MANILA, Philippines – All Saints’ Day was set aside to afford the faithful a chance to reflect on and emulate the saints, but Western influence has caused it to be practically overshadowed by the glitzier commercial blockbuster Halloween. It’s something that bothers Catholic Church leaders, which on Saturday advised parents to “guide” their children so that they don’t fall into the subliminal trap of glorifying evil as a result of the costumes and themes.
To celebrate the Halloween party at the end of October, parents and children worldwide spend much time and resources to dress up like ghosts, witches or goblins and attend costume parties, go trick or treating, carving jack-o’-lanterns, making bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories or watching horror movies.
However, these yearly traditions may be overshadowing the true essence of the Feast of the Saints on November 1, where Christians must celebrate the lives of the saints, and not project evil as fun.
The media director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, lamented in an interview the growing popularity of Halloween parties and how Filipinos celebrate the All Saints’ Day.
“All Saints’ Day was intended to enhance the feast of the saints but it morphed into something else… We are not glorifying the saints, actually this is a glorification of Satan himself,” Quitorio told reporters. He noted that most children now enjoy wearing costumes of monsters, masks or costumes of witches and other “evil” creatures, and, very popular these days, headbands with built-in devil’s horns.
He warned parents against the “subliminal message” and the danger of letting their kids wear scary costumes.
“They [parents] should instead do something that would enhance the faith and values of their children,” he added.
Actually, Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is anti-Christian, the Church expert said.
Quitorio said All Saints’ Day must be celebrated through wholesomeness and beauty rather than fear and terror.
“Let’s celebrate it meaningfully because we would be emulating the saints. We can do whatever we want for as long as we don’t fall down to that level that would be glorifying the evil one,” he said.
Meanwhile in a desire to keep the “hallow” in Halloween, a small religious organization, will be holding a post-All Saints’ Day party on November 4 in Quezon City.
The Roman Catholic Keeping Education Real (ROCKERS) is hosting a party that will encourage other parents to enroll their children in homeschooling.
ROCKERs hope to instill in their children a greater appreciation and fondness for All Saints’ Day rather than focusing on the over-secularized Halloween festivities that abound during this time.
As parents intent on preparing their children for eternity, the ROCKERs plan to conduct more activities in the future that celebrate the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith.
The ROCKERs are a group of Catholic parents who are homeschooling, interested in homeschooling or advocates of homeschooling primarily based in the Philippines and some members who are based in United States and Kuwait.
