-
Website
http://dalefincher.blogspot.com/ -
Original page
http://dalefincher.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-do-typical-halloweeners-celebrate.html -
Subscribe
All Comments -
Community
-
-
Top Commenters
-
Popular Threads
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/deadkennedys/hal...
Yeah, what is Halloween anyway? I love the last part of your last question. I never thought of this before. What are people really celebrating when they celebrate Halloween? [I hope you have the answer in your pocket!]
For some it's an opportunity to laugh at death--even taunt death. We have a lot of lawns around with mock tombstones and some creative types like to create bloody scenes on their lawns -- like large versions of the old shoebox diarama. Near our old house we had a neighbor who went just a bit too far with strange mock bloody murder scenes all over the lawn--weapons and all.
Parents of young children use it as an opportunity to show off their kids cuteness (which won't be so cute after eating all that candy). In my current suburban neighborhood people light fires in their driveways and sit around on lawn chairs in the dark visiting with each other. Some have huge spider web things on their garage doors.
But I really still don't get it. Maybe some of your other readers have a clue.
And, yeah, and what's with all the candy?? Obviously it's supposed to be a payoff, a bribe, to avoid a "trick" --like tp-ing the house. But it's pretty much become just an opportunity to gorge freely on unhealthy stuff. I personally am the Scrooge of Halloween. I don't buy candy.
okay, done. See, I'm not always trying to be profound!
Rachel
Here's a report from your stringer in The Big Apple:
In the last couple of years, here on NYC's Upper East Side, I've seen a huge increase in really lavish Halloween displays covering entire fronts of 5-story luxury town houses -- very realistic corpses, elaborate ghosts, grave yards, and loads of cobwebs, lights, etc. I guess its neighbor-competitive. They'd say it's all just a bunch of fun, but maybe it's a bit of "whistling past the cemetery" denial as well. That seemingly innocent little word, "just", always gets inserted when people need to camouflage what they think they're really doing.
It's worth remembering the origins of Christmas are quite similar to today's Halloween. It was just an excuse to party. In fact, if I remember my history, the church had to ban Christmas celebrations because they devolved into drunkenness and violence.
I do however, have a problem with Halloween. I think it celebrates a disturbing level of violence. The fact that cable has been showing the SAW movies this week shows just how desensitized youth are getting to extreme, pornographic violence. As early as 15 years ago, what you see in the SAW movies was illegal and prosecuted as "snuff films"-something I do not recommend you read about. Halloween displays that celebrate spookiness are fine and fun, but those that show dismembered bodies and gore are not fine.
Halloween is a commemorative holiday for me, for it was the night that, while engaged in Halloween violence, was arrested and began living with questions.
Community. Being outside, chatting, laughing with friends and neighbors. I love Halloween!
i will be the first to say that america is a commercialized culture in every single way, not just when it comes to halloween. we spend money quicker than we can make it and more than we make, usually, so we cannot be surprised when americans are taken in by marketing, period. i'm not saying that this is right. i loathe this about americans.
going back to my original musings....holidays come with family tradition baggage. there are general rules for the holiday (ie. put on a costume and go out and get candy and, sometimes, decorate) each holiday has it's own "rules". for my family it was a fun time to be creative with costumes. the same way it was fun for me to play dress-up as a child and when i earned my theatre degree as an adult. in my family, we were never allowed (and i will never allow my children) to dress up like evil/gruesome characters. there were never any bloody makeup or fake wounds found on us. think princess, clown, peter pan, any assortment of animals. we never purchased costumes from stores either. my mother usually made them on her sewing machine or helped us create something ourselves.
when the time came for us to go out, we usually joined up with another family. we ended up back at home with a huge bag of candy. and i see nothing wrong with indulging your child now and again. there's nothing wrong with feasting. if you're feasting every evening, then it's no longer feasting. anyway, my parents NEVER allowed us to walk in the door, dump our bag of candy out, and pig out! i'm sorry, but any parent who does that is just asking for it. our candy was placed in a big bowl on top of the refrigerator and it lasted a while. we were allowed to have 2 to 3 pieces of it as our dessert if we so chose.
i am not dumb enough to believe that this is the way that everyone celebrates it and i don't believe you're advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water but i just get so tired of hearing people talk about the evil of halloween. for pete's sake. the evil of our world is rampant everyday and it should be no surprise to us when fallen people glorify death and try to find fulfillment in buying things and dressing up. as i say, i will be the first to lament the brokenness of our world in every aspect, but i refuse to let it ruin my experience of life and the culture in which i live in a healthy manner.
dale, i don't believe that you are saying burn all the people who celebrate halloween (at least i hope that's not what you're saying!) i just hate to see people get all worked up over things they've been given negative baggage over unnecessarily. so much bitterness and judgement can come from discussions like this and that has no place in the life of a christ-follower. i lament the world's brokenness, but i cannot love these people the same way that christ loved them by dying for them by trying to make sense of the psychology of a fallen mind. it will always come back to that simple truth -- they are fallen and need a redeemer the same way i did. as i've said, this doesn't excuse it or mean that i don't frustrated or heart-broken over it.
You are right, we all come with a family history to halloween. And different people will come at it differently. However, I see many similarities between family traditions and what the culture does overall. Actually, many of the family traditions makes up what the culture does. And children celebrate halloween different than adults do, with block parties, office parties, frat parties, etc.
But at the end of the day, to summarize, what did you "celebrate" for Halloween? Celebrate dressing up and candy? Just curious... I'm pushing you to find what the meaningful core is to you.
By the way, the fallen mind isn't any more complicated than the "Christian" mind these days. There are many smart and sensible non-Christians who do things for a reason--and they are often very good reasons too.
Oh, by the way, while these discussions can churn up a lot of different opinions, that's why I'm having the discussion here... I can moderate it. This is a safe place to throw down ideas, get feedback, hear from others. I'll do my best to keep it sane and helpful so every reader can go into this Halloween ready for more savvy cultural conversations. ;o)
we celebrated getting to spend time together with family and friends, having fun dressing up, and getting candy for free.
I think your second paragraph is onto something that everyone seems to be "celebrating" at Halloween... the costumes and candy may just be the vehicle many need to have an excuse to hang out...
Dale, check my theology and correct me if I'm wrong, but don't we all have fallen minds? What is a "Christian mind?" Using this terminology makes it sound like it's something substantially different from a "fallen mind"--like we got brain transplants at the altar. If a "Christian mind" means anything, I think it's a fallen mind in the process of being renewed. I'm pretty sure there's no "Christian mind" in the Bible. And, yeah, I'd say we can understand the "fallen mind" really well -- cause we each got one!
you are correct. our minds (as are all of our bodies -- christ-follower or not) are broken and in need of renewal/redemption. what i am simply trying to say is that those of us who have chosen the gift of redemption and daily walk in the path of renewal challenge ourselves and attempt (only by the grace of our savior) to renew all aspects of our lives (including halloween.) i am NOT saying that un-redeemed folks don't consider why they do things. some do and some don't (as with some who claim the name of christ-follower.) i am simply saying, that we should not be surprised if people, who have have not decided to choose redemption and renewal through the grace of god, do seemingly foolish things like put all of their money into fake gravestones or dress up like death. this attitude i take toward my fellow human beings who have not chosen to experience redemption and renewal in this broken world actually helps me to extend grace to them (not necessarily excuse them.) i feel bad for anyone who seeks fulfillment in something other than christ and his love. many christians and non-christians alike, whether they realize it or not, find fulfillment and faith in family tradition. this is something we all need to be wary of...but i go off on another tangent.
if i am involved in a personal friendship with a non-christian, i see nothing wrong with trying to help her maybe question her motivations for the things she does. i confess i get a little ruffled when christ-followers try to figure out non-christ-follwers behavior because, USUALLY, the goal of this is so we can say we've got them nailed down and understand the reasons they do the things they do as a group. also, it gives us a secret good feeling of superiority. i don't believe this was the intent of dales' original post. part of my reaction is sensitivity to seeing posts like this become a "let's make a judgement call on all non-christians." i can see that this hasn't turne into that and that i have probably been overly sensitive.
i hope i have clarified myself. i am not the best communicator and usually seem to get in over my head.
I completely agree with you that we cannot lump people altogether with simple pat answers and diagnosis. And, I'm with you 100% that that tends toward superiority... Both Christians and non-Christians are humans first. And until we get that right, we'll get a lot of other things wrong.
I think you'll love our book coming out the Spring dealing with that very topic!
I also want to thank you for your clarification. I echo Dale's thoughts in agreement with you. And don't worry about seeming overly sensitive and perhaps not communicating what you mean to say. It happens to me a lot. Words are very tricky little things. They aren't even "real" (just symbols for things or ideas) yet they still insist on having their own way sometimes! Ya gotta keep a tight leash on 'em!
Costumes + candy = awesome. That's what Halloween is to me...oh, and fond memories of trick-or-treating, school parties, and the smell of leaves.
It may have EVIL roots and there's pagan interest, but really? I'm not into the super scary displays, but otherwise, let the kids dress like princesses and super heroes. And give 'em candy, too.
I dressed up as a kid cause that was the admission to getting lots of free candy. But I've never been into dressing up. But, candy... yes! Anything for candy!
I think you are right about the roots... few people even pay attention to that anymore... it has lost its traditional meaning, like most holidays have.
We did have to hide our black cat every year, however, per suggestions of the local newspaper who always reported missing ones this time of year.... so SOMEBODY was 'celebrating' Halloween more traditionally.
"I don't know if you feel like this, but for me, it feels like Halloween is in the process of phasing out Christmas...
I woke up yesterday, and as I blearily stood on the front steps with my cup of coffee and the dew-kissed newspaper, I realized that my neighbor's tree had not sprouted oranges overnight, but rather there were little tiny pumpkin heads floating from all the limbs of their tree. After I focused my eyes, I realized their entire porch was encased in gauze and those little plastic spider rings.
They are not alone, the Waltz's have a small pet cemetary, Mrs. Laramie has little twinkling orange lights, the Spauldings have tiny gauzy ghosts hanging from the rim of their garage roof and the Blanches (always a personal favorite) have installed their ever-classic vacuum cleaner ghost for this year's haunted house. I drove by Mr. Blanch in the process of hooking it up yesterday afternoon on my way home. He waved so proudly as I sailed by.
My little brother's friend has even gone so far to set up a light show with music that you can listen to on the radio..."
One of the great things about Christianity is that it seeks to redeem all of creation, including ancient pagan holidays...ie Christmas (there I said it) and the day that we now celebrate Easter. Remember, Halloween is simply "All Saints Day," the Day that the Church used to "redeem" the pagan "All Hallow's Eve." Is Halloween celebrated in a non glorifing way today...surely....but so is our modern way of celebrating Christmas. The idea that we teach out children that there is another omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent being in the universe other than the great "I am" is simply wicked (Santa Claus).
So with that being said...trick or treat....we will enjoy our candy this Halloween. It is one of our favorite holidays in our household.
Para 1: I totally agree. Changing a name doesn't change the content of the event.
Para 2: Very true. I took a graduate class in Italy on "From Pagan to Christian Rome" and found the spoila startling. The "church" does have a long tradition of "redeeming" pagan holidays (of course, that doesn't mean we are supposed to redeem them... the Jews had a hard time truly redeeming paganism without assimilation and so become corrupted by them -- however, they did spoil the Egyptians which is where Augustine and the early church justified their overlaying of Christ on just about everything... what is sad is that they did away with the legitimate Jewish holidays but embraced pagan ones as a way to show dominance... but that's another topic).
Para 3: Send some extra candy our way. Now that we live in the woods, we won't see any trick-r-treating at our house... maybe I'll have to do that at the discount aisle at the grocery store on Nov 1. :)
From Douglas Wilson:
"I object to Halloween, not because it was pagan, but because it is pagan. But once it is in believing hands, we may dispense with it if we wish, or keep it with any appropriate changes. In either victorious case, we should thank God for it.
I have never heard anybody talk like this.
Sure, you have. You've read 1 Corinthians.
All right. I'll bite. What did you find in 1 Corinthians this time?
I call it the apostolic response to the problem of the demonic quarter pounder."
:)
"To his most beloved son, the Abbot Mellitus; Gregory, the servant of the servants of God. We have been much concerned, since the departure of our congregation that is with you, because we have received no account of the success of your journey. When, therefore, Almighty God shall bring you to the most reverend Bishop Augustine, our brother, tell him what I have, upon mature deliberation on the affair of the English, determined upon, viz., that the temples of the idols in that nation ought not to be destroyed; but let the idols that are in them be destroyed; let holy water be made and sprinkled in the said temples, let altars be erected, and relics placed. For if those temples are well built, it is requisite that they be converted from the worship of devils to the service of the true God; that the nation, seeing that their temples are not destroyed, may remove error from their hearts, and knowing and adoring the true God, may the more familiarly resort to the places to which they have been accustomed. And because they have been used to slaughter many oxen in the sacrifices to devils, some solemnity must be exchanged for them on this account, as that on the day of the dedication, or the nativities of the holy martyrs, whose relics are there deposited, they may build themselves huts of the boughs of trees, about those churches which have been turned to that use from temples, and celebrate the solemnity with religious feasting, and no more offer beasts to the Devil, but kill cattle to the praise of God in their eating, and return thanks to the Giver of all things for their sustenance; to the end that, whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God. For there is no doubt that it is impossible to efface everything at once from their obdurate minds; because he who endeavours to ascend to the highest place, rises by degrees or steps, and not by leaps. Thus the Lord made Himself known to the people of Israel in Egypt; and yet He allowed them the use of the sacrifices which they were wont to offer to the Devil, in his own worship; so as to command them in his sacrifice to kill beasts, to the end that, changing their hearts, they might lay aside one part of the sacrifice, whilst they retained another; that whilst they offered the same beasts which they were wont to offer, they should offer them to God, and not to idols; and thus they would no longer be the same sacrifices. This it behooves your affection to communicate to our aforesaid brother, that he, being there present, may consider how he is to order all things. God preserve you in safety, most beloved son".
The best example in our culture is indeed Christmas. Many, if not most, of the current traditions we do is rooted in Christianized pagan traditions.
I have kind of been thinking through the whole "counter cultural thing." We are living in Babylon. We are here and we have built our tents. Let's show our culture the "Christian" way to celebrate a fun evening. One that glorifies God by having good fun and eating candy to the Glory of God.
Tanks for posting the above letter. I do think it behooves not to create "alternatives" to Halloween with our church "harvest parties" and pretend the world isn't out there, but to jump into Halloween with both feet, involving ourselves with our neighbors where the God of Israel (and his Messiah) is greater than all other Gods.
http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/open-book/no-28...