16 | Steel Notes Magazine steelnotesmagazine . com | October 2014
Vigil of All Hallows throughout Christendom . After the service , “ suitable festivities and entertainments ” often follow , as well as a visit to the graveyard or cemetery , where flowers and candles are often placed in preparation for All Hallows ’ Day . In Finland , because so many people visit the cemeteries on All Hallows ’ Eve to light votive candles there , they “ are known as valomeri , or seas of light .”
Other Protestant Christians also celebrate All Hallows ’ Eve as Reformation Day , a day to remember the Protestant Reformation , alongside All Hallow ’ s Eve or independently from it . This is because Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to All Saints ’ Church in Wittenberg on All Hallows ’ Eve , because hundreds of visitors would come to the church during the celebration of Allhallowtide . Often , “ Harvest Festivals ” or “ Reformation Festivals ” are held on All Hallows ’ Eve , in which children dress up as Bible characters or Reformers . In addition to distributing candy to children who are trick-or-treating on Hallowe ’ en , many Christians also provide gospel tracts to them . One organization , the American Tract Society , stated that around 3 million gospel tracts are ordered from them alone for Hallowe ’ en celebrations . Others order Halloween-themed Scripture Candy to pass out to children on this day .
8.1.1 Christianity Some Christians feel concerned about the modern celebration of Halloween because they feel it trivializes – or celebrates – paganism , the occult , or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with their beliefs . Father Gabriele Amorth , an exorcist in Rome , has said , “ if English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem . If it is just a game , there is no harm in that .” In more recent years , the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a “ Saint Fest ” on Halloween . Similarly , many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children , holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up , play games , and get candy for free . Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween , treating it as a fun event devoted to “ imaginary spooks ” and handing out candy . To these Christians , Halloween holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children : being taught about death and mortality , and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners ’ heritage .
8.1.2 Other Religions
In the Roman Catholic Church , Halloween ’ s Christian connection is cited , and Halloween celebrations are common in Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland . Many fundamentalist and evangelical churches use “ Hell houses ”, themed pamphlets , or comic-style tracts such as those created by Jack T . Chick in order to make use of Halloween ’ s popularity as an opportunity for evangelism . Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith due to its putative origins in the Festival of the Dead celebration . Indeed , even though Eastern Orthodox Christians observe All Hallows ’ Day on the First Sunday after Pentecost , the Eastern Orthodox Church recommends the observance of Vespers and / or a Paraklesis on the Western observance of All Hallows ’ Eve , out of the pastoral need to provide an alternative to popular celebrations .
The reaction of non-Christian religions towards Halloween has often been mixed , ranging from stern disapproval to the allowance of participation in it . According to Alfred J . Kolatch in the Second Jewish Book of Why , in Judaism , Halloween is not permitted by Jewish Halakha because it violates Leviticus 18:3 which forbids Jews from partaking in gentile customs . Many Jews observe Yizkor , which is equivalent to the observance of Allhallowtide in Christianity , as prayers are said for both “ martyrs and for one ’ s own family .” Nevertheless many American Jews celebrate Halloween , disconnected from its Christian origins . Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser has said that “ There is no religious reason why contemporary Jews should not celebrate Halloween ” while Orthodox Rabbi Michael Broyde has argued against Jews observing the holiday . Sheikh Idris Palmer , author of A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam , has argued that Muslims should not participate in Halloween , stating that “ participation in it is similar to one commemorating Christmas or Easter , or congratulating the Christians upon their prostration to
16 | Steel Notes Magazine steelnotesmagazine . com | October 2014