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SPAIN: BISHOPS AGAINST HALLOWEEN
The Spanish Catholic Church is warning Christians about the growing popularity of the “pagan”, and “not Christian”, festivity of Halloween. The director of the Liturgical Commission of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Father Joan Maria Canals, has criticized the parents who pressure their children to don fancy dress for the celebration of Halloween, saying they ought instead to encourage their participation in the celebration of All Saints and the Commemoration of the Dead. “Young children dress up as witches, vampires, and ghosts; they wear the masks of cadavers and skeletons – said Fr. Canals in an interview with the Spanish daily El Mundo. Parents ought instead to encourage the participation of their children in the Christian days of festivity that have to do with the signs of death and life in holiness. The paradoxical thing is that when a member of the family dies, these same parents prevent their children from seeing his/her dead body”. In actual fact – points out the Spanish liturgist, the feast of All Saints on 1st November and that of the Dead on the following day, during which Spanish family traditionally visit the tombs of their loved ones, “is a feast that glorifies life and not death”. And he adds: “Christian piety suggests a visit to the cemetery to pray for our loved ones and for the families that suffer the pain of separation from them”. Father Canals also observes that “on pedagogical grounds, it is essential children discover the value of life and holiness and not be encouraged to evoke death”, with face masks and fancy dress.
The Bishop of Sigüenza-Guadalajara, the Most Rev. José Sanchez, goes even further, declaring that Halloween “is not an innocent festivity” because it is based on the occult and anti-Christian propaganda”.
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As long as people and young children are educated to observe the church’s teachings about celebrating mass on 1st and 2nd November and maybe paying homage to one’s relatives in cemetries, I can’t see any harm in such customs. Witches, vampires and other Halloween decorations are in the majority of them purely allegorical. So much so, that Halloween articles designed specifically for children are being produced in a very fancy style bereft of any monstruous imagery. This year I taught my children that as long as they celebrate mass properly on the 1st and 2nd November, they can carve their pumpkins with their favourite character, an activity which many children await a whole year. We have to teach our children the true meaning of this feast, that death is not our final stage, but I don’t agree with supressing Halloween activities and crafts which many teachers are using to arouse their students’ aptitude and motivation to learn. We have to reconsider a lot of things here. And then I fully disagree with Fr. Canals when he says that parents should allow kids to see their dead relatives in mortuaries, when this can be psychologically harmful. Halloween as presented to toddlers and kids has nothing to do with the fatality of death. As long as we teach our kids to observe the catholic doctrine of celebrating mass on this solemnity of All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day; and as long as we stress the importance of life after death, I think that there is no harm in children carving their pumpkins or creating crafts related to fancy witches with couldrons and cats.
Although many centuries ago Halloween started, in an Anglo-Saxon context, as a Christian celebration of “all the hallows” (all the saints), in recent years it has degenerated into practices bordering on the occult and on superstition. From the harmless carved pumpkin-lanterns, it has given way to fearful imagery. Not that we are to be over-impressed by grotesque and macabre masks (after all Carnival is full of these), what worries me is a misrepresentation of the Christian celebration of 1st and 2nd November and the month dedicated to the faithful departed. As long as spirits, witches, cauldrons, cats and the rest are kept in fairytales, I find no problem at all. But, mixing up these images in children’s (and adults’) minds with the liturgical celebrations of 1st and 2nd November will not help. Furthermore, one should discourage the serious pranks played on Halloween to the detriment of others. With regard to crafts, there are many other creative crafts children can do!
I tackled this subject from my own perspective and wrote about Halloween from a child’s perspecetive and not from an adult one. Yes, I do agree with Fr. H Scerri as I cannot rule out the possibility that all this could lead to occult and satanism, however such practices have been around in Malta long before the recently introduced Halloween customs. So in a way I cannot see that strong bond between Halloween and occult and satanism. In my recent statement about Halloween celebrations I never talked of ‘mixing up’ things or to substitute Catholic principles with Halloween practices. But isn’t this similar to what happens during Christmas time? What do the Christmas Father, the Christmas Tree and La Befana have to do with the birth of Jesus? And yet such ornaments are well accepted by all and everyone! I believe that we should teach the Catholic Doctrine seriously and direct our small children to celebrate mass on the 1st and 2nd of November, but then I don’t find anything harmful in celebrating a fanciful Halloween. Parents and educators like any other celebration, should than see, as Fr Scerri explained that Halloween practices do not degenerate into distasteful pranks or other serious misdeeds. As regards to crafts I cannot see any wrong in drawing a witch or a wizard at this time of the year or as Fr Scerri put it,to carve a ‘harmless’ pumpkin lantern.