To Hell With Halloween
One of the most disquieting demonstrations of the stupidity of our times is the explosion of “Halloween” as a party occasion in Europe.
It is obvious to every thinking mind that this development was fuelled by the party industry – pubs, restaurants, everyone who sells alcohol – in order to increase sales. This is how what used to be a rather American, rather limited to children and young people, and rather stupid phenomenon has become, in a decade or two, a big drinking feast for people of all ages, and no brains. Children saying “treat or tricks” are, evidently, not profitable enough, but the big booze is. And if you live in the United Kingdom, you will immediately realise that an awful lot of people are desperately looking for an occasion, or a social excuse, to get drunk once more. The pub owners know it very well.
“Hey, it's Halloween!” Kar-Ching!
It is perfectly useless, as things stand, to try to rivendicate an Irish origin for Halloween; or, even worse, to try to claim a Catholic origin for it (“All Hallows' Eve”).
The reality on the ground is that the Halloween you get now in Europe is an American import, the true US version full of stupidity, alcohol, and paganism; basically, an excuse to end up vomiting on the sidewalk at 1am, and a factory of lewdness, fornication, and unwanted pregnancies. Halloween is another glaring example of the stupidity of our times, in which people “believe” in a lot of stupid, childish dreams (“the end of poverty”, “world peace”, and the like), but do not believe in a very real problem that regards everyone of us: the existence of hell.
I therefore hope, as I write this (publication scheduled for late evening) that I will not have to read any sissified Catholic blogger in Patheos style, “embracing” Halloween as he explains to us how Catholic it actually is. It may well be true that the remote origin of Halloween is, if you dig deep enough, Catholic. But this does not mean that we can, therefore, “welcome” and “include” Halloween as it is! This would be nothing more than another instance of Catholic pussycat attitude, siding with the world whilst telling all of us that everything is, once again, fine for us to approve, and be a part of.
When sanity has come back to these drunken islands, and proper Catholic festivities are properly observed by properly instructed Catholics, then we will be able to be more relaxed about it.
As it is now, it is just Halloween: a pagan exercise full of superstition and drunkenness, and therefore embraced by the world. An exercise which lets an army of people enter the great Feat of All Saints as they vomit on the pavement, in what is – do I need to say it? – undoubtedly grave matter.
Screw Halloween. Boycott it and have other people boycott it. Tell your colleagues and friends you don't do Paganism, much less drunken Paganism.
Celebrate (in the proper way) All Saints instead.
M
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Posted on October 30, 2014, in Catholicism, Conservative Catholicism, Traditional Catholicism and tagged halloween. Bookmark the permalink. 24 Comments.
Mundabor's Blog 
Halloween is evolving in the US into something worse that an excuse to get hammered drunk it is turning into a satanic religious celebration. Adults are more into it than children and it is now a bigger “celebration” than Easter(which is now almost extinct in the US).
I wonder if Dolan takes part?
M
Here is atheistic evolution summed up in an Internet meme: Atheism: the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs. Makes perfect sense.
Hey Mundabor, would you put my first comment with the correct article? I got them mixed up.
I cannot do it with your moniker, at least I do not know how to do it. You are the “owner” of your moniker, I cannot post anything with it.
Nice comment anyway!
M
I feel the same way about Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day.
Very true. I have written about St. Patrick’s day.
M
Mardi Gras is actually Catholic in origin and it has been for long, long time the only feast in which masquerading, drinking and doing some forbidden things ( some, not all) were permitted by the Church and lay authorities too. The day after is Ash Wednesday, the day set apart by the Church for atonement , penance and reparation. Things completely different in spirit by the actual Halloween, America as its worst.
yes, we have it in Italy as a strong tradition too, as Rosy certainly wanted to say; but I think in the US it has become something disquietingly different than, as in Italy, days of fun and prank – and strong eating, too – before the start of Lent.
It reminds me of London, where the Notting Hill Carnival takes place in… August.
M
New York City has a costume parade in the evening for Halloween followed by lots of private parties. The parade is open to kids and to the general public but gay participation is usually dominant, as is gay street activity in the evening and night hours in the vicinity of the parade. I don’t know if Dolan marches in this parade, but maybe he will be a popular costume this year…I would expect a few Pope Francis costumes as well…in anticipation of future saints, of course.
Thank you for this! I am so tired of reading articles every year which tell us that Halloween is Catholic and we should embrace it. Regardless of the origins, it’s not Catholic now. It’s a sacrifice for us to keep our children home, but one I welcome and cherish as an opportunity to teach our children that we should not “be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God.” Because that is the real sacrifice; Not missing the candy, but going against the grain.
I wouldn’t want your children to cry, Anna.
If they are little and you can steer them out of the “treat of trick”, it might be good. But if they go out with their little friends for a little fun, I wouldn’t be too stern on that.
My invitation to “boycott” Halloween does not mean to let your child cry at home; rather, to say “no” to the office halloween party, or to the friend inviting you to the local pub to “celebrate”.
M
If Mundabor disses it, well, I must be in trouble! I’m taking my kids trick-or-treating tonight, as I have for years. We live in a small town, and the kids like to put on their cowboy and princess outfits, go to the neighbors, and get some candy. It’s kinda cute.
I do not have any real problem with the children, provided their parents teach them about All Saints and put things in the proper perspective. For example, in Italy there are tradition (like the “Befana”, search this blog…) that have lived undisturbed for centuries; but again, it’s all in the proper spirit….
M
P.s. you live in the US, I take it?
M
I do live in the US, and we also have an All Saints party with other homeschooling Catholic families, so they get their dose of the transcendent and the secular, I guess. I’m glad to hear you think it’s alright in that context; some of my more zealous Catholic friends think it’s akin to paganism, but it seems harmless to me (the way we do it, anyway).
I’m going to look up Befana. 🙂
No, I think they are exaggerating. Search this blog for the Befana and you will find what you are looking for… 😉
M
It’s our St. Nicholas day, more or less. He comes on December 6, in the wee small hours of the morning, leaving treats in the stockings hung on the mantel of the fireplace. If you’ve been bad, you also get coals. In the Irish custom, he leaves the treats in the shoes you leave outside your bedroom door (according to my friend, anyway).
I’m sure you’ve heard of this, though. He morphed into Santa Claus, and now most Catholics don’t even know about that nice little tradition. For us, it opens the holidays. Too bad we didn’t have Befana as well!
Santa Claus is very strong in Germany, also among Catholics.
Unknown in Italy, where people think that Santa Claus is Father Christmas.
M
The point I was trying to make was that I’m glad I have the opportunity to prepare them now. These are great little ways to prepare them for the reality that they will have to sacrifice to live a good, and holy life. You can’t just swim with the culture, and we must prepare them for that. They don’t cry. They’re happy. Little children are capable of much more than we usually assume! And anyway, I wouldn’t get very far as a mom if I didn’t say no to something because they might cry! That happens at least once every day.
But it’s also important to have our own fun and celebrations, too. We celebrate All Saints, as well as many other feast days the secular culture misses out on. We’re always making cakes and treats for some feast or another. In fact I’ve made it my mission to show them what a good life it is for a Catholic, no matter the sacrifice.
very true, but I was just pointing out that if the boy – or girl – is accustomed, in an innocent way, to go out with the “treat or trick” thing, perhaps there’s no need to make him cry for depriving him of it.
I find it very good that you instruct them, in a very natural way, to focus on All Saints instead.
M
I love the trappings of Halloween~gigantic carved pumpkin heads, bobbing for apples, candy corn, skeletons, ghosts and any phase of the moon this time of year. Even the name, All Hallows Even evokes wonder. We are indeed preparing for a great feast. Why not dress up your kid as a saint? My son was St. Paul with toga on a stick horse. Recently I saw a whole classroom of little girls dressed as St. Therese the Little Flower all holding the signature bouquet of roses. You could look at it as an opportunity to catechise neighbours!
I do agree that adults have hijacked
the festivities and some make swines of themselves. But they can easily be ignored. I would not participate in any civic events overrun with homosexual activists.
My 2 pence story !
A few years ago, on october 31, I heard someone ringing at the front door.
I live in a house in a very small village (20 souls !…and 200 cows 🙂 ).
I was stunned when I saw a woman and 2 children (coming from the neighbour village), who wore carnaval dresses and asked for candies ! This woman seemed to consider it perfectly normal, because she said “do you understand, it’s halloween !”
Perhaps you can’t realise, but this word alone, here in the very middle of France, where many people had probably never heard about this US strange custom ! It sounded half ireal half satanic !
So, I explained to her I was Catholic and French : 2 good reasons to reject and avoid this thing….do you know what ? She replied that she was catholic and french too, and that she didn’t see the link !!! I closed my door answering “then you’ve got a problem, madam !”
Stupidity knows no limit I’m afraid.
Nevertheless, she never came again in the village since that year….nor came anyone asking for candies ! I guess she had been thrown without any amenity from every house she asked ! 🙂
Make it 201 cows, then…
M