“Some religious denominations avoid it, due to concerns about its pagan origins and superstitions.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — Halloween, which originated in Britain and Ireland, is alive both in the United States and the Philippines — and its life is both quite a treat and a trick.
While Halloween is celebrated only on Oct 31 in this country as in other countries that have not banned it, the Philippines, which was Christianized in the 16th century, commemorates it for three days ending Nov. 2.
Countries like Mongolia, China, Siberian regions of Russia Jordan and Saudi Arabia have banned Halloween, with Saudi Arabia saying it is not only discouraged but the government considers it to be “haram” or forbidden according to Islamic law.
Anyone caught celebrating in Saudi Arabia could face severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
When the United States colonized the Philippines on Dec. 10, 1898 after Spain ceded the islands, the tradition of Halloween was passed on although the traditional All Saints Day and All Souls Day practices from the Spanish are still practiced today in the Philippines.
Nov 1 is All Saints Day in the Philippines or “Araw ng mga Santo” and Nov. 2 is All Souls Day, called in the Tagalog-speaking provinces including the national capital region as “Undas” or “Araw ng mga Patay” or, in northern Philippines, “Piesta Dagiti Natay.”
It is that time of the year in northern Philippines when surviving relatives ask priests, Catholic or Aglipayan, to say a prayer for their departed kin right at the grave site and where musicians of the town band, always at the ready during this period in cemeteries, may be asked to play one or a couple of funeral marches round the grave site of the departed kin.
The scene is similar in Minglanilla town south of the capital city of Cebu and Camalig in Albay, site of the world’s near perfect cone Mayon Volcano, where kin of departed relatives gather for quick prayers for the dead and some food.
Some cemeteries in the north, often along the national highway, have archs with the words “This Way To Heaven” while in at least one graveyard with robust cadena de amor vines, the arch carried the legend “Dakami Ita, Dakayonto No Bigat (Our turn today, yours tomorrow).”
The name “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows Eve,” or the day before All Saints Day, a traditional holiday for Christians worldwide.
It had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland.
At Claremont Ranch in Colorado Springs, as early as the first week of October, homeowners place Jack-o’-lanterns in front of their unfenced wood houses to scare evil spirits and to welcome trick-or-treat children from the neighborhood.
Other modern fun activities that reflect the traditional past of Halloween include watching horror movies and visiting haunted houses.
In the United States their Halloween activities include trick-or treating, where children dress up in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods to collect candies and snacks
They also have costume parties, where adults host costume parties with unique refreshments like witches’ finger cookies, pumpkin desserts, and cocktails that glow in the dark.
They also hold Halloween dances where teeners attend school-sponsored Halloween dances where they compete to have the most outrageous costumes.
The Christian Bible does not specifically use the word Halloween, but it speaks of the essence of Halloween or synonym words associated with it, like witchcraft, fortunetelling, wizardry, magic, divination and sorcery.
In Australia, there are still some people who do not like celebrating Halloween, according to Francisca Marsh of Lismore, New South Wales, because they think it is an American holiday which is not relevant in the country colloquially called the “Southern Land.”
But Halloween has been celebrated in Australia for more than 150 years, with the first recorded celebration in 1858 in Castleman, Victoria.
Halloween is a holiday celebrated by many, but not all, religious groups.
Some, like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists, avoid it, due to concerns about its pagan origins and superstitions.
Others, like Orthodox Jews and Muslims, abstain because it is not part of their religious traditions.
