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No Halloween at a Newton School
Halloween has been canceled at a Newton elementary school.
In a notice to parents, Underwood School principal David Castelline said the school's traditional Halloween party was (quote) ``offensive to the religious beliefs of some members of our community.''
Castelline said some families were so uncomfortable that they were keeping their children home from school on Halloween, when students and teachers would dress up in costumes and celebrate the holiday.
The school plans to replace the Halloween party with a fall celebration next month, in which students can dress up as their favorite literary characters.
One parent says there should have been more discussion before the Halloween ban was imposed.
I heard this on the way to work this evening and it got me fuming. because of a couple parents who believed that Halloween was offensive to their religious beliefs the schools of Newton ma have now banned any Halloween activities for the entire school. Is this how its going to be for the majority of schools down the road in years? are kids going to suffer from lack of fun activities because a minority of people find celebrating a time honored tradition to be against their religion? I thought schools were government based and therefore the holidays that are celebrated have something besides religious conotations.
People are voting for prayer in school to be allowed. Now people are starting to throw tantrums because costumes and candy offends their religion in schools. Since when did Halloween become such an awful thing to celebrate? I used to be religious and I remember having Halloween parties at church.
While the original celebration of Halloween was definitely of pagan orient, the idea of trick or treating was initialy of Catholic decent.
Later, around the 5th century, as the Catholic Church developed and moved into the area, instead of adding a new day to celebrate, it took over the Samhain celebration. Nov. 1st became "All Hallows Eve" where all the saints of the Catholic church were honored. A later custom developed where people would go door-to-door on Nov. 2, requesting small cakes in exchange for the promise of saying prayers for some of the dead relatives of each house. This arose out of the religious belief that the dead were in a state of limbo before they went to heaven or hell and that the prayers of the living could influence the outcome. This may have been the precursor to Trick-or Treat.
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While I can understand ones reluctance to celebrate actual ceremonies that would be considered pagan, since I am reluctant myself to allow public prayer in school, how is it that dressing up as barbie or the Power rangers and eating yummy candy is so distressful that the school system here in Ma actually ALLOWED the festivities to be banned for the sake of appeasing the minority, esp when it is religious in nature. Why not take your kid out of public school for the day if it offends your religious morals so much? Why do people find the need to take away a part of what makes childhood special and magical for all the other kids that now must not celebrate Halloween.
Yes, I'm ranting, but I think this is the straw that breaks my back. When do the rest of us stand up and say "Enough!"?