Halloween

So your kids have come home and begged you to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night (October 31). They can't wait for all of the bubble gum, lollipops and jawbreakers, not to mention dressing up in a Pokemon or witch costume like the rest of their friends.

Halloween has evolved and been influenced by a number of different cultures and religions, the most important of which are paganism, the Romans, the Celts (the people of Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Wales) and Christianity.

Witches on brooms, dracula, evil powers on Halloween night: this is the stuff of Halloween nightmares many Muslims think.

Muslims have a number of reasons to be leery of Halloween. But so do Christians.

Witches on brooms, dracula, evil powers on Halloween night: this is the stuff of Halloween nightmares many Muslims think. We often assume that magic does not exist and that cultural rituals associated with it (i.e. Halloween) have little real meaning or significance. The reality is quite different.

A sample letter from a muslim parent to a teacher explaining why their child will not participate in Halloween festivities.

Muslims have a number of reasons to be leery of Halloween. But so do Christians. A number of Christians object to Halloween, seeing it as more than a costume and candy day of fun for kids (and adults). They connect their disapproval to the pagan and Satanic origins of Halloween.