Is there any harm in participating in the annual celebration
of Halloween? Some think so.
I first encountered the opinion that Halloween may be
spiritually dangerous when my children were young. I was surprised when a friend announced that her children would
not be dressing up and trick-or-treating.
She objected to the pagan roots of the celebration with its emphasis on
evil spirits and death.
I don’t know if my friend was
ahead of the curve with her objection to Halloween because at the time not many
shared her concerns. But, there is
a lively debate in some Christian circles about the appropriateness of allowing
children to participate in this cultural event.
An extreme view holds that
Christians who participate in Halloween open themselves, and their children, to
evil. There is a literal belief that evil spirits roaming the earth on
Halloween might catch hold of an unwary soul. A more moderate view holds that
Halloween is contradictory to the Christian message; Halloween celebrates the
“lord of death”, while Christianity proclaims a God of life.
While I don’t share these
particular concerns, the darker side of Halloween has captured the cultural
imagination. Every year the
emphasis on creepy, sinister things seems to gain in popularity. Skulls, skeletons
tombstones, bloody masks and sinister table pieces hit the shelves of big box
stores earlier and earlier each year.
Spooky graveyard and macabre horror scenes spring up on front lawns
across the country, often weeks in advance of Halloween.
But, Halloween is not a religious
celebration in our society. The pagan aspects of Halloween only become an issue
if one gives them credence. The
fear of spirits roaming the night for the purpose of creating havoc and harm
pales in comparison to the darker and more wicked aspects of human existence
that are reported daily in the news. There are more pressing and immediate
concerns in the world with which to be concerned.
If I object to anything about
today’s celebration of Halloween, it is the commercialism that has taken
hold. Halloween is big bucks,
second only to Christmas in consumer spending. In 2014, Canadians spent almost
$400 million on candy alone. In
2015, Canadians spent one billion dollars on Halloween related purchases. Waste goes along with all of this
spending on costumes, candy and decorations.
The Halloween of my youth was more
of a homegrown event. Neighbours
doled out candied apples, sticky popcorn balls, caramels or special baking, all
of which they made themselves.
There was a house in our neighbourhood that was famous for its candied
apples. Even though many people
handed out candies, the candied apple was the treat of the night.
Costumes, too, were mostly
handmade, fashioned from items that were at hand. My mother had a knack for creating the costumes of my
imagination out of old clothing, scraps of fabric and pieces of cardboard.
Halloween treats and costumes
have changed with a changing world. For reasons of convenience and/or safety
the purchase of both is the norm.
None of these changes dampen my
enthusiasm for the celebration. Opening the door to the neighbourhood kids decked out in
their costumes rekindles the child in me.
Their infectious excitement recalls that of my own when I once traipsed
around the neighbourhood in costume collecting treats on a dark and spooky
night.
Participating in Halloween is an
important part of maturing for many children. Dressing up nurtures the imagination and is akin to walking a
mile in someone else’s shoes; masquerading aids the development of empathy. The
spooky aspects of the night help to master fear. It takes courage to walk up to a house cloaked in darkness
and playing eerie music. And, the
feeling of independence when a child can finally go trick-or-treating with
friends, not parents, is exhilarating.
There is nothing inherently evil
about the celebration of Halloween in our time. It becomes what we believe it
to be – a night of darkness, or simple, good, clean fun with a developmental
purpose.
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