Schools, especially elementary, are canceling the holiday of Halloween for religious reasons. Though, like many holidays, Halloween has a religious origin, most people do not see it in that way. Halloween is many children’s favorite holiday and it is wrong to deny them of celebrating it in school.
According to Grace to You, a Christian website, Halloween originated from paganism. It deals with the dead and was originally seen as a day where evil spirits roamed the earth freely and creatures went about frightening people. The reason Christians are against this holiday is that it goes against their beliefs of what is good. The bible verse Philippians 4:8 states “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” The theme of Halloween goes against this; still, children and many adults do not think about this holiday in a religious way.
It is a time where kids get to dress-up, go trick-or-treating, carve pumpkins and much more. It is a time, like all holidays, where families come together. Picking out or even making a costume shows creativity and imagination among children and Halloween is one of the only times that they get to do so. Even for adults, Halloween is one of the only times where it is socially acceptable to dress up in a costume. For some Halloween is scary, but fear is just another emotion that everyone will have to feel during their life. When schools do not allow Halloween to be celebrated because of some religious beliefs, it would be wrong to celebrate any holiday.
Schools should be open to celebrating all holidays so that they are inclusive. For example, Christmas and Hanukkah should both be celebrated if students wish to participate. By doing this, teachers open up children to all different cultures and ways of living. If not, children will grow to be sheltered and unaware of the differences in people and religion, which can result in them rejecting what they do not understand.
An elementary school in Sacramento canceled any celebration of Halloween this year. According to The Sacramento Bee, their reasoning for not celebrating it was to respect the families who may not celebrate the holiday, due to their religious background. Classes will no longer have Halloween parties, students are not allowed to come to class in costume and the school will not have a parade. The principal of the North Country Elementary School, Jason Farrel, states that the decision to not celebrate Halloween was “to ensure what is best for all of our students.” Though this may seem inclusive, it is not. While in the past families had the choice of whether to participate in the celebrations or not, now they do not have a choice. The school claims that some parents are uncomfortable with celebrating the holiday, but it is not okay to take away what is many children’s favorite holiday.
Halloween is a day to simply have fun. Some people see it as a holiday that goes against their religion, but most others do not. Also, many Christians do still celebrate Halloween. Because of this, the celebration of this holiday should not be taken out of schools; families should have a choice whether or not to participate in the festivities.
