Which is why it really disturbs me that some public schools aren’t even allowed to celebrate Halloween anymore. According the Seattle Public School district, “costumes could offend or upset students who come from other cultures”. The pagan origins of modern Halloween can be found in the Celtic celebration of Samhain, or "End of Summer." The Celts believed that on this agricultural harvest festival the dead revisit the land of the living and communal fires were needed to ward off evil. Many feel that celebrating Halloween is somehow promoting paganism, witchcraft and the occult.
I’m not sure how dressing up as a comic book hero and knocking on doors for candy is related to paganism, but it did get me thinking. In a few weeks, we will be discussing our First Amendment rights, and the separation of church and state. Halloween isn’t the only holiday that schools have banned in the interest of not offending anyone. So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of school’s celebrating holidays? Should they celebrate all holidays, some holidays or none at all?” For an added twist, “What are your Halloween plans?” I’d love to hear what you’re dressing up as! Answers are due no later than Tuesday, November 14th, 2013. Please note that you have an extended deadline because I will not be here next week. Have a happy and safe Halloween!
I think that elementary school kids don't see the evil in everything like the parents do. They see is as getting dressed up and having extra fun with their friends. Parents see it as masking one's identity to become something you aren't. At least that's what my parents and grandparents thought. Growing up, I was not allowed to dress up or be any part of the holiday's traditions. It made it easy that we grew up on a farm so we literally did not have one trick-or-treater. However, now that I am older and making my own decisions and away from home, I see it as a silly gesture to have some fun. I am not masking myself to become someone else, simply playing along with societies goofs for a night. No evil. No witches. Just a bit of fun. I went to a house party this year for Halloween dressed as Iron Man. Had a good time with the festivities and already planning costumes for next years events!
ReplyDeleteIf public schools aren't going to celebrate one holiday for fear of offending someone, they should not celebrate any holiday. It's this pick-and-choose mentality that really pisses me off. Either all religions have the right to worship in peace in this nation, or none do. There is a reason church and state were separated in the United States. We are not a theocracy, and so we shouldn't behave like one.
ReplyDelete- Katherine Fosso
I honestly completely understand why schools would not celebrate Halloween. There are many different beliefs and a child should not feel uncomfortable going to school where they should be going to strictly get an education. Following that rule , I feel as if this is honored they should celebrate any holidays at school because it would be unfair. My Halloween sucked! I went to the club and I didn't dress up, like everyone else. I did not think to dress up because last year when I went out no one else did and the costume contest that they said they were having did not happen, therefore I went hoe early. This year everyone dressed up and the winner won $1,500 and 5 bottles of liquor and several tickets to concerts. I was pissed because she looked a hot mess and there was no competition, I could have easily won that night.
ReplyDelete~Marissa
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ReplyDeleteI think holidays that are Nationally celebrated and are directly related to our nations history are fine to celebrate in school. To say we shouldn't celebrate Halloween because it's offensive is the same as saying we shouldn't celebrate Christmas in school. As a country that often prides itself on its diversity we often point change or difference back in the direction it came from. I believe if we chose to ban one religious holiday we should ban all in our public schools.
ReplyDeleteHalloween was okay I won third place in student affairs costume contest so that's always a plus. I hung out with friends and watched all the classic Halloween Movies. I also received candy from teachers and friends.
"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; where no Catholic prelate would tell the president — should he be Catholic — how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference, and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him, or the people who might elect him."- President John F. Kennedy, Sept. 12, 1960
I think that for children some Holidays are just fun. Children don't see it as evil they see it as costly! Children don't understand holidays until we educate them and at young ages they really don't care its all about the fun. So why take the fun away from children during holidays! They will grow and learn about the history of the holidays and chose rather they want to celebrate or participate! My 3 year old will tell you in a second!!!!
ReplyDeleteI must say my oldest is in 1st grade and when I found out he couldnt wear his costume I was like dang...he was upset! I guess I really never thought about whether schools should celebrate holidays until this point. But I guess I honestly dont care if they celebrate holidays or not. I would say they should not celebrate only some holidays. I think it should be all or nothing. I believe that Halloween may have stem from some historical aspect of the past but I dont personally get into all of that. I keep it very simple. I look at it as a day to get dressed up and simply enjoying the thrill of knocking on as many doors as possible. As a kid my siblings and I had contest who could get the most candy. Its just a day of fun to me. I will not be dressing up this year. My kids are going to be a ninja and a fairy!
ReplyDeleteI come from a Christian background, though even so the churches I grew up in were not adverse to the Halloween celebrations. It is not unknown for traditions such as Samahain to be adopted or to change as time goes by. The Halloween that we know today is no more than a harmless holiday in which both adults and children can have fun. Also, the fact that schools and the like would ban the celebration of these holidays is ridiculous. The separation of church and state should not permit this. Our country should be promoting tolerance and acceptance of those with different cultural and religious beliefs. By banning these holidays they are doing the exact opposite. Rather than take Halloween out of the schools they should just add to the number of holidays and celebrate the holidays of other cultures and religions.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated earlier, I was brought up in a Christian-based community and family but I was always taught to be accepting of other beliefs and to respect the cultural and religious beliefs of others. That is not to say that I would give up the right to express my own religious views. Additionally, the Christmas holiday, which is a holiday based primarily upon Christmas principal has in itself integrated a pagan tradition; the Christmas tree. Few realize that the Christmas tree was adopted from a German pagan belief. This is one example that I know of, but I'm sure that if one were to look at other religions that they would find that pagan practices and traditions have been adopted by other religious holidays. I am not saying that schools necessarily need to promote these holidays, but they should not have the right to ban it from their schools. Doing so is not only an infringement of one's First Amendment rights, which are somewhat diminished while in schools to begin with, but also prevents students from being able to express themselves. You could say that schools such as those that ban these religions are turning into communist schools. While that sounds like a joke it's not off the mark.
i think that schools don't necessarily have to celebrate the holiday but lets be honest, kids love halloween for the candy. i wouldn't necessarily have everyone dress in costumes but why punish the kids that don't celebrate it by not giving them candy just like everyone else. I didn't do anything for halloween this year because unfortunately i wasn't feeling to well that day :(
ReplyDeleteI think that schools should either celebrate all the holidays or none at all. If you don’t include all or exclude all holidays you could always possibly offend someone. I don’t think the children care so much about what the holiday stands for or even care what it stands for. They just know it’s a holiday so they see it as a time to have fun in some sort of way. People think way too much into some things and make it into a big deal when it isn’t one at all. For Halloween I went to a house party with Ashley and dressed up as Robin Thicke from the VMAs.
ReplyDeleteAccording to http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/10/19/elementary-school-bans-halloween-costumes-debate-lingers/ Seattle district schools had more than that particular reason for not celebrating Halloween, namely that it fell on a half day and they didn't want to spend the time having kids get into costumes and be distracted on an already truncated school day.
ReplyDeleteThat said, on the larger point of Halloween being 'banned'- I find it odd to call it banned, since even a full school day ends by about 4pm, and I've always been under the impression that it really starts after dark. So I gotta say, I'm with the school on this one.
For the record, Halloween is my favorite holiday.
Being that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays as well. Always being artistic, instead of going to Halloween stores and buying a costume, I always made my own since I was a kid. I always looked forward to dressing up and going to school on Halloween to show off my costume.
ReplyDeleteI have always found it interesting how there is supposed to be separation of church and state, but yet we celebrate all these holidays that were found based off religion. If a school celebrates one holiday, I think they need to celebrate them all. It is unfair to celebrate one holiday but not the other.
For this Halloween, I dressed up as a wrecking ball with a Barbie on my shoulder. The costume was based off of Miley Cyrus’s song, Wrecking Ball. I went to class in my costume and then I met up with a bunch of co workers from the Apple Store and went to a house party and Miley twerked on my shoulder.
I think school should celebrate all holidays. Holidays have a past of their own that can teach the children something new and interest. Take Halloween for an example, if they don't want to actually celebrate the holiday they could teach them about the holiday in home room or study hall and give each kid a piece of candy. There is always something to learn about where we got our holidays taking them completely out of schools is like trying to turn the school into some kind of limbo. Even most jails and prisons do a little something for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteSome public school don't celebrate any holidays anymore like with saying the pledge of allegiance which isnt said in school because of God being in the pledge, which offends some relgions. I guess the holidays also offends some relgions so the schools put a stop to it which I think is sad for the young children in school.
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