An Open Letter About Halloween

An Open Letter About Halloween

• Friday, October 31, 2014

Okay, this is something I try not to emphasize too much on my blog, simply because my main focus is to keep The Dragonfruit Diaries as a fashion blog. However, most of you know that I am a Christian and am a person of faith. It's been an important foundation that I've built my life on ever since I was young. 

Now, because of this, many people in my social circles are similar types. It reflects on my Facebook wall, and as Halloween encroached upon us, I saw a lot of posts that were rants about the paganism of October 31st and the evil that it entails. 

As someone who never saw the harm in Halloween (thanks to my parents' influence - thanks mom and dad!), I remained verbally silent and instead posted photos of my makeup looks inspired by the "pagan" holiday. To clarify, I find Halloween a time of creativity, and as an artist, I view it as an opportunity for me to create a living art project. I had immense enjoyment in creating this year's looks! 

I understand where they're coming from, but personally? I don't see Halloween as something that is pagan anymore. It may have roots in that somewhere, but to reach what most Americans refer to as "Halloween," it draws on multiple roots, from the Christian holiday of All Saints Day to a Celtic tradition of wearing masks to scare off spirits during the harvest. 

So that should tell you where I stand on the issue. 

I find it funny how anti-Halloween many Christians are, but they raise no fuss about celebrating Christmas, which falls on a day that isn't really Jesus' birthday anyway. Even those who despise Santa Clause and the common lore tied to him ("He's just another false god!") still partake in the joys of December 25th. Did you know that the traditional Christmas tree is steeped in pagan tradition? Many pagan cultures used to cut off boughs of evergreen trees, take them into their house, and decorate them. Today, many modern pagan cultures do the same thing to celebrate the winter solstice.

Guess what? I have yet to run into a Christian who scolded me for putting up a Christmas tree.

So, you're picking and choosing what aspect of the holiday you celebrate?

Guess what? That's what I'm doing on Halloween too. I'm not a Satanist in any way. I don't strip naked, poor blood into a fire, or mutter demonic spells under my breath.
God knows what's in my heart and my purpose in partaking in certain Halloween themed events such as dressing up or getting creative with my makeup.

I find hypocrisy to be the strongest trait found in far too many Christian circles, which has probably influenced my decision in not attending church (*insert horrific gasp from every good church-attender here*). But I find my faith is often stifled instead of grown in such settings. Perhaps one day I'll find a church I would like to attend regularly, which I would love to discover. Until then, I prefer my private devotions and have seen my faith grow more firmly that way.

So tonight, I'd like to end this semi-rant/letter with a quote I found humorous and all too true from an article online:
"I’m not saying you have to celebrate. But we do, and that doesn’t mean we’re Satanists. We’re God-fearing people who happen to like candy."

 Colossians 2:16-17
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

PS: Sorry if you picked up on the excessive sass underlying this post and it offended you. This is what happens when Linda stays silent on something for too long. It comes out slightly bitchy...