The word Halloween is a contraction for All Hallows Eve, which is the vigil of All Saints and All Souls Days. As such, Halloween is actually a Christian holiday. As with many Christian holidays, the secular world has attached its own traditions to the day (costumes, trick-or-treating, parties) that are problematic when the religious meaning of the holiday is set aside or forgotten.
Celebrated in the right way, Halloween can be a reminder of human mortality and the need for Christians to prepare themselves to face God. Good festivities attached to the holiday can prepare Christians for All Saints and All Souls Days and for the month of November, which the Church traditionally has set aside for remembrance of the souls in purgatory.
Celebrated in the wrong way, Halloween festivities also can distract from the meaning of the holiday. Christians have options for celebrating the holiday in Christian spirit and should choose what works best for helping their families learn the true meaning
2007-09-02 06:54:15 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Comments anyone?
Here are a few interesting stories:
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2001/0105fea5.asp
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2001/0110fea4.asp
2007-09-02 06:55:03 · update #1
Thank you for this! I appreciate it. Have a great afternoon.
I have no problem with trick or treating. It is an innocent childhood tradition.
2007-09-02 07:02:03 · answer #1 · answered by batgirl2good 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Halloween (the night of October 31st) was not and still is not a Christian (or Catholic) holiday.
All Saints Day is November 1st. Christians do NOT, unlike their predecessors the Jews (and Jesus himself) and many other cultures, start the day from nightfall.
All Hollow's Eve starts at nightfall and goes through the next day until nightfall again. That is why "Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1" so that the Christian holiday would fall during the day portion of the older Pagan holiday.
ADD: Feel free to enjoy Halloween as a secular holiday, but do not become confused as to its origins. BTW, All Souls Day is the day AFTER All Saints Day. A contraction of those 2 days would be the night of November 1st not October 31st.
Halloween costumes were originally demons, mischievous spirits, and such. The tradition has lightened up to include pleasant characters.
2007-09-02 07:35:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Your old friend a guy might be your future hubby so give the girl the heave ho. But be polite and say something like: "Sorry, something came up and I can't make it to the bar on Halloween. Maybe some other time." I agree with the other person who said you should make the call today rather than the day before Halloween.
2016-05-19 04:50:16 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, you've got it reversed. Most Christian holidays were co-opted from the Pagans. The Winter Solstice got co-opted and turned into Christmas. Same with Easter. I'm not sure about Hallo'ean. The Christians co-opted Pagan celebrations and blended them with Christian theology to make converstion a litte bit more palatable.
Anyway, it doesn't matter to me "who had it first". In America, we are free to practice any religion we wish, or no religion at all, which means we can celebrate any holiday we wish, or make up new things to celebrate.
Me dressing up in a costume and giving candy to the nieghbors does NOT prevent anyone else from celebrating All Hallows Eve.
Live and let live.
2007-09-02 07:05:28 · answer #4 · answered by queenthesbian 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
You state that "celebrated in the right way, Halloween can be a reminder of human mortality". Just being human is a reminder of human mortality. I'm not a big fan of marking days on the calendar and saying "This is a holy day, gotta be good." And I don't believe in the concept of "purgatory"...you and your church feel free to celebrate October 31 in any fashion you see fit. I personally think the time of pomp and ritual has long since faded into irrelevance.
2007-09-02 07:08:36 · answer #5 · answered by Tut Uncommon 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
there is a big difference between a Christian holiday and a Catholic Holiday- Halloween was never anything that Jesus celebrated, wold have celebrated or encouraged us to celebrate- the Catholic church (as with most of the Catholic church's holidays) took the holiday from paganism and fashioned it for it's own purposes.
Having been raised Catholic, I have a lot of questions regarding what I have been taught- no one has et been able to answer what the Biblical basis for pergutory, prayig for souls in purgatory and earnign oyur way out of purgatory- seem like kind of a slap in the face to what Jesus did on the cross.
Do your homework on the origin of these holidays and traditions you choose to observe before you tout them as something they are not.
2007-09-02 07:10:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Why am I not surprised that an apostate religion like the Catholic Church should approve of a pagan holiday since it was the Catholic Church that adopted all the pagan beliefs and tried making them Christian to attrack pagans thus contaminating Christianity.
2007-09-02 07:04:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Halloween may have been a christian holiday, but in the beginning, as with almost all christian holidays, it was a pagan ritual.
2007-09-02 07:00:56 · answer #8 · answered by punch 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Satan: O man I wanted that holiay! Wait, what If I can distract the true meaning by having everyone dress up in costumes and get candy for it? Thats perfect!
2007-09-02 07:00:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Halloween was a Pagan holiday that Christians attempted to turn into their own, actually.
2007-09-02 06:58:48 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 12⤊ 2⤋