Halloween
I’m a very open minded person and believe people should celebrate what they want regardless. I’m catholic but recently celebrated Diwali at a friends house. I have been to a mosque a few times, I generally enjoy learning about other cultures and religions even if I don’t personally celebrate them.
BUT. It really annoys me when people who don’t celebrate Halloween claim it as a ‘devil worshipping’ day when it isn’t! I have a friend that is an evangelist and I can’t even mention Halloween without her going off. We talk about everything, we message every day about what we got up to or what we did with our kids etc and send photos, but I simply mentioned last year that I took my kids to a Halloween party and she cut me off telling me she doesn’t celebrate Halloween, it’s all about the devil and this is the time when people start dying and murders happen and bad stuff on the news etc.
I would never cut someone off if they were simply mentioning something about a holiday they celebrated - regardless of religion, but each year around this time I have to choose my words carefully. This year, one day I simply said how much I love autumn as it’s my favourite season with the weather and colour of leaves and she replied that she doesn’t like autumn because she doesn’t celebrate Halloween? 🤔
Anyway, just saw a tiktok of a mom with her kids begging her for them to celebrate Halloween and she said it’s a devil worshipping day and ‘African parents do not allow their children to celebrate Halloween’. I think if you’re not going to celebrate something, at least know the real story of the event and where it derived from. I live in the uk and I know most African people don’t celebrate it here, but I think it’s a false narrative because people don’t actually know what it’s about. My partner is African and although he didn’t celebrate growing up, we celebrate it with our kids.
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There are a lot of holidays which people should learn the meaning and origin of before they run their mouth😂
I was raised Catholic, I decorate for Halloween, I have attended Iftar dinners and Diwali parties. Learn the meaning behind things, use it as an opportunity to open your eyes to the world around you.
If your faith is strong it’s not in danger cause your little girl wants to be a skeleton, carve a pumpkin and get sweets with her peers. It’s All Hallows Eve (which was shortened to Halloween) followed by All Saints Day, the Christian holiday. The early Christians adopted the Celtic culture of lighting bonfires to ward away evil at this time of year. The Irish carved turnips for the same purpose and took it over the sea to America. It’s been a holiday celebrated in many forms for 1000 years, including by Christians. The whole point is warding the devil away.
Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m Eastern Orthodox Christian and we do not celebrate Halloween as part of our culture, however isn’t the whole point of dressing up with a scare costume to scare the devil and demons away and banish them?
Anyone who truly thinks this is crazy and I would not be friends with them
I met a mom who is heavily Christian and ooooo weee she was the same way. She upped it by regularly telling me I’m going to hell because I don’t have the same views as her. She wouldn’t even acknowledge other religions and would talk over others that were having “ungodly conversations” and find some way to weasel her religion back into the conversation. It finally got to me so I decided it was best to end the friendship.
I’m Muslim, and where I live now a lot of children do dress up and go trick or treating, I put up some decor by the door and buy some sweets to give them out. We love seeing the costumes and I just think it makes kids happy.
I don’t celebrate Christmas but I’m not gonna be offended or go on a tangent if someone said merry Christmas to me, because even though it’s not part of my faith I wouldn’t dampen anyone else’s celebrations. I allow my kids to take part in the nativity and l do secret Santa at work, it doesn’t make me less Muslim because I’m not that fragile in my belief. Maybe your friend has some sort of insecurity? Because if her devotion to god was solid she wouldn’t be complaining or be so defensive about what the outside world does.
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