Love It or Not – the Horror of Halloween
Photos by Billie Throm
Article by Lea Olivares Raudes
NEWBERG, Ore. – Many Americans embrace Halloween in their communities. Here at George Fox University (GFU), it is acknowledged through themed events like the annual haunted house. Attendance is optional, but it does bring attention to how accepted the holiday is, especially for a Christ-centered campus.
Halloween has been commercialized as a seasonal spooky day, yet its history is dark and has sides to it not everyone may know of.
Halloween originated from Celtic tradition with the ancient festival of Samhain, where festivities included lighting bonfires and dressing up to ward off ghosts. This holiday was built on the belief that the space between life and death is surpassable, allowing spirits to re-enter the earth.
The celebration expanded to include days such as Hallows Day on Nov. 1 and All Saint’s day on Nov. 2. “Hallows Eve” soon turned into “Halloween.” Due to its history, Halloween is full of different practices and traditions, many of them related to spirituality and witchcraft, which some people like to steer clear of.
Halloween’s pagan origins and glorification of the dead are viewed poorly by many religions. Some, such as Jehovah Witnesses, avoid it completely and many Christians find distaste in its celebration as well.
College is often one of the first environments where people find themselves making autonomous decisions without parental guidance. Some could find themselves in a limbo if they like or celebrate holidays like Halloween. Some are opposed to the holiday, others are die-hard lovers, and others may not have a problem with it or grew up not participating in its festivities.
For GFU sophomore Sélah Moncur, her first exposure to the holiday was at college.
“We were raised Seventh-day Adventist,” Moncur said. “When my parents were raised they didn't [celebrate it either]. I think specifically for my mom’s family, they were very strict in a lot of things and I think she might think it's witchcraft.”
With the strong conservatism seen in many Christian denominations as well as older American generations, many students may carry similar beliefs or not have a problem with Halloween yet choose to not celebrate.
“It’s probably not something I would ever like to really incorporate in my life outside of college,” said Moncur, when asked if her values aligned with the holiday. “When you’re young, it's really innocent and fun and cute. But the older you get, it gets a little less innocent based on who you're hanging out with.”
Moncur also brought up how the modern culture of Halloween isn’t something many people enjoy. This could be due to absurd decorations, ambiguous costumes, or dark-natured festivities. In spite of the well-attended haunted house event, it is clear that our community contains a variety of sentiments toward Halloween.
