When I was a kid living on a farm, there was a Halloween Carnival at school every year. Kids dressed in costumes, bobbed for apples, played games, got hauled around on a hay wagon, etc.
I noticed "trunk or treat" around this city, but never knew what it meant til a couple of days ago I Googled it. I don't know whether some things are regional or changing-with-the-times, but there've been some really creepy things during the last two decades. When I was a child, and even when the oldest of my kids was, Halloween was all about fun- trick or treating, parades, parties that were mostly focused on candy and other treats. But by the time my youngest was a pre-teen, it was entirely different. An example: a community center held a festival for kids that was flat-out gory; a staff member's very-elderly mother volunteered to lie in an actual coffin. It creeped me out. In current area, that's the approach teens and young adults took- such as taking pictures of too-realistic accidents where they were covered with blood. Whatever the reason for the difference, I don't think it's positive at all. Locally, there's a thing called Beggar's Night- I've never had any trick or treaters, seems most go to the mall for candy. The actual Halloween seems to be reserved for older kids and adults who are into the gory stuff. Ick.
So that was Halloween. To give you an idea of how big it is here in Sweden. Number of houses in our street with any kind of Halloween decorations - zero. Number of trick or treaters - zero.
I lived in the same neighborhood outside of DC from the mid-60s to 2010, and in the same house for 30+ years. You could see the generations cycle through. When I was a kid it was a sea of little beggars going through the residential neighborhood, going home to dump off the full bag and get a fresh one, the going to the apartment complex. You may as well have been at the mall on Black Friday, trying to navigate around those crowds. We handed out--and received--lots of homemade goodies. When I bought my home in the late 70s up the street from where I grew up, Halloween night was still pretty active. Then it dwindled to nothing as the kids around me outgrew it. Then people retired, those families moved away, and the new wave of young couples moved in. At that point I would get neighbors' kids just trying to have a little taste of the experience, because they knew my house was safe...but even that stopped a long time ago. I moved here in 2010. I'm 1/2 mile off the paved road, so no one bothers me. I don't know if kids around here go out on Halloween. It's a close community whose folks have been here for generations, many tracing their roots back 200 years or so. But the houses are well off the road and spaced far apart. There has been "Trunk or Treat" sponsored by churches and businesses since before I arrived. I had never heard of it.
My son said their church did trunk or treat so that is what he was talking about, actually I think it is weird for "Christians" to celebrate a day honoring witches, goblins, and other such stuff, I know, I know, it is for the kids not adults or so the rationalization goes. We can justify anything we do if we think hard enough.
Hey, if a Pagan winter solstice celebration can be co-opted to celebrate the birth of Jesus (unless you're a Jehovah's Witness), everything else is a very minor transgression. I think churches do this to keep kids safe, not to formally celebrate the holiday.
There are some Christians who don't believe Christ was born in December Jehovah's Witnesses are not the only ones, when it gets close to Christmas youtube has tons of videos debunking Christ born on Christmas and a lot of other videos debunking a lot of false doctrine "Christians" believe that are just not supported by scripture, yes my parents taught me all of the false doctrine, that is how it spreads from generation to generation, I just happen to actually read the scriptures and it did not line up with what scripture taught when I expressed my thoughts I was threatened with shunning if I persisted, glad the law does not allow burning at the stake or I'd probably be threatened with that too. Christians are the most intolerant people on this earth it is only the law that keeps them from killing anyone who disagrees with them.
I agree with most of that (perhaps all.) I was not aware that other Christians doubted December being the birth date of Jesus, but I'm sure most educated folks are aware of how (and why) that date was selected by the early church. I've researched when Jesus was most likely born (didn't know there were videos), and as I recall it was in the March/April time frame somewhere around 4BC to 2AD (don't quote me on those years.) As you are aware, historians know when Herod was king, and there are a couple of astronomical events around that time frame that could have been the Star of Bethlehem (the object itself, its duration, the location that would have led the Maji west to Bethlehem, etc). I find it fascinating (and plausible) to think that Jesus may have been crucified on his birthday, thus completing some perfect cycle. I also wonder why this is not mention in the Bible, at least by the prophets. Regarding Halloween...for me it has to do with what is in people's hearts. There may be some legalistic transgression, but I don't think Trick or Treat involves genuine worshiping. I'd agree that using a Ouija Board is a bridge too far.
Traditions passed from generation to generation children are taught not to question what their parents tell them but some learn later in life that they were lied to and don't bother to research for the truth.
I gotta correct my prior response. In one of my spacey moods, I read your post to read that Christians were tolerant, not intolerant, and would not commit murder. Of course, I don't agree with that. Perhaps you have first-hand experiences with such people, but [sadly] there are fringe elements everywhere. I could make such statements regarding relatives who hold certain positions (or all men or all women) if rationalizing from The Particular to The Universal were not full of flaws.
I just enjoyed giving the kids candy, they seem to have such a good time and it was so nice to see them outside last night, kids so infrequently nowadays play outside and it was like going back in time. Some of the parents came by with lighted golf carts and the kids got out and got their candy, I’m a Christian and don’t celebrate witches and sorcery I just focus on the kids getting their treats and laughing and playing together.
my daughter has a preschool and i got to be granny...in the story of little red riding hood...they layout entire school in a walk-through for kids...candy all the way
When I was a kid it was not called “trick or treat'' but instead “halloweening”. We had to perform by reciting a poem or singing a song and the reward was money, just pocket change and not candy. One guy played an accordion and he cleaned up and got the most.
Glad you mentioned Beggar's Night. Where I grew up it was the night before Halloween. That's when we went door to door for candy, yelling "Trick or Treat!" The theory was, if you didn't give a treat we would come back on Halloween night and do the tricks. I heard stories from the previous generation about serious tricks being played, like outhouses being toppled over. Paraffin wax on windows was more our speed, but no one ever refused giving candy that I remember, so it was never an issue. Once years ago I got eggs thrown on the side of the house, in spite of giving treats.