Should Halloween Be Allowed In School? What Do You Think?

Posted by Joshua on October 10, 2007 at 11:54am in General Discussions

Hey Guys,

Over the last couple years I have been seeing a trend where schools across America have been substituting Halloween Events for "Fall Festival". The reason, a number of parents feel that the holiday is sacraligious to their faith. So school boards have been banning Halloween. What do you think?

Washington Post Article

Personally, as a kid I loved Halloween and never thought of it as a religious holiday but just a time when a you could dress up, have fun and be spooked!

Would love to hear what the Jet Set Crew thinks.

Tags: banned, fall, festival, halloween

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Derek on October 10, 2007 at 12:11pm: I think "Fall Festival" is a good compromise with Halloween. One can still do all the halloween stuff under that name.

However, with respect to Christmas, I am on the fence. I can understand that people might want say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays". But "Christmas" (at least the day - Dec 25) is the celebration of Christ's birth. No more, no less. It's not a knock on any other religion.

I use to write "Xmas" - just to be concise, but I realize that's not correct, and I was NOT trying to prove any point by it. It was just shorthand.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Travis Anderson on October 11, 2007 at 12:26pm: yeah, originally christmas the the birth of christ..
but the way i celebrate it.. it means nothing close to that.. its a holiday to enjoy the peak of winter for me now.

but anyway, i think it should still be called halloween. i love the costumes! i don't think you need to cover it up as fall festival. if people of a certain religious value feel halloween opposes their religion, its because they have lack of faith in the strength of their religion; if you really believe in your religion, nothing will stand in the way of it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Flamekebab on October 10, 2007 at 5:12pm: I always feel that Halloween is a bit of a fake "festival". I can't take it seriously (by which I mean, I feel retarded dressing up for it).
I enjoy making costumes and dressing up, but as a student we have events for that anyway!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Niegel on October 10, 2007 at 5:38pm: holloween is awesome. it should be alowed. people who have a problem with it need to look it up and read on the history of the day and not just pass it of as some kind of satanic deal.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joshua on October 10, 2007 at 5:57pm: Right On!

I find it Ironic that concerned parents agree to a fall festival because they think the name has less to do with spirits and Halloween ? when actually "Pre-Christian Celts had an autumn festival, Samhain(pronounced /ˈsˠaunʲ/from the Old Irish samain), "End of Summer", a pastoral and agricultural "fire festival" or feast, when the dead revisited the mortal world, and large communal bonfires would hence be lit to ward off evil spirits"

History of Halloween Wikipedia Style

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steve Woolf on October 10, 2007 at 6:11pm: I think it's sad that some kids don't get to enjoy Halloween because people are afraid of superstitions and nonsense. Some of my favorite memories are from Halloweens when I was young. To not have that holiday, with all it's kookiness and witches and creepy-creepies is just sad to me.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Derek on October 10, 2007 at 10:40pm: Halloween moved from:
- going out in your neighborhood and getting hand made goodies
to
- going out in your neighborhood and getting store bought candy
to
- going to malls and getting all your candy xray'd to find needles and poisons

Sad.
This stuff comes in cycles, and I hope someday to make it back to the beginning.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by J.J on October 11, 2007 at 6:49am: I think Halloween was just a day where you get dressed in a costume and go out to the streets. Have parties etc. It was just for fun and it was never intended to go against anybodies faith. I think that changing the name will be right if you could still be celebrating it. I 'am catholic and Hallween does not go against my faith. But if it goes against someone's faith it should be respected and if they don't want to participate they don't have to.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian on October 11, 2007 at 9:15am: halloween died for me around 15 .. . but came back to me when my niece and nephew were born .. . it's just the funniest thing to see these little kids dressed up in costumes with painted faces and everything .. . but it seriously is just sad, to me, that everything has to be politically correct, can't call it halloween because it's definitely going to piss someone off so we replace it with fall festival .. . can't say merry christmas, because it is going to piss someone off so we replace it with seasons greetings or whatever rubbish is being said that year . .. can't can't can't .. . seriously .. . why must people bitch so much ?! have we all just grown into a country of i'm sorry to say, pussies.. . we do'nt want to offend anyone, so we bend over backwards to fit everyone in.. . don't want anyone to feel left out . . .god forbid .. . oh wait, can't say god .. .

but .. . it's a strange holiday, yes .. . but why ruin it for children .. .; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jennifer on October 11, 2007 at 10:42am: Our pumkin patch has a little petting zoo and a bouncy slide. I've taken my son to from toddler to teenage years. Deciding on a costume is so much fun for kids. OK I admit I kind of wish every one passed out mini granola bars but what's the real harm of a couple of sugar highs? I know a student who got left out of Halloween one year for getting all C's and she has never gotten one single C on your report card ever again. I understand if teachers don't want kids coming in costume. Banning Halloween is going too far.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joshua on October 11, 2007 at 11:11am: wow..guys..

Great comments! It's interesting to see the how Halloween effects everyone of us! I don't know being from New England Halloween just felt right with the leaves changing colors and the weather getting cooler. But I can see where if you are not around a place where that happens that if may seem a bit silly to be so passionate about it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rick Rey on October 11, 2007 at 12:19pm: I would be pissed if my school banned Halloween. In protest I would dress goth everyday and carry around dolls that looked like my teachers. Seriously, when are school administrators going to lighten up when it comes to the silly things like this -- and focus on the important stuff like.. oh I don't know... teaching?

In modern culture, Halloween isn't about satan or anything evil. We don't need a Wikipedia entry to know that, because we are living, breathing, intelligent members of society. If the school boards aren't, well yeah that needs to be addressed.; ▶ Reply to This