Halloween - Love it or Hate it?

[Green Gaia]

The unusually cool weather here today feels more like October than July, and it's got me thinking about Halloween! So I was wondering, what is your religion and /or personal feelings about Halloween? It is evil? Just a bit of harmless fun? Do you celebrate it as a part of your religion?

 

[Runt]

I love Halloween. It has always been celebrated in two ways in my family--a family or community sabbat (Wiccan religious holiday) and trick or treating. Now that I am an adult, I celebrate it with a sabbat and parties.

 

[Ceridwen018]

I love Halloween!! I'm too old to go trick or treating (not that I think I'm too mature, it's just that people give you bad looks because they think you're taking candy away from the kids!). We dress up for school though and I go all out! Last year I was a Princess (for the first time, isn't that weird? I was only half a girl until I finally dressed as a princess!), the year before that I was a gypsy...I'm still pondering what I'll do for this year....

What kinds of things do you do with sabbat, Runt?

 

[Runt]

Yeah, dressing up at school is fun. *wonders if it is acceptable in college, then decides to do it regardless*. Last year I dressed up as a renaissance wench (not hard, since I'm a rennie and have a pretty good costume... look at the link in my signature--the picture on that page is the costume), and the year before that I was a futuristic-gypsy-pirate-sorceress (it was cool, really!)

 

[civilcynic]

I was raised Catholic and never had any conflict between Halloween and Catholicism. I had a blast as a kid dressing up for Halloween (OK....as an adult, I still have a blast!).

My husband was raised Southern Baptist and his Church would have Halloween Parties when he was a child. the parties included the standard Halloween spook house with adult Church members (including deacons) dressed up as ghosts, goblins witches etc;
Now, however, his Church declares Halloween celebrations as evil......These very same adults and some of his childhood friends (now adults, themselves) condemn Halloween and say that dressing up as a ghost, goblin, witch, etc; is celebrating evil and devil-worship!

Instead of having children going through a make-beleive haunted house, kids are cycled through an area filled with gruesome examples of car accidents, aborted fetuses, etc;.

I really feel sorry for kids today.

 

[Ardhanariswar]

i like candy! other than that, i really dont like it. i mean, you dont get presents like you do in christmas. it never appealed to me, dressing up in costumes and running around in cold weather. *shivers* i hate cold weather. bah. but i do like deepavali. gosh im such a dork...

 

[Runt]

Ah, see, that is why it is nice to live where I do.... it is not cold in the fall, though it can be a little chilly. You can usually dress up in a short sleeve costume without TOO much discomfort... though I prefer 3/4 sleeve

 

[Master Vigil]

I love halloween. I always dress differently, I used to wear my ninja uniform, my robe, all kinds of things to school all the time. Not just on halloween. And alot of people thought I was stupid. But everyone is ok with it on halloween.

On a more serious note, my experience with the spirits on halloween, for some reason they seem to be more in the physical realm around halloween and full moons. We are also the opposite (more in the spirit realm). So its almost like the two realms, although not really separate in nature, become more one in those times. Its hard to explain.