Halloween.

Pagan. And the religions we call pagan are religions, just, perhaps, not yours. So, the ancient Greeks and Romans were religious people, just as some people are today. Hallowe’en is an important time for some Hispanic people who clean their dead relatives’ graves and have picnics on the gravestones. They are Christians.

bit of a lecture there Dora !

Yes it is very commercialised but, as long as the children are safe and don't "trick" then I don't have a problem with it. I don't think anyone is concerned about the original meaning just look on it as a bit of fun. Many Christian festivals are based on previously pagan rituals.

....and most pagan rituals are based on previous pagan rituals until we arrive back at the paleolithic. So what?

If people decide to change their religion and adapt their previous ritual days to fit their new beliefs it invalidates neither their new beliefs nor the transfer. It is what people have always done.

Dora, seems to simply object to the references to paganism and ignores the concerns about those with mental illness and fear of the tickle treat abuses.

I am no kill joy, my grandchildren love Halloween, but we do warn than about ensuring they behave in a caring sensible way. This weeks stories from the USA about adults dressing up and their antics getting out of hands needs to be a warning for all of us.

I have never , ever in my life celebrated it, allowed my children to celebrate it or opened my door to those celebrating it.

Its rubbish and a complete waste of money.

Anti religious?
Shakey understanding of theology and history you have there....

And plenty of people with mental health issues take part in and enjoy Halloween. I Don't appropriate "mental health" when your objections are puritanical just to give your argument more "meat"

Halloween is a very inclusive holiday. Unlike Christmas and Easter which often sees people sticking with just their nearest and dearest, halloween is when neighbours get together to have fun. It has a great sense of community. We need MORE of that not less.

There is far more of a mental health around Christmas for that reason. (The great pagan mid winter festival of light, I take it you object to Christmas on the same basis of your objection to halloween??)

Well I have had 4 sets of lovely happy children call so far and I am cheered up by seeing their smiles.

Well I’ve got a Frankenstein on my front door and a skeleton bowl that scares the life out of the children when it lights up randomly and says “get your hands off....” in a scary voice. I only got in from work 30 minutes ago and I must’ve had 30 I’d more callers . I’ll stop opening the door when the treats run out which won’t be long at this rate !

Well we've got an enormous spider in a neon web in the porch and a witch wreath on the front door. A bowlful of treats waiting and not one trick or treater yet!

And how much have parents had to spend on costumes and that will be worn once then binned, not to mention all the fake spiders, plastic skeletons etc etc? As usual, once the marketing people have taken over it's all about buying more and more stuff.

Have disliked Hallowe'en since I outgrew traditional Scottish guising but I also dislike ill-informed patronising lectures (and I don't mean dora's post!)

Having enjoyed Halloween as it was in my Scottish childhood, I am saddened by the blatant commercialisation of this occasion. It was fun improvising costumes and making masks out of cardboard, fixed round our heads with knicker elastic. It's still possible to improvise. Only ten years ago, DGD won a prize for best costume in a witch's outfit made from black bin bags, whereas parents now have to be pressured into buying outfits which are worn once and outgrown before the next Halloween.

The type of people who dispose of and rebuy new halloween stuff every year are the same people who buy all new "colour themed" christmas stuff every year, and live generally disposable lifestyles all year round - it is not a halloween thing.

Most people store their festive decorations and costumes and enjoy getting them back out each year and adding to them bit by bit.

We had two pairs of children round. The younger pair came with a beautifully costumes father. Sweets were handed over and costumes admired. All very civilised

We`ve lived in this house for over 33 years, and have never had any trick or treaters at the door, but I still buy a few goodies just in case. As per usual, no callers tonight either.

callgirl to get trick or treaters, you need to display a lit pumpkin. It can be a paper lantern pumpkin, not a real one. Do that until all the sweets are taken then take the lantern in.

I have never been involved in Halloween until this year but I have DGC and DDiL staying the week. DGC are mad about Halloween and arrived with a host of decorations for the front of the house and front door (which are being carefully packed away by them for next year).

I had such fun last night. I have discovered that the rules here and 250 miles away where they live, is that they can call at any house displaying a lit pumpkin, but nowhere else. When we went out we extinguished our pumpkins and relit them when we returned.

We had a stream of children to our door and in turn my DGC knocked on about 20 doors, always to be greeted by householders with big baskets of sweets. It was enormous fun and there were lots of little groups of giggling children, always with at least one adult.

I entered into the fun and made a Halloween witches meal of fingers (chipolatas), eyeballs( meatballs),peas, cheese sauce and tomato sauce (I won't turn your stomachs by saying what those were christened) and large glasses of blood( cherryade).

Next year, if they are not staying with me, I will still have a large basket of sweets and a lit pumpkin. I am carefully saving my paper pumpkin from this year.

Well done MOnica. It sounds like a lot of harmless fun. Things change and whynot.

We had a few trick or treaters last night - little ones with their mums watching over. I had a big bowl of chocolate and sweets and some of them treated it with disdain! One child said 'haven't you got any cakes'?. I think children are getting more fussy. Bless em, it made me laugh.

MarthaBeck
Paganism is a religion, My religion in fact!
I agree that too much money is spent on tat for Hallowe'en and that some decorations are a bit too scary for very young children or those of a sensitive nature.
However, your post is critical, ill-informed, uneducated, insensitive and downright rude!
The words you were looking for are 'Pagan' and 'Hallowe'en'.
It is as offensive to me that you have spelled Pagan incorrectly as it would be to a Catholic or Jew or Muslim if their faith had been spelled wrongly and dismissed as anti-religious.
In future maybe you should check your facts before posting nonsense!

Great fun last night. I did a pumpkin and lots of children knocked and had a treat! I think it's a good way of learning that it's ok to be frightened and part of being human. Also strengthens a feeling of community.
My own DGC came with their parents and friends and then headed home!

I am a practicing pagan and Samhain, or Halloween as you call it, is an important event to me. It is the start of the year and a time to honour our ancestors. Some of the comments on here and other threads are downright insulting to those of us who follow a pagan belief. At least learn something about it before spouting off. Oh and trick or treat is not American, it originated in Scotland.