Is Halloween a Pagan ritual?

*sigh*
It's that time of year again, when "good people" twist a holiday that is, basically, just FUN.

yes, there are roots that go back to European/Celtic harvest celebrations that marked the end of the year, the time to remember the dead (All Hallow's Eve, the night before All Saints' Day, a Catholic feast day to honor all the saints of the Church). The common folk held that the veil between the worlds is thin at this time of year, and the dead can walk among us this night. [I won't launch into my own beliefs on this, really]

Today, it is a holiday where children can face their fears, make fun of monsters, and walk around knocking on all the doors that people hide behind the rest of the year. Nothing like dressing up like your favorite superhero, or your worst nightmare, and thus processing some subconsious baggage that might otherwise linger.

Hey, maybe that's why the xtremists that preach against Halloween are so scared of it? They never had a chance to face their own fears, and discover that they were just costumes?

 

google for "halloween" and "pagan", it's all there.
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Oct 24 2007, 06:05 PM) [snapback]529919[/snapback]</div>

No. And there are plenty of Christian Fundamentalists that don't celebrate Halloween.

There are some that don't celebrate birthdays.

Some don't dance or go to any movies.

Some don't wear bright colored clothing.

But I live in a country where I can wear what I want (or not) within reason, dance, sing, play a musical instrument, watch TV, go to any movie I want and celebrate any and all holidays and even make up my own.

I can also read Harry Potter.

If parents are so afraid that reading Harry Potter or watching the Golden Compass is going to undermine the lifelong indoctrination they've foisted on to their children, then they're either lousy parents not doing their job or they're abusive parents who are way too controling and way too distrustful.

Censorship:
To deny a man a steak just because a baby can't chew it.

The biggest thing that bothers me about all of this, from banning Harry Potter to Abortion is the assumption by those seeking these limits that I am too STUPID to think for myself and come to the "right" decision. They are so afraid I'll choose wrong they want the right to CHOOSE FOR ME!

To them I say: BITE ME.

 

Of course Halloween is a Pagan-based holiday. But then again, so are Christmas and Easter.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Oct 24 2007, 09:00 PM) [snapback]529965[/snapback]</div>

Pretty much all major non-patriotic holidays are pagan in origin. I like that.

Tom

 

Arbor Day is a subversive Druid Festival. That would be Orthodox Druids. Reformed Druids are allowed to worship bushes.

 

I can't picture any Druid liking, never mind worshiping, Bush.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Oct 24 2007, 09:10 PM) [snapback]530060[/snapback]</div>

Touché

 

What? It's not all about the candy? I feel so disillusioned.

I don't even wanna talk about Christmas. You're gonna tell me that used to be some kinda pagan thing, too, right?

 

To quote Home J, "God bless those pagans".

 

Sure it's a pagan ritual. I take that as a good thing. Monotheism was definitely a monster step downward in the general decline of humanity.

 

They take a celebration that has Pagan roots, make up some fiction about it being the birthday of Christ, and call it 'Christmas'. Then they complain that people 'forget' that the holiday is about Christ.

Then they look at another holiday, Halloween, decide it has Pagan roots, and declare it therefore wrong to celebrate it.

If it's wrong to celebrate Halloween, should it be equally wrong to celebrate Christmas, for the exact same reason? :blink:

 

I think maybe the modern celebration of Halloween was actually invented by dentists. I doubt if pagans ever celebrated it by sending their kids out to beg candy from their neighbors. Much less threaten vandalism against anyone too stingy to fork over.

Halloween has become widespread in Mexico, but instead of the American threat of "Trick or treat" they say "Queremos Halloween" (We want Halloween) as if "Halloween" was the English for "candy."

 

I love Halloween. It's my Fab Fav Holiday, even more so then Christmas. I love Fall in general, and frankly, Halloween reminds me of fun in the fall.

Now, I know some up tight, out of sight Christian types who don't like it, and to them, I have to wonder who took their fun gene out.

But you know, to each her/his own.