Halloween Grinches?
By Tiffany Orr, 10.18.2006
As fall rolls in, the endless debate over Halloween continues: to trick or treat, or not.
I enjoyed the holiday as a child. However, over the years I boycotted it altogether. I would morph into the “Grinch who stole Halloween” by mumbling something under my breath about paganism and sitting at home with my porch light off in protest. No matter how hard they knocked, the kids did not get candy at my door.
As I got older, I began to mellow and grow out of my legalism. I began to realize that Halloween can be a time of unity and fun.
Halloween, like Christmas, is overblown, a commercialized caricature of what it used to be.
Christmas is supposed to be in remembrance of the birth of Christ and Halloween is really just a form of ghost bribery, says University of Maryland English professor Verlyn Flieger.
However, Halloween is not soely a fright-fest. It is a fun day where people dress up and eat free food. In the spirit of goodwill, most people buy candy and hand it out on Halloween, whether they don costumes or not. I’ve heard of religious groups taking salvation for the soul and sweets for the stomach approaches by handing out Christian tracts and candy.
Flieger claims the custom of handing out treats grew from the ancient Celts "trick or treat" which was both holy and denomic.Children demanded "soul cakes." Dressed as goblins as a fee for protection from their otherworld pranks, Flieger said.
Since there is a pagan element to Halloween, I can understand why some parents don’t want their children to celebrate the holiday.
For all intensive purposes it’s a holiday that celebrates the forces of darkness, Flieger said.
I’m glad some religious groups, who hate the occult aspect of Halloween but acknowledge the fun side of it, have come up with the “fall festival” concept. Fall festival events include traditional fall activities such as hay rides, bobbing for apples, candy and of course dressing up, according to a pastor in Tacoma, Wash.
That’s why, now that my eyes have been re-opened to the wonders of Halloween, this year is going to be different. I’m giving candy to all the children and adults who knock on my door. I’m celebrating the harmony and laughter the season brings sans the occult. Who knows, I might even dress up for a change.
