“THIS is a remarkable antidote to Halloween’s parade of ghosts and demons.” Thus, declared Fr. King Vano in his facebook, reacting to the post of this writer on the procession of saints in Batuan town on October 31.
“Ang inyong mga anak dili iya sa yawa; mga anak sila sa Dios. Ayaw sila bistihi og sama sa bisti sa yawa. Ang halloween para sa mga santos ug santas, dili para sa mga demonyo ug daotang Espiritu,” Bishop reminded the faithful.
(Your children are not the sons and daughters of the demons. So, don’t dress them like the devil. The Halloween is for saints and not for demons to celebrate.)
The parish priest in Batuan together with the laity organized the procession of the saints represented by concerned students and the faithful of the town on October 31. They dressed like saints they represented and marched from the church after the holy mass to the public market and back to the church.
Bible World warned the faithful to avoid doing Halloween in a demon’s way.
“It is clear from the Bible that Christians should not think of evil as entertainment. We are told not to interact with evil spirits or trying to tell the future. Only God holds our future and He will reveal what He thinks we need to know.”
It quoted a biblical passage, thus, “There shall not be found among you anyone who (….) practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 18:10-13, Isaiah 8:19).”
Our God is stronger than anything in the created world. Visible and invisible, real or imagined. “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” and “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, (…) nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 John 4:4 Romans 8: 38-39).
The name ‘Halloween’ is linked to the Christian festival of ‘All Hallows’ or ‘All Saints’, which is celebrated on the 1st of November. This is traditionally a day on which the church remembers with joy the lives of the saints and martyrs who have gone to heaven before us, it said.
However, many ideas and practices were added, both from pagan (pre-Christian) traditions and from non-biblical ideas that entered the church. Such as praying for souls that were believed to be not yet in heaven or preparing offerings for the dead. Also, there was a belief that the spirits of the dead would roam the earth until All Saints Day and that on Halloween they would take their last chance to take revenge on people they disliked. That is why people would dress up, so the spirits would not recognize them. Another pagan tradition is that people would play games trying to find out about their futures.
It said that “In recent decades, the entertainment industry has really taken over, adding decorations and customs that are really gruesome, and horror stories and movies have become part of the celebration. It has turned into a festival where things that normally are frightening and disgusting are used to make fun.” (rvo)
