What are you atheists doing for Halloween?
Funny enough, Halloween is not a demon worshipping pagan holiday at all. It is in fact a Christian holiday, one where Christians honored the souls of the faithful departed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day.
There are a lot of spooky festivities but that is just an addendum to prepare us to remember the souls in purgatory. The "reason for the season" are the souls of the faithful department, who we must pray for and remember, whether they be family or friends or even strangers passing in the night.
Halloween season is fully on at my school. There are cobwebs and bats hanging from the ceilings of many classrooms and I've already broken out my "witches cauldron" of candy for students who do an extra credit assignment or two!
I mostly wear a habit, but Im really thinking I should break out my pumpkin or witch sweater sometime soon!
It is such a delight hearing what the children are going to be for halloween. Ive heard so far a lion, princess, hamburger,walrus and all sorts of things. Kids sure have an imagination.
I have heard some discouraging things though.
Some of the 8th grade boys I heard snickering to each other about how they were going to egg and tee pee houses and go around "trick or treating" with no costume and with big old garbage bags. One sniggers about how how his "old man" kept a bottle of whiskey under the workbench and how it was "free drinks on him" if his friends wanted to stop by that evening.
I felt compelled to go to them, and start to tell them how important it was to behave on that evening, the reason for the season, and my hopes they start "playing by the rules". "Johnny" smiled at me and nodded.. "Oh of course sister..absolutely." Though I don't think he was being sincere.
Later on that day I saw Susan Connors, one of my 9th grade girls laughing to her friends about a halloween party they were going to. I believe it involved some boys from St. Alberts. One said she was going as a "naughty nurse." The other said she was going as a "slut cat". The third said she going as a "Sexy genie". Then they laughed in sort of a horrible screeching way. I just couldn't take it. I marched right up to them and told them how careful they needed to be at that party. Not to drink any booze and to be careful of the boys. They might tell them they "loved them" but at that age...boys after only that ONE THING.
I also told them that their bodies were temples of the holy spirit, and that if they weren't sure their "boyfriends" were the ones they wanted to marry or honor, they might want to think twice about dressing in such a revealing way. They didn't even respond. They just said "Can you hear something noise? It's probably nothing" and walked straight away from me. Girls at that age...can be so catty and mean sometimes....and unappreciative..
I just get so joyous but worried on this day. I will be going to a halloween party my order is sponsoring, and eearly in the evening I might give out some halloween candy.
What plans do you have on this all-hallows eve?
I'll probably wear a habit and pretend to be a nun on online forums. Skip the 'treat' and go straight for 'trick', if you know what I mean.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 07, 2017, 04:17:54 PM
I'll probably wear a habit and pretend to be a nun on online forums. Skip the 'treat' and go straight for 'trick', if you know what I mean.
Damn, mistook "habit" for "rabbit", got to thinking about fluffy tails . . . Have to wait for Eostre.
(Eye surgery OK, brain surgery needed next.)
^ :lol:
Just to clear things up a bit regarding the Christian holiday of Halloween/All Saints' Day. This is an example (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/28/halloween-more-than-trick-or-treat-origins) of Christians co-opting pagan celebrations as their own. Another is the Christian adoption of December 25 (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/invictus.html) as a holy day. Christians also occasionally took pagan gods and goddesses and transformed them into Christian saints, as for instance St Brigid (http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/pagan-and-earth-based/2000/07/is-brigid-a-pagan-goddess-or-a-christian-saint-yes.aspx).
This practice of syncretism characterized the Christian church for much of its early history, and was a clever way of helping to consolidate the spread Christianity into pagan lands.
As for my personal celebration of October 31, I'll probably just have a wee dram of single malt.
I always thought Recusant would go trick or treating dressed up as a history book. :grin:
(Maybe that would scare a good deal of kids) ;)
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 07, 2017, 05:08:09 PM
I always thought Recusant would go trick or treating dressed up as a history book. :grin:
(Maybe that would scare a good deal of kids) ;)
Naw, homo habilis!
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 07, 2017, 05:08:09 PM
I always thought Recusant would go trick or treating dressed up as a history book. :grin:
(Maybe that would scare a good deal of kids) ;)
:lol: That's a fine idea for a costume, and I'll keep it in mind for the future. I think my favorite costume of the few I've used was 'The Devil's Advocate.' ;)
I played a little joke on sister bellarmine today ::)
I asked her what she was going to be for the Halloween party.
She said she would be a witch.
And I said.."no no no... What is your costume!" ;)
I will have to go to confession for that one!!
I was going to dress up as a priest, but we have a lot of kids in the neighborhood now, and that's just too fucking scary...
Quote from: Father Bruno on October 07, 2017, 08:19:52 PM
I was going to dress up as a priest, but we have a lot of kids in the neighborhood now, and that's just to fucking scary...
Yeah, and you might get arrested for looking like a paedophile.
I will be at work during the Trick-or-Treat hours.
I'm spending the month watching all my favorite creepy movies. Watched "The Uninvited" with Ray Milland just the other day, and am now watching "The Haunting", the original one with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. I love Liam Neeson, but that remake he participated in was crap.
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on October 07, 2017, 11:35:02 PM
I'm spending the month watching all my favorite creepy movies. Watched "The Uninvited" with Ray Milland just the other day, and am now watching "The Haunting", the original one with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. I love Liam Neeson, but that remake he participated in was crap.
I've never seen the original. Might be why I thought the new one wasn't that bad?
Raising the dead. Partying with Samhain. Desecrating something holy. You know, typical Athiest Armageddon type stuff.
Quote from: jumbojak on October 08, 2017, 02:21:38 AM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on October 07, 2017, 11:35:02 PM
I'm spending the month watching all my favorite creepy movies. Watched "The Uninvited" with Ray Milland just the other day, and am now watching "The Haunting", the original one with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. I love Liam Neeson, but that remake he participated in was crap.
I've never seen the original. Might be why I thought the new one wasn't that bad?
Other than using the same character names, it was an entirely different movie and completely lacking in subtlety. The original is excellent psychological horror, and faithful to Jackson's novel.
Jackson as in Shirley Jackson?
Quote from: Recusant on October 07, 2017, 05:00:02 PM
Just to clear things up a bit regarding the Christian holiday of Halloween/All Saints' Day. This is an example (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/28/halloween-more-than-trick-or-treat-origins) of Christians co-opting pagan celebrations as their own. Another is the Christian adoption of December 25 (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/invictus.html) as a holy day. Christians also occasionally took pagan gods and goddesses and transformed them into Christian saints, as for instance St Brigid (http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/pagan-and-earth-based/2000/07/is-brigid-a-pagan-goddess-or-a-christian-saint-yes.aspx).
This practice of syncretism characterized the Christian church for much of its early history, and was a clever way of helping to consolidate the spread Christianity into pagan lands.
As for my personal celebration of October 31, I'll probably just have a wee dram of single malt.
I do love your posts :grin:
My Halloween plans: call up some evil spirits with my Ouija board and then have an orgy with my BFFs. And then we will take the kids trick or treating. And then maybe drink some alcohol and smoke some cigarettes.
Vetrnaetr? I'd love to say that I'll be participating in or facilitating a proper feast and offering to Odin in the fields but it's on a weekday, Tyr's day to be exact.
I'll be in bed early to get up and tackle hump day at 0530. It's also my first gym day of the week. So, I'll have to turn out the light and disappoint all the folks running around from house to house shaking them down for goodies.
Quote from: Dragonia on October 08, 2017, 05:20:33 PM
My Halloween plans: call up some evil spirits with my Ouija board and then have an orgy with my BFFs. And then we will take the kids trick or treating. And then maybe drink some alcohol and smoke some cigarettes.
Bring the kids around my place, I plan to enchant some apples.
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on October 09, 2017, 12:33:48 AM
Quote from: Dragonia on October 08, 2017, 05:20:33 PM
My Halloween plans: call up some evil spirits with my Ouija board and then have an orgy with my BFFs. And then we will take the kids trick or treating. And then maybe drink some alcohol and smoke some cigarettes.
Bring the kids around my place, I plan to enchant some apples.
Sounds wonderful. :tellmemore:
Quote from: Tank on October 08, 2017, 08:21:50 AMI do love your posts :grin:
Thank you,
Tank. :computerwave: