Now they're going after Halloween

[DisneyOma]

Halloween actually has its roots in Christianity, not that it matters. People should celebrate whtever they feel compelled to celebrate

No, it's the opposite. Christianity took many of its holidays from the Pagans, to get them to join Christianity. Solstice/sun celebrations have been around thousands of years more than Christianity.

There is too much to go into here about the origins and why Samhein probably wasn't Oct. 31, and how All Saints' day / All Hallows Eve is more closely related to our modern Halloween traditions, but my point was that Pagans and Wiccans (by the way, Wicca is a fairly new religion, much newer than Christianity) are not the only belief systems to have a holiday on Halloween.

But much of the Wiccan tradition is based on the four sun days, which date back in celebration at least 2000 year before Christianity was a twinkle in God's eye.

Ireland celebrated All Saints in April back in the 8th century. It didn't move to Nov 1 until a few hundred years later, and Samhain was already established way before that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

On the whole 'taking time out of school' thing it wouldn't really matter in the grand scheme of things so long as the school is in compliance on the required school time either calculated on the number of school days or the number of school hours.

 

[wonder whisper]

kids from families who don't participate

I'm still waiting for someone to provide data showing the size of the supposed universe of families/people these killjoy school administrators obliquely refer to, ergo the ones who apparently find Halloween to be so deeply offensive/non-inclusive. They must be some kind of ultra-sensitive but also ultra-silent constituency.

And to look at the Disney angle a little more closely... Disney during the day for the entirety of Sept and Oct is "fall festival/black & orange/harvest" themed, with lots of fall decor but nothing specifically Halloween related. If you want the Halloween experience, you have to seek it out (and pay for it). That's actually far closer to what these schools are moving to - a generic, non-offensive celebration during the day, paired with a separate after-hours event families have to seek out if they want a specific Halloween experience - than to what's been done in the past.

Halloween has always been a big deal for me. When I was a kid, my mom would dress up with my neighbor and come lead the parade around the elementary school. All my friends were always so excited to see what my mom would dress as. I wore a costume to school every year, including high school. In high school they would even give you free lunch if you came in costume. It was a fun day, no matter what age you were. It was something we all looked forward to. I am glad they still do it for my kids (I briefly lived in a town that didn't let the kids dress up for Halloween. Glad I moved back to this one!). I am all for letting the kids enjoy themselves and having fun at school sometimes. It's bad enough even my preschoolers now have homework - let some things about school still be fun!
But, I am also the one who takes off half day (or sometimes the full day, depends how involved costumes are) on Halloween so I have time to dye my hair and get everything ready for everyone's costumes and trick or treaters. So take what I say with a grain of salt...

Sleepy, thank you so much for so eloquently describing an engaging world that unfortunately the killjoys are now trying to erase, based on vague generalizations that said world "offends" some universe or makes them feel "excluded." As I implied in an earlier post, it's noteworthy that the killjoys never-- and I mean never-- produce evidence of the size or composition of this supposedly horrifically persecuted population, much less profiles of a single one of them.

Which strongly suggests the presence of Halloween in schools is being attacked for the benefit of some phantom "victim" group, one that for all we know only exists in the imaginations of the national killjoy administrators association.

 

[RedAngie]

Our schools did away with candy a long time ago. I'm in a different region now from where I grew up. Here? A bottle of water, goldfish and grapes. Woohoo! Party on, kids!

A Facebook friend posted this. It's a gag, but anybody giving these out is begging to get their house egged or toilet-papered.

This is from last year:

 

[IAHFTPT]

I'm giving away dinoloungers this year.

 

[IAHFTPT]

Either that or Candy Mandys. I can't decide.

 

[Suger Mag]

I never have to buy candy... I live on a rural road, then add in my driveway is 1/2 mile long, dark and unlit going down into the woods. In all my 40+ years of living here, we have had one brave soul venture down that driveway and knock on my door... I was so surprised and unprepared, all I had was $$, so I slipped a buck into their bucket and away they went back into the dark LOL

I'm giving away dinoloungers this year.

 

[L&Lfan]

Either that or Candy Mandys. I can't decide.

I'm giving away squatty potties.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm still waiting for someone to provide data showing the size of the supposed universe of families/people these killjoy school administrators obliquely refer to, ergo the ones who apparently find Halloween to be so deeply offensive/non-inclusive. They must be some kind of ultra-sensitive but also ultra-silent constituency.

I'm not sure how available that data would be, since for most of those who are offended by Halloween it is a matter of personal belief rather than official religious dogma. I know a lot of evangelical families who view Halloween celebrations as offensive to their religion, but I don't think any of them belong to denominations where that is explicitly preached - it is just their interpretation of their church's teachings about the occult and supernatural. That makes it hard to measure, because it isn't as simple as "Catholics believe..." or "Baptists object to...". Jehovah's Witnesses are the only denomination I'm aware of that don't celebrate as a matter of doctrine, and there are about 8 million of them in the U.S., but it seems to me (anecdotally) that they are seldom if ever the ones agitating for schoolwide changes. They simply have their children sit out, just as they do for birthdays and Christmas parties and other celebrations. It is usually more mainstream evangelical or conservative Christians that object to the holiday as a whole (and I wouldn't call them ultra-silent... in my experience, they tend to be very, very vocal in their objections to anything they view as against their faith, right down to having Harry Potter in the school library).

 

[galaxygirl76]

At my public school back in Europe we had a Jehova's Witness family and they just stayed home whenever holidays were celebrated.

 

[brookmey]

Instead of Halloween costumes, my kids' elementary school encourages the kids to dress up as their favorite literary character on Halloween. They connect that with having a pumpkin decorating contest the week of Halloween where kids and their families decorate a pumpkin based on a literary character or book. So even though the word Halloween isn't used, the school has activities in the spirit of Halloween.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm still waiting for someone to provide data showing the size of the supposed universe of families/people these killjoy school administrators obliquely refer to, ergo the ones who apparently find Halloween to be so deeply offensive/non-inclusive. They must be some kind of ultra-sensitive but also ultra-silent constituency.

Once again, you feel the majority should rule? I think I've asked you 3-4 times, but I don't remember you answering. I believe I also pointed out in one of your articles the TEACHERS complained because not every student was enjoying the fun. The teachers have no problem changing the "tradition", but the heck with them. Do I have that right?

 

[rickybobby]

Where we live in Ontario it’s been orange and black day at school for at least 10 years now. Frankly it’s much easier then trying to send the kids with costumes to school in the morning.

And way more fun, right?

 

[rickybobby]

So, two elementary schools decide to not do Halloween parades and somehow that means the mysterious "they" are going after Halloween? Ok.

I understood exactly what the OP was saying by the title. Merry Christmas Sunshinehighway

 

[rickybobby]

I'll ask again... so the majority should rule?


I will be glad to answer. Yes, the majority should rule if debate is had, and it is declared that it is the best chosen course.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I agree that majority should rule but I suspect Sam is going to mention historical wrongs that occurred by the majority.

 

[Princess Mulan]

Ours have been "fall parties" for as long as I can remember. And here, trick-or-treat has had "hours" since I was a kid -- and <gasp> it's often not even on October 31. It's no big deal what it's called. It's still fun.

This sounds like where I live. Elementary schools call them harvest or fall parties, and there are no costumes in school. Municipalities decide when to have trick or treat. Some might decide to have trick or treat from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday if Halloween falls on a Sunday, for example. It's been this way for as long as I can remember.

 

[Hikergirl]

We are talking about school parties, right?
The way some of you are talking it's like you think these kids civil liberties are being taken away. Last I knew all the kid's and their parents are still FREE to celebrate Halloween.

 

[dish rag]

We are talking about school parties, right?
The way some of you are talking it's like you think these kids civil liberties are being taken away. Last I knew all the kid's and their parents are still FREE to celebrate Halloween.

I take that what the thread is mostly about is the majority having to give in to just a few.

 

[Suger Mag]

We are talking about school parties, right?
The way some of you are talking it's like you think these kids civil liberties are being taken away. Last I knew all the kid's and their parents are still FREE to celebrate Halloween.

yes...this is about 2 schools in Ma...only one of which is actually eliminating their Halloweenparade/party ... the other is simply moving their costume parade to after school