it boils down to wearing fancy - dress and going out at night with a torch collecting candy. My husband said it was always his favourite holiday as a kid and it's easy to see why. We're in Europe now but we often do "Trunk or Treat" for the youngest kids where you decorate your car and park up at a sports field with lots of other families and give out candy from the back of the car as the littles go around. We're talking ages 0-10 year olds. Harmless and fun, not much to do with any religious feast anymore whether pagan or Christian.

looking- perhaps depends on where you live in the UK. Halloween is huge here in rural Scotland. Our village is like scene from a horror movie on the 31st, with parties, guisers, adults and children dressed up, village hall decorated and activities. Last year I had over 50 visitors.

Some churches have light parties. Last year I helped out at one where there were lots of general party games, tea and cake and we made candle holders and out of old jam jars and tissue paper and had a time of quiet prayer at the end for people who needed light in their lives at the end.

I suppose it is the commercial side of Halloween that I find most irritating. If anyone finds their way to my door I have sweets to give away but I will offer a blessing as well.

greenheart- a christian blessing or a pagan one?

Well, it is part of my Irish culture and was also my favourite holiday of the year. We would dress up in disguises and collected fruit and nuts from the neighbours then have games like dunking for apples. In those days it was not hyped up at all, which I think was part of its charm.

And I have a religion, but so this more as a folk custom rather than anything with a spiritual message for good or for bad.

We're Catholic. The dcs go to the Halloween disco at their Catholic school before half term. On the day we usually have a party because we live in a particularly good place for trick or treating. We'll eat 'spooky' food, then go out for an hour or so (our street is always rammed with trick or treaters) and come back to the house for wine and sweeties.

I'm from the NE and my parents are Scottish so it was always a normal thing for us as kids. I'm completely baffled why it being an American import (if it was - I know it's not) makes it beneath contempt.

I don't decorate my house because I'm lazy, but there are some fabulous decorations in our street. It's a really nice way for the street to come together. It's a bit of an empty commutory sort of place usually.

I've never understood why certain people cite being Christian as a reason not to allow trick-or-treating. It certainly doesn't lead to devil-worship or becoming a 'heathen'. Nor does it mean that you subscribe to those things. There's nothing intrinsically non-Christian in walking up to a door, ringing a bell and saying 'Trick or Treat!'. It's just a silly little thing to do that is fun. It only 'means something bad' if you give it that meaning. I was raised what we call here in the States a 'hard shell Baptist' and my parents had no problem with us kids trick-or-treating. My own were raised Methodist and I had no problem with it either.

As far as not allowing your children to go 'T or T' because of your beliefs, but still giving out candy, isn't that just as 'bad' sin-wise? You are still 'participating'. 'Contributing to the delinquency of others', as it were, is still wrong.

across- I think that's a rather naiive view.