Navigating Halloween

[AgileGreenSeal]

Any Christian parents / grandparents here? How do you navigate Halloween in regards to your children?

We don't do it. Our church usually puts on a "Light Party" which is a good alternative, and we have special sweets for All Saints Day, the day after.
It's all pretty low key, a bit like we don't celebrate Eid or Diwali or Hannukah, for example- it's just something other people do and we don't.

What is there to navigate exactly? It’s not a satanic festival.

I gave up wrestling with this one when my children were very young as didn't want to deprive them of the (harmless) fun and excitement of Halloween.
My daughter, now 20, says it is still her joint favourite festival / time of year, along with Christmas.
And like a pp said, it's not exactly Satanic.

We definitely don't celebrate it, but I'm trying to be less 'kill-joy' than my mum, who instilled in me almost a fear of the whole idea, and made it very hard for me to be 'normal' about not doing it through choice. (It was seen as dreadful, horrific, satanic, whatever.)

I definitely avoid anything that encourages 'dark' ideas, but I have never liked anything related to horror anyway, and nor do my kids, so it works for us. But if the kids fancy dressing up or doing something fun (apple-bobbing was always something I enjoyed!) then I let them. We don't go trick-or-treating, but lots of people round here don't do that anyway. The church also often holds a light party which I find to be a great alternative.

Trick or treating doesn't happen around our way, and I've never been invited to a Halloween party, so we'd have to go out of our way to take part. Our church doesn't mention it at all. We don't have a massive campaign against Halloween, just don't do anything for it either. Don't watch any scary films. What else to people do to 'celebrate' it? I don't know what we're missing out on! DC have taken part in apple bobbing at Brownies. On one occasion when dressing up was expected, I dressed them as saints. They were fun costumes!

This. I grew up in a devoutly Catholic household, in a devoutly Catholic society, and we celebrated Halloween — going around the houses for sweets (though not yet called trick or treating, and doing some form of party piece obligatory), making masks at (convent) school , spooky costumes, ghost stories, spooky films, apple-bobbing and games etc. All Saints Day and All Souls, and November being the month of the holy souls were very important. Not seen as in the least incompatible.

I only came across the idea that some C of E strands strongly disapprove of Halloween when I lived in a village in England with an evangelical vicar, hence school ignored Halloween and the vicar (a creationist and Biblical literalist) used to come in and preach against it. (Which everyone then ignored. Actually some of the nicest times we had in that village were the Hallowe’ens when lots of people decorated their houses, the smallies were toddling about in pumpkin costumes before it got too dark, the shop, pub and PO all did games and decorations etc.)

It strikes me as coming from the same school of Christian joylessness as people anxious to tell their children it’s not ok to get excited about Father Christmas, presents and fun, it’s all about the Baby Jesus.

I engaged with it on the autumnal/fun and community elements. They are actually lovely. I didn’t endorse the horror/slasher side of things and I think that is subsiding a bit anyway.

I know conservative Christians think it’s a doorway to dark forces but frankly they need to get a grip and see the reality of what it is. A few little kids dressing up and visiting neighbours. I think if you teach them the history and theology of All Souls’ Day and you avoid the greedy and darker elements, you’re allowing your child to explore freely, but safely.

Can I ask what there is to navigate? I had never thought there was a conflict between Christianity and celebrating Halloween and it's got me thinking now.

I always think it's a gorgeous time of year, autumn vibes and the fascinating traditions of Samhain traditions/lore. I suppose it depends on your beliefs but I'd be really interested to hear people's viewpoints on whether Halloween conflicts with their Christian beliefs x

I served years at a Scandinavian Lutheran church as a vicar so we are a Christian household.

We celebrate Halloween as a non religious festival. I don't see an issue. We don't do trick and treat. It's not a thing around here - but we do a get together with friends for fun and food.

My mum viewed Halloween as celebrating the occult and it was very sad for me as a child. Tbh I still feel a bit like ‘a bad girl’ if my kids mention it around my mum. I’m glad to see there are posters who can have their faith but have the whole thing in perspective for their children’s sake, this looks like good advice.

Why would you not celebrate Halloween because your religious.

its about pumpkin picking, Halloween trails, apple bobbing, making Halloween crafts, dressing up and having age appropriate “spooks”

nothing to do with Jesus.

Do you not know anything about the origins of Halloween?

Thanks for all the contributions so far. 👍
Fascina to read.

@Begaydocrime94 says
”I'd be really interested to hear people's viewpoints on whether Halloween conflicts with their Christian beliefs ”

Traditional Halloween practice includes divination and necromancy…definitely not something a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ would want to be involved in.

In general although a great many people regard it all as “just a bit of fun” Halloween is centred on spiritual realities that don’t align with a godly Christian focus. Personally I find Halloween night itself very spiritually oppressive.

Hope that helps explain things.

We just treated it as fun, my dc not only went to church but were choristers and the choristers went trick or treating, older ones looking after the younger

Look at America. Full of Christians and it’s a huge thing there. I don’t get the problem. Kids just like the sweets!

The only issue I can see is with the amount of sugar involved

All Hallows' Eve.

All Saints' Day, followed by All Souls' Day. And as the Catholic DP points out, should rightly be followed by Our Souls' Day, particularly as that's his birthday.

(Say it quickly, preferably in a West Country accent).

Interesting how something steeped in Catholicism and folk beliefs that predate it becomes so evil/satanic in largely the eyes of protestants and other churches not in full communion.

I just ignore it. It's a load of silly stuff in shops and then the DC finding out theor friends are doing the trick or treat thing. Last year was the first year I felt we had to, DC1 was invited out with his friend and DC2 was at a birthday party where the whole crew were going straight on from there to knock on doors.

It's excruciatingly awkward and I loathed it because it's so far out of my experience and knocking on random doors expecting sweets is cringe central but nothing I felt was spiritually untoward.

Never did anything to do with Halloween as a child, never knew anyone go trick or treating outside of American tv shows and never had anyone knock on our door. It's all entirely ignorable as far as I'm concerned.

“Traditional Halloween practice includes divination and necromancy…definitely not something a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ would want to be involved in.”

I don’t remember my primary aged children ever trying to raise the dead… I think it was just about the sweets…

For goodness sake, ‘divination and necromancy’? Do you really believe young children are ‘involved’ with that or even know what that means? 🙄

Your worldview sounds more sinister than anything my kids came across on Halloween!

As I said divination and necromancy is traditional Halloween practice, not the Americanised ‘trick or treat’ sort of experience had by most people who celebrate it, particularly children.

In fact many party games associated with this night actually come from divination. No doubt most of those playing them are either unaware, or view it as ‘just a bit of fun’. It doesn’t matter, it’s still divination, and as such would be absolutely off limits to a follower of Christ.

Really don’t know where all the handwringing about Halloween has come from. I was raised Christian and we celebrated it. It’s a fun night for kids but if you want to go ahead and be a fun sponge then go for it. Your kids won’t thank you.

These days, Halloween is nothing more than an excuse for a party/fun. Don’t overthink it - almost nobody gives a thought to the origins. Kids dress up as a pumpkin, cut a face into a pumpkin (doesn’t have to be a scary one) and they get sweets. That’s it.

Speak for yourself if it's off limits for you.
Not all of us, please.

I grew up in the US as an observant Episcopalian (Anglican) - I had never come across any objections to Halloween on religious grounds but we didn't know any evangelical Christians at that time. I guess it's possible that some people did avoid it but I would have expected to see something of this in the papers. I only heard about people's concerns once I arrived in the UK and also what I found strange was that they took the 'spooky' element seriously. I can understand people being annoyed Guy Fawkes Day has been superceded by Halloween in some places but not by the 'power' of Halloween. I always viewed it as a holiday like Valentine's Day - something Hallmark and the retailers beefed up to get the punters spending. I cannot imagine imbuing it with any actual real power.

@AgileGreenSeal I am one of the people who is actually pushed over the edge by the whole Santa malarky at Christmas, in contrast. The spending is grotesque and I've had it. I have a parent whose year swings on Christmas and the 'magic' of Christmas was a defining feature of my childhood, not in a good way. Anything out of line caused a huge temper tantrum. Fucking man in a red suit! I have put a more religious steer on things with my kids. Of course we still have a tree and do presents. But I have insisted on inserting more of the 'reason for the season' into our lives.

There are some fantastic ideas here for rooting family celebrations in Christianity which we've drawn on:

www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/suggestions-for-a-catholic-halloween-party-12759