Halloween to Christians

 What is Halloween to Catholics and Christians?

Halloween for me has always been a time of scare when I was a child, where a lot of television programs have their own specials about ghosts and anything that scares people. People dress up from anything scary to fictional characters and decorations are found from different places, from homes to different establishments. It is a tradition that was handed down from superstitions from long ago.

It is a fun and thrilling celebration for some but for others it may be just another waste of time trying to scare your self and feel bad about it at the end. There are really thrill seekers who likes to scare others and themselves, for me, I only hope Halloween evolves as something more positive than something scary and evil. Halloween's origin were about ghosts and ghouls so it is hard to remove that from tradition, yet it is celebrated like a fun festival.

My only worry is that people wear scary costumes and create decorations that is always been equivalent to something hurtful and evil. Promoting fear and harm visually is not a good sign that would give a negative impression that everything is just normal to simulate, Promoting fear has now been considered by the entertainment industries as fun and thrilling. a festival should be something positive that make all people gathered for fun and the common good.

The costumes or decorations for the celebration should be more about fictional characters and fantastic themed scenery which would be better. I don't think it is right for kids to go trick or treating wearing costumes that are scary and showing harm, it is best that they wear something out of fiction and more wholesome. Though it is hard to change traditions, it is best that it must be understood that we always have to do something that makes celebrations in a positive light.

Catholics celebrate November 1st for All Saints day and All Souls day at the 2nd. It is sometimes mistaken to extend the celebration of Halloween on the 31st to those two days after. Hallow really means to make holy and Sam Hein is the pagan celebration that spirits roam around during the 30th of November. Some traditions really got mixed but some are meant to be Christianized by the Catholic Church to replace it with some other sacred celebration.

Halloween may not be a holiday to be immediately removed from tradition but it can still be converted to something more wholesome than something scary or gruesome. It will be good to be celebrated with costume parties of some kind of characters. Catholics celebrate all saints day with something more positive like praying for the souls of their dearly departed and children wearing costumes of the Saints. Celebrations should always be something positive and promote goodwill and respect of peoples tradition and beliefs.