Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Original poster

Halloween Fancy Dress

44 replies

Kezzballs · 23/10/2015 11:56

My 2 1/2 year old daughter is in nursery part-time and they are having a halloween/autumn themed fancy dress day on the 30th.

I am a devout Christian and I don't want my little girl to be involved with anything Halloween and I don't want her to be dressed up as anything as I don't want any significance to be brought to the day.

If I take her out of nursery for the day I will have to take a day off work.

I know I am not going to be able to shelter her from Halloween forever.

What are your thoughts and opinions on this?

Many thanks

OP posts:
ThumbWitchesAbroad · 23/10/2015 11:58

All Hallows Eve - from Wiki:
"According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianized feast influenced by Celtic harvest festivals,[1][12] with possible pagan roots, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain.[7][13][14] Other scholars maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots.[1][15]"

So since it's Christain, what's your issue exactly?

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 23/10/2015 11:59

*CHristian, obviously.

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 23/10/2015 11:59

Suck it up and send her in something green and brown for the day. Or find a nursery that doesn't observe pagan rites (if that's what Halloween is, if not YKWIM).
As soon as she starts school you're not going to be able to avoid Halloween, so you might as well get used to it.

ElsaAintAsColdAsMe · 23/10/2015 12:01

They are having 2 themes, one of which is autumn the day before halloween, dress her up in autumn colours and let her enjoy the day.

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 23/10/2015 12:06

What do you tell her about all the Halloween themed clothes, sweets decorations etc in the shops?

Original poster
Kezzballs · 23/10/2015 12:21

When we put her in the nursery we specifically asked the question about Halloween and the response was they do not observe it, so obviously I am a little put out now.

Halloween is not a Christian feast. My issue is that I do not want my little girl to be brainwashed into celebrating something that as Christians we do not believe in. The fact that the nursery has said it can be an autumn themed fancy dress shows that they are marking the day which I do not want to do.

She has not become aware of Halloween type sweets, decorations etc. in the shops. I know this is a matter of time before she does realise what is going on but I want to avoid it as long as possible.

I think I was hoping for a bit more sympathetic advice really from what other Christian mums do about Halloween?!

OP posts:
ThumbWitchesAbroad · 23/10/2015 12:40

So you don't believe the Christian scholars who claim that it is in fact a Christianised/Christian feast? Why is that then?

SparklyTinselTits · 23/10/2015 12:48

Halloween comes from the All Saints Day celebration of the early Christian church, a day set aside for the solemn remembrance of the martyrs. All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, began the time of remembrance. "All Hallows Eve" was eventually contracted to "Hallow-e'en," which became "Halloween."

I found that on a Christian website. Could you not explain to your DD about All Saints Day, and that Christian connection to Halloween??

pocketsaviour · 23/10/2015 13:21

Unless you are planning on home-schooling your child, there are going to be multiple "celebrations" of various dates throughout the year that you don't feel are related to Christianity. Harvest festival, May day, Remembrance Day, Spring bank holiday...

Is there something specific about Hallowe'en that upsets you?

BigDorrit · 23/10/2015 13:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MicronesiaIsMyHome · 23/10/2015 13:34

I think what the OP is trying to get across is that the modern version of Hallowean is often not celebrated by Christians for various reasons. Certainly the history of the festival and the word come from a Christian background but the use now to promote spooks, ghosts, witches and satan is often something which Christians want to avoid for their children and themselves.

My advice OP is do a some reading around the issue, talk to people at church and try to decide how you are going to deal with this in the future. As a PP said when dc go to school and after school clubs it becomes nigh on impossible to avoid any mention of hallowean so you need to have developed your line now.
It can be as simple as "We don't celebrate Hallowean". I do think the nursery are required to respect that as they would any other faith of belief but you need to be certain of what you are avoiding and why and at the moment you don't sound like you so sure of how to handle it.

StompyFreckles · 23/10/2015 13:36

I would say that most people don't specifically 'celebrate' Halloween - they just go along with the fun of dressing up, carving pumpkins and eating sweets.

Schools / nurseries won't actually celebrate Halloween, but they might link to it in lessons and they might include it in school parties / discos.

I consider it to be harmless fun - why can't you just go along with it?

swashbucklecheer · 23/10/2015 13:38

I have no issue with hallowe'en and let my ds dress up as he wants. But at that age he refused to dress up and was the only one in nursery that day without an outfit on. It was no big deal. I certainly wasn't going to take a day off because he wasnt dressed up

MicronesiaIsMyHome · 23/10/2015 13:40

Stompy I consider it to be harmless fun - why can't you just go along with it?

Because many Christians don't consider it harmless.

feathershoes · 23/10/2015 13:46

Many of the festivals that are embraced by many of us, christians and non- christians alike have many influences.

Christmas or Easter, certainly are seen as many as christian festivals, but their origins are much older than christianity, indeed many of the symbols and ideas that we use to celebrate these feasts have their roots firmly in a pagan past.

Christmas trees, decorating Easter eggs, hanging stockings, yule logs, flying reindeer, - none of this is christian in origin and yet most christians are happy to incorporate them into their celebrations.

Op I could suggest that you are actually celebrating in pagan ways by having christmas trees and easter eggs.

Why are you so afraid of Halloween.

Madnessmouse · 23/10/2015 18:50

I am a Christian mum and my Dd wil be wearing a pumpkin outfit (turnip and then pumpkin lanterns being used in ye olden days to ward off evil spirits). Also to symbolise the light of Christ. My Dd will be wearing her outfit to church, where we will be making soul cakes. I don't consider choice of costume trivial and would not want her wearing a 'little devil' costume or similar.

gabsdot45 · 24/10/2015 13:48

I think this is an interesting question. We're actually having a Halloween party at our (Christian) church tonight. It's fancy dress, games, food etc. Just social event really. However there are members of our congregation who object and who will not attend but they are a very small minority.
Personally I think it's just a bit of fun but I respect that others may not feel the same way. IMO Halloween, as it's 'celebrated' with pumpkins and black cats etc is nothing to do with the pagan roots of this day.
This situation is going to arise through out your DD's childhood so you need to make your mind up what your'e going to do and if you do feel strongly about it I think your only choice is to keep her at home this week and every year on the future.

SparklyTinselTits · 24/10/2015 16:48

"Christian background but the use now to promote spooks, ghosts, witches and satan is often something which Christians want to avoid for their children and themselves."

Halloween doesn't promote Satan Hmm the whole concept was to use jack 'o' lanterns to keep evil away, and dress up as scary things to confuse evil spirits.

Creatureofthenight · 24/10/2015 16:57

I understand some Christians are not cool with the whole Halloween thing, so just don't dress her up that day.
Though dressing as a pumpkin for a few hours is unlikely to indoctrinate her into paganism.

musicinspring1 · 24/10/2015 17:03

I'm a Christian mum. Dd went to the halloween disco at the school as a happy cat. I had a discussion with her about it and said I was.happy for her to go but I didn't like some aspects of Halloween etc and we agreed on a happy cat. We have a 'pumpkin party' at church where they carve a happy face in their pumpkins and do autumn games such as Apple bobbing etc. I don't think you can avoid Halloween and I don't want dd to feel isolated so just explain in age appropriate terms how you feel and why and let her take part in as much or as little as you feel appropriate.

scatterthenuns · 24/10/2015 17:03

How would you feel if the nursery class made lanterns for Diwali? Or later on, she used henna for Eid with friends?

It doesn't mean that she'll be brainwashed and start believing. Just that it is nice to celebrate with other people sometimes.

scatterthenuns · 24/10/2015 17:05

You could dress her as the holy ghost Smile

AuntieStella · 24/10/2015 17:10

I think your best bet is to tell her the Christian version of the festival. My suggestion would be along the lines of:

"Hallowe'en is short for All Hallows' Eve. That means that, like Christmas Eve, it's the day before a major (Christian) festival, and this one is called All Hallows Day also known as All Saints Day. That's the day when Christians in the past believed that God through all his Saints was particularly close and influence extra strong. So there grew up a superstition that the day before that powerful day, the influence of satan and all his demons was particularly strong and Hallowe'en reminds us of the potential evil that exists but also the coming of more power from a God to vanquish them"

You might like to add, if this reflects your belief: "We don't really celebrate Hallowe'en because we believe the All Saints Day is more important. But the two go together, so remember that if you're included in other people's parties"

musicinspring1 · 24/10/2015 17:11

Oooo and what scatterthenuns said too. Grin

AuntieStella · 24/10/2015 17:11

Sorry, that was meant to be just God (not a God).