| Author | |
KellyB
Forum Newbie
Joined: Feb 09 2014
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 49
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2015 at 8:00pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I have always looked at Halloween as a time for my kids to dress up and go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Their costumes always represent the "good" guys or are neutral (football player, etc.); we have never allowed anything gory. It is all just fun.
My question: is there anything in official Church teaching to discourage this? Or anything that says if a child goes out, he should dress as a saint? I would never discourage that, of course, but I would be interested in the reason why dressing up in a secular costume (as described above) would not be okay.
I know there are a range of opinions out there and I do not wish to stir anything up at all. I would appreciate any gentle responses, especially if you do not allow your children to trick-or-treat.
Thank you!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2015 at 8:11pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
It is all in fun to Trick-or-treat. It's an innocent pleasure. The Church has no ruling on the subject.
I've been frustrated seeing the articles about how we MUST celebrate in this Catholic way. Catholic means universal, and there is never just one way to do things when it comes to cultural traditions.
Last year I wrote a post Halloween: Celebrate Like a Catholic that touches on this.
And this article from this year is quite good: It's Time for Catholics To Embrace Halloween
And I love Sally Thomas' article from a while ago: The Drama of Hallowmas. In her article, she points to a little kind of a triduum since we have those three days.
My family has done it all. Growing up by the time I turned 6, my mother was a little anti-Halloween and I think we went a little overboard on the Catholic Saints style. I became judgmental of people who did T&T.
But having children helps me have more of a balance. We do both secular and saintly.
That being said, my boys are barely doing anything this year, because we have a wedding to attend on Halloween.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KellyB
Forum Newbie
Joined: Feb 09 2014
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 49
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2015 at 9:25pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Jenn,
I can't thank you enough for this reply and the links. It helped me tremendously!
Thank you again!
Kelly
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2015 at 9:48pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm happy I could help a little! God bless you!
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Oct 28 2015 at 10:40pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Here's another good article http://catholicism.about.com/od/Halloween/fl/Why-the-Devil-H ates-Halloween.htm
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SeaStar
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 16 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9068
|
| Posted: Oct 29 2015 at 5:44am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Everything Jenn said! I hate how even Halloween has become a PC battleground.
My ds is dressing up as Obi Wan Kenobi this year; an aunt made his very awesome costume. My dd also has a costume from her- a Spanish dancer. They have been looking forward to TT for months!
I can't imagine taking this simple pleasure from them.
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KellyB
Forum Newbie
Joined: Feb 09 2014
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 49
|
| Posted: Oct 29 2015 at 8:49am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wow, Jodie, that is a great article, too. And thank you Melinda! I have only recently begun to doubt our celebration of Halloween when a Catholic acquaintance called carving pumpkins "pagan." I would never want to do the wrong thing, but trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins sure seems innocent enough to me; I have my peace back!
Thank you again!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SeaStar
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 16 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9068
|
| Posted: Oct 29 2015 at 10:48am | IP Logged
|
|
|
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
setonmom
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 25 2011
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 134
|
| Posted: Oct 29 2015 at 5:42pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I think a lot is in the attitude. A gory costume , for example, could be mocking the devil and death, or it could be glorifying it, depending how it is done. Or, for example, a friend in college dressed as a nun for Halloween, but he was mocking nuns not honoring them.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erica Sanchez
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 05 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1538
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2015 at 11:41am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have grown weary of what setonmom mentions. Terrible costumes (not just the gory ones, but inappropriate ones and at younger and younger ages), teens trick-or-treating without costumes, parents carrying their babies and getting candy (seriously!), and my biggest pet-peeve, treating Halloween like a season and not just the day it is. People start decorating at the beginning of October and I think it looks junky (and often scary for my little ones). If they'd just do Fall! Even though our Fall is hot and dry. :)
We've trick-or-treated, we've carved pumpkins, we've decorated with lights and sometimes spiders and ghosts. So, while we want to participate, it is everything around us that turns me off to the whole night. Not to mention the satanic stuff. I know they've hijacked the night and we should reclaim it.
We enjoy the creative process of putting together costumes and try to make it a night of innocent fun, but it is hard for me to enjoy the night anymore.
__________________
Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stacykay
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 08 2006
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1858
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2015 at 12:30pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have been feeling like Erica, and I am so glad to know I am not alone.
My boys have always trick-or-treated; I always trick-or-treated. I always had fun sewing up cute costumes until the boys fell into the army-guy habit about 15 years back (my oldest is now 27 and youngest is 11.)
But as Erica points out, Halloween used to be just that one day. Now, in our neighborhood, we have many people who are putting up huge displays, some super creepy, as early as late September. The focus on evil and gore is really bugging me, especially when it seems that it is being put on the same level of preparation and intensity as Christmas.
I guess I am concerned that it will continue to grow, and Christmas, the true reason, is going to be diminished, falling into more of the "Happy Holiday" theme. Or maybe it's more of the over-the-top mentality that seems so pervasive in our culture, whether it's kid's sports, birthday parties, or what all.
I hope this all makes sense!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI (feeling a tad anti-Halloweenish this year  )
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2015 at 5:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I keep it pretty low key here too. I put up fall decor and jack o lanterns for Halloween (as in they're not up yet) the fall decor stays up.. the jack o lanterns usually are only out the one day and then they get made into pumpkin puree for pies and such.. so they don't get left sitting long.. and I cut a thin layer off the inside of the pumpkin as well before cooking it.
But I guess there's really nothing that says you must participate any more than there is something that says you may not participate. The problem, as usual, is that when someone doesn't like the holiday the narrative becomes "no one should participate cause it's BAD", not just a no thanks (and no one here is doing this btw). That's what bothers me. If your area is one where it's the secular stuff is really icky.. then, by all means, avoid it. I'm thrilled that we live in an area that kids still go trick or treating house to house and everyone has fun and the little kids aren't scared to death and the big ones are as likely to be taking little ones around as anything (if I get a teen taking a younger sibling around, costume or not, I offer them candy).
And then my kids get to dress up as Saints for Mass on Sunday. 
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erica Sanchez
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 05 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1538
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2015 at 6:20pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
JodieLyn wrote:
| The problem, as usual, is that when someone doesn't like the holiday the narrative becomes "no one should participate cause it's BAD", not just a no thanks (and no one here is doing this btw). That's what bothers me. |
|
|
Agreed!
Stacy, you make a great point about Halloween overshadowing Christmas. It does feel like that sometimes around here and I anticipate that getting worse as society becomes more secular in general.
__________________
Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Maggie
Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 01 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 712
|
| Posted: Oct 30 2015 at 10:47pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I think trick~or~treating is in and of itself innocent enough ...but our large hs group has such a big and wonderful carnival and party for the kids that we really have no need to TorT. They certainly aren't lacking in candy or fun-_that's for sure. 
On the other hand, there is a very dark side to Halloween...I think we are all aware of this...I didn't realize how dark it was until the National Catholic Register came out with this piece written by a person formerly involved in the occult. ( shudder).
So I guess we have mostly always treated it as the literal translation of Halloween=All Hallows Eve...or the Eve before All Saints...and like a "Christmas" Eve, we celebrate focusing on the feast the next day. But like I said, we have a wonderful, huge party enjoyed by our group--we are very blessed in that regard.
__________________
Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Trick-or-Treating
