As a Christian, I never celebrated halloween — we celebrated “reformation day” instead, reading Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.
You don’t know what you’re missing.
Anyway, I’m too old to go trick-or-treating, so I thought I’d make a few modifications to the site design. It’s just for a week or so. Enjoy!
You actually read Martin Luther’s 95 theses? What denomination were you? I’m a Lutheran and I’ve only read some of Martin Luther’s 95 theses (in history class, not church).
Anyway, my family doesn’t celebrate Halloween either. So, now that I’m all grown up I’ve decided to celebrate it myself. Two carved pumpkins for decor and lots of candy for the kids who come trick or treating this year.
Fabulous! Love the decor. My site’s kind of decked out in Halloween colors too. It’s also the old Celtic New Year, Samhain, definitely big doin’s. My house is decorated, my cube at work is decorated, I’ve had a black plastic cauldron on my desk for two weeks with candy for my co-workers. A bunch of us are even dressing up for work tomorrow. I think I’m the only house on my street that gives out candy. I just remember how much fun it was when I was a kid back in the neolithic era. That was back when we could wear our costumes to school, and had a costume parade, class parties and so on. When I was in my born-again phase I used to wish the holiday would just go away. Now I go full-bore on it.
Love the banner sir! :) This particular “manufactured holiday” has always been my favorite.
Oh school costume parades and parties are still full on around here. Its actually a pain logistically but the kids have fun. My 5 yr old son has worn his Spiderman costume every day for the last week or so since we got it. We don’t make a big deal at the house with decorations although the kids’ drawings get put in the window and we carve pumpkins. Just one this year due to economics. $4 x 5 people is pretty pricey just for looks!
The kids trick or treat in the neighborhood, we sacrifice a goat and have a pizza. How ’bout you?
Pizza topped with goat meat, that’s new ;)
I haul out one of my ouija boards, read the Tarot cards by the flickering light of a bonfire, lead the coven in a spiral dance and the rest of the usual stuff. I only go into a trance and channel incorporeal entities if they don’t answer up on the ouija board.
Australians view this holiday negatively. Apparently, it’s ‘too American’. Despite living in a reasonably safe neighborhood and in close proximity to 2 schools, each year we only get one to two groups of trick or treat’ers.
It’s already Halloween (midday at the time of this post), and the most interesting thing I’m doing today is attending university exams.
My wife and I are going to celebrate “The Day of the Dead.” It’s my favorite and only holiday. Day of the Dead is a big deal for the Mexican Catholic church. Although my wife is not Mexican, this year we went all out. Our house looks like a holy shrine. It makes me feel a little guilty for not being as much in to my traditions as she is. She seriously knows more about it than me. I think my non Mexican-American friends will have a blast with the whole thing. The irony is that the holiday means a lot more to me now that I am a non believer. I suppose that I really, truly treasure the memories of my ancestors, since I don’t take it for granted that I will see them elsewhere, plus, I take Aztec superstitions as seriously as my previous ones :)
You celebrated Reformation Day? That’s awesome.
@Esther: I’m also a Lutheran who never fully read the 95 theses, but I did celebrate Hallowe’en as a kid… It was never a big deal, just trick and treating fun.
@Esther: Most of the time I was Baptist, and about half the time a calvinistic Baptist, which is where Reformation Day came in.
By the way, most of them are not long, and if you’re interested in the history of Protestantism at all, it’s a worthwhile read.
As a kid, my family would get together with a few other good Christian families, rent a few kiddie movies, order a pizza, and inform anyone who came to the door that we don’t celebrate this satanic holiday.
When we got older we handed out anti-Halloween tracts.
It’s starting to make me wonder how different my childhood would have been if my parents hadn’t fallen into the Jesus movement.
“… reading Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.”
I dare you to watch this.
http://www.95thesesrap.com/
(I should probably apologize for posting that … but I’m not.)