halloween

[ioioouiouiouio]

Stxitxchxes

Hence why I suggested it.

Ah, I got a bit confused, since, after all, that_fairy was telling people to treat it as a secular holiday.  

[android_22]

Cometh The Inquisitor

that_fairy

As an ex-pagan, I can say that Halloween is *definetally* a pagan holiday. It's called Samhain.

That doesn't mean that Halloween is a pagan holiday, it means that Samhain is a pagan holiday. The two are just on the same day.

Its not "just" on the same day. It was purposely put on the day of samhain.

Also the idea of dressing up like scary monsters and getting candy is derived from the early notion that families would leave food and treats out at night so that they will not fall victim to pranks pulled by goblins, faeries, etc... Just thought I'd let you know that smile  

[Sybil Unrest]

Hallowe'en is also a Christian festival

Quote:

In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening.” Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween. On November 2, the Church celebrates All Souls Day.

Source

I would add that, although we know the Celts celebrated the day as being when the spirits of the departed came among them, and remembered the dead, other customs around the holiday are probably rather hard to prove as being specifically "pagan" rather than part of cultural folklore with little to do with religious belief.

I see no problem with celebrating Hallowe'en as it is part of our cultural heritage. There is also nothing wrong with remembering all the dead at this time of year - seeing as it has a symbolic message of "deadness" at this time, so it makes more sense to celebrate it then than in the springtime.  

[Neferet -House of Night-]

Halloween, Christmas and Easter have pagan roots. Christians put them on certain dates in order to convert the pagans. Samhain being on Halloween Oct 31st-1st. Ostara being Easter Sunday and Saturnalia being the Dec 17th-25th (Christmas is the last day of Saturnalia...last I checked). As I said before they're ways of converting the pagans. Now Halloween is a day when you can put on a costume and pretend you're someone you're not for a day. (unless you are a cosplayer than everyday is Halloween. ~_^)  

[Fallpray]

Christians celebrate Christmas because it is related to Jesus Christ. Halloween has nothing to do with Christianity.

Whether a Christian should have anything to do with Halloween.... well would Jesus dress up as a monster on a Halloween?  

[Ricette]

Genesis of Faith

Christians celebrate Christmas because it is related to Jesus Christ. Halloween has nothing to do with Christianity.

Whether a Christian should have anything to do with Halloween.... well would Jesus dress up as a monster on a Halloween?

Well Halloween seems to stir up complaints with some Christians because of the pagan roots and they feel children dressing up as supposedly evil things and it can scare them and say Satan is going to forever rule them. And to be honest, I could see Jesus dressing up as Raptor Jesus or maybe even going as a Jedi for halloween. He seems like a candy loving messiah.  

[Neferet -House of Night-]

Genesis of Faith

Christians celebrate Christmas because it is related to Jesus Christ. Halloween has nothing to do with Christianity.

Whether a Christian should have anything to do with Halloween.... well would Jesus dress up as a monster on a Halloween?

Christmas has pagan roots. Jesus wasn't born on the 25th but sometime in the Spring. The original pagan holiday was Saturnalia which ran from the 17-25th. The Early Christians decided to move that holiday to the 25th in order to convert the pagan Gods and according to the Julian calendar the Winter Solstice fell on the 25th of Dec. When their plan didn't work, the Christians decided to kill a good majority of pagans in order to convert the rest.  

[Fallpray]

Dark Angel Rai

Genesis of Faith

Christians celebrate Christmas because it is related to Jesus Christ. Halloween has nothing to do with Christianity.

Whether a Christian should have anything to do with Halloween.... well would Jesus dress up as a monster on a Halloween?

Christmas has pagan roots. Jesus wasn't born on the 25th but sometime in the Spring. The original pagan holiday was Saturnalia which ran from the 17-25th. The Early Christians decided to move that holiday to the 25th in order to convert the pagan Gods and according to the Julian calendar the Winter Solstice fell on the 25th of Dec. When their plan didn't work, the Christians decided to kill a good majority of pagans in order to convert the rest.

Yes, I know that the Romans paganized Christianity. Your point?  

[Mountain Rose]

Yeah, I think if you refuse to celebrate Halloween, you shouldn't celebrate Christmas or Easter either. All are rooted in pagan holidays, and we've turned them into something else. No one celebrates any of these holidays the way the pagans did, so I think it's all right.

That said, once I'm married and have children, I won't decorate my house with ghosts, witches, and things, and I won't let my kids dress up as those or a devil.  

[Neferet -House of Night-]

Genesis of Faith

Dark Angel Rai

Genesis of Faith

Christians celebrate Christmas because it is related to Jesus Christ. Halloween has nothing to do with Christianity.

Whether a Christian should have anything to do with Halloween.... well would Jesus dress up as a monster on a Halloween?

Christmas has pagan roots. Jesus wasn't born on the 25th but sometime in the Spring. The original pagan holiday was Saturnalia which ran from the 17-25th. The Early Christians decided to move that holiday to the 25th in order to convert the pagan Gods and according to the Julian calendar the Winter Solstice fell on the 25th of Dec. When their plan didn't work, the Christians decided to kill a good majority of pagans in order to convert the rest.

Yes, I know that the Romans paganized Christianity. Your point?

They didn't paganize. The Christians stole it. Totally hijacked it along with Ostara and Samhain. (Easter and Halloween).  

[Neferet -House of Night-]

Mountain Rose

Yeah, I think if you refuse to celebrate Halloween, you shouldn't celebrate Christmas or Easter either. All are rooted in pagan holidays, and we've turned them into something else. No one celebrates any of these holidays the way the pagans did, so I think it's all right.

That said, once I'm married and have children, I won't decorate my house with ghosts, witches, and things, and I won't let my kids dress up as those or a devil.

Pagans and Wiccans still celebrate them and you'd have to ban cosplaying too. Since that deals with dressing up as a character (that could be demonic) on a regular day.  

[Mountain Rose]

Dark Angel Rai

Mountain Rose

Yeah, I think if you refuse to celebrate Halloween, you shouldn't celebrate Christmas or Easter either. All are rooted in pagan holidays, and we've turned them into something else. No one celebrates any of these holidays the way the pagans did, so I think it's all right.

That said, once I'm married and have children, I won't decorate my house with ghosts, witches, and things, and I won't let my kids dress up as those or a devil.

Pagans and Wiccans still celebrate them and you'd have to ban cosplaying too. Since that deals with dressing up as a character (that could be demonic) on a regular day.

Oh yeah, of course the Pagans and Wiccans still do. By no one, I guess I meant Christians and the general society. 3nodding  

[Neferet -House of Night-]

Mountain Rose

Dark Angel Rai

Mountain Rose

Yeah, I think if you refuse to celebrate Halloween, you shouldn't celebrate Christmas or Easter either. All are rooted in pagan holidays, and we've turned them into something else. No one celebrates any of these holidays the way the pagans did, so I think it's all right.

That said, once I'm married and have children, I won't decorate my house with ghosts, witches, and things, and I won't let my kids dress up as those or a devil.

Pagans and Wiccans still celebrate them and you'd have to ban cosplaying too. Since that deals with dressing up as a character (that could be demonic) on a regular day.

Oh yeah, of course the Pagans and Wiccans still do. By no one, I guess I meant Christians and the general society. 3nodding

Samhain is Halloween so Christians and general society do just not in the same way. And certain aspects of general society do however dress up in costumes. Thus cosplaying which was made famous in Japan (predominatly in Harajuku) and is popular at conventions in the states.