Do Catholics celebrate Halloween?

Question

I grew up doing it, but when time came for my kids to I said yes, but after years of people saying it's bad, wrong and celebrates devil worship or it's back ground I stopped letting my kids do it.

Now years later I feel super guilty for not letting my kids dress up and go out. As a Catholic are our kids allowed to dress up and go out or is it against the rules?

I won't do it if it's wrong, but year after year I feel like I'm disappointing my kids. Am I being too hard on them? Is it alright or not alright?

Answer 1

Witches and ghosts, pumpkins and bonfires, trick or treat. The outward trappings of Halloween are easy to identify. But what lies behind this and similar celebrations? Halloween has also been called All Hallows’ Eve, the eve of All Saints’ Day. This supposedly Christian name, however, hides origins that are far from hallowed. In fact, scholars say that Halloween’s roots go back to a time long before Christianity—the era when the ancient Celts inhabited Britain and Ireland. Using a lunar calendar, the Celts divided the year into two seasons—the dark winter months and the light summer months. On the full moon nearest November 1, the Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain, meaning “Summer’s End.”

Of great concern to Christians is the fact that Halloween and celebrations like it are steeped in paganism. The apostle Paul wrote: “I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:20-22, New International Version) He also asked: “What common interest can there be between goodness and evil? How can light and darkness share life together? How can there be harmony between Christ and the devil? What can a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, Phillips) The Bible thus condemns the whole idea of putting a Christian mask on a pagan practice!

Answer 2

Different Catholics have different opinions; I've never heard that the Church has any position on dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treat.
To the Church, Halloween is the Eve of All Saints Day. But costumes and trick-or-treat have little if anything to do with the religious holiday, one way or another. Some Catholics encourage their children to dress as saints or people they admire, who might be saints. Others are fine with children dressed as devils, pirates, witches, ghosts, and so forth, because it is only pretend.
I don't see any reason for a Catholic to deny children the fun of Halloween, though of course you are free to veto any costume you think is inappropriate for whatever reason.

Answer 3

Catholics do celebrate Halloween! The pope from many centuries ago named it. It was originally called All Hallows Eve (Oct. 31st) and eventually evolved into the name Halloween. Granted the original Celtic festival was a bit pagan and the Romans had similar pagan type festivals, the Catholic Church played a huge role in developing it into a more community oriented, rememberance of the dead. All Hallows day/All Saints day is Nov. 1st and honors "dead" saints. All Souls day is Nov. 2nd and honors the dead. All are very "Catholic" celebrations and holy days.

Answer 4

One thing I can say for certain, Halloween is not devil worship. It was celebrated in various forms by pagans throughout northern Europe long before they had ever heard of christianity or the devil. How could they have been worshipping something they never knew existed?

Answer 5

No. It's not against the rules. Halloween, goes way back in Christian observance. There is a big difference the way our secular society celebrates and the ancient Christian tradition. Personally, we did not have our kids participate at first, but after a few years, we did. We saw that they can celebrate without glorifying evil in our world.

Answer 6

Yes, you can celebrate it, after all, it is a Christian Holy Day.

The Pagan festival that it was meant to cover for was Samhain.Samhain is simply the end of Summer. A Fall Festival. It is like our New Year and our Fall Fair together.
It has nothing to do with Satan or demon worship.
Besides, Satan is a Christian creation, not a pagan one. Celts never did have a Satan until they became Christians.

Here is more about Halloween.

From Christian sources.
http://www.new-life.net/halowen1.htm
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Halloween/

From neutral sources:
http://www.orenoque.com/topten/halloween-history-and-halloween-facts/halloween-origin.html
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/halloween/Halloween.htm
http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween/viewPage?pageId=713


Neo-pagan:
http://www.neopagan.net/Halloween-Origins.html

Bizarre little oddities:
Brownielocks manages to get a bit confused. Mildly enjoyable.
http://www.brownielocks.com/halloweenhistory.html

Answer 7

Only you can decide if it is appropriate or not for your children to dress up for halloween. That said I beleive that children should be encouraged to particapate. In addition to being a fun time to dress up, as a Catholic I beleive that it is a religious duty to particapate. Halloween, for the religious inclined, is a vigil for the Feast of All Saint's Day. As a result, it is listed on my calender as one of the most religious day of the year.

Answer 8

Since Christmas was originally a pagan holiday and we've been able to transform it into a Christian one, I don't see a problem with letting your kids enjoy it as long as you educate them. For nearly everyone, Halloween is just fun, not an expression of satanism.

Answer 9

properly the Catholic Church did create the unique pageant so there is not any clarification why they might not have a celebration. Hallowe'en is short for All Hallows night. Hallow is an outdated be conscious for Holy or Saint and the night of dinner celebration replaced into traditionally the night earlier - the Eve of All Saints Day. All Saints Day (Nov a million) replaced into began over one thousand years in the past via the Pope in Rome and observed via All Souls Day on November 2nd. they're days to undergo in ideas the sturdy human beings (Saints) who've long previous earlier and to wish for all people who've died - reported as in lots of international locations international extensive the "Days of the lifeless". regrettably, because of the fact america of a replaced into based via usually Protestant human beings, the unique Christian value replaced into lost. Puritans, as they did with Christmas, tried to prohibit the party so it variety of went underground, grew to become subversive, a time for teasing and difficulty making, of ghosts, witches and prefer. This lead Protestants to attack human beings for carrying on like pagans - a false impression which remains modern right this moment. besides the indisputable fact that, you will locate that many Catholics, extremely of Latino extraction, nevertheless save their outdated Catholic "Days of the lifeless" customs - adorning graves, leaving a place at table and nutrients for his or her ancestors, offering prayers, going to Mass etc.

Answer 10

Yes.

Halloween is actually like Christmas Eve. The night before a Christian holy day.

It is the eve of All Saint's Day or All Hallows Eve or Halloween. Just like "hallowed be Thy name."

But just like Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday), Halloween has taken on a life of its own.

Christians including Catholics do not fear death, evil, or satan. In Christ, we can laugh in the face of death.

From an email I received: Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside, and scoops out all the yucky stuff--including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

With love in Christ.