Moving the day of Halloween due to religion ?

[Paul_C_69]

Has this been an issue anywhere with Halloween falling on a Sunday night this year? Last time it happened I remember there was a big uproar & the various local governments decided that we would observe Halloween on Saturday night. But this year I haven't heard a peep about it, which kind of surprised me. My sister even called the council office since she wanted to have a party Saturday night but didn't want to if parents would be busy taking their kids out. They said it was too hard to co-ordinate with other councils so it was staying on Sunday this year.

[buffettchristmas]

I have never heard about this, but I could understand why it would come up. I've never seen Halloween as a "devils" holiday or anything. I think it is more for kids to dress up, or dress goofy and have a reason for it. I had a neighbor who was anti-Halloween, and wouldn't send their kids to school when they dressed up and such. I think that is quite a bit over the top. I loved Halloween as a child, and I never turned out to be a devil-worshiper. I think Halloween is about fun, dressing up, and kids eating candy, and as we grow up we like to be scared a little bit more.

That's my two cents


I could see kids going out on Saturday night because Monday is a School day.

[Snowflake]

Well Halloween was considered 'all Hallos' eve and was the night before 'All Saints' Day. It was once a pagan day, but later changed somewhat and celebrated by Christians. In my religion, we pray for the deceased souls especially that day. Then the next day is 'All Saints' day.
It doesn't seem to me, that it would be the same celebrated on a different day.
I found the following by googling:

Halloween History & Origin

Halloween is the one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. It's one of the most popular holidays, second only to Christmas. While millions of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts of Halloween make the holiday more fascinating.
Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.
As the Christian debate goes on, celebrating Halloween is a preference that is not always viewed as participating in an evil holiday. Halloween is often celebrated with no reference to pagan rituals or the occult.

Halloween History

Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.
All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic church honored saints on this designated day.

Origin of Halloween

While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Halloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.
Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead.
Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.
The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.

[Little Elf]

Here we don't have to worry about the next day after Halloween as the kids here get the day after Halloween off. We've never had a problem with people wanting to change Halloween to another day if it landed on a Sunday.

[whitney37354]

We're having Halloween on Saturday, 10/30 in our town with Halloween in the Old City. In my hometown, where my parents still live, they are celebrating on Sunday, 10/31. I guess for those who go to church on Sunday night, they could start trick-or-treating at 5 p.m. and go for a couple hours before church starts. I know one church is having a "Harvest Celebration" from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday. We always had to go early when Halloween was on a Wednesday or Sunday.

[mother christmas]

I believe our town is still celebrating on October 31st.

[Snowflake]

I think there have been years in our small town too, when they just worked around the church services. The town then has a Halloween party later for all the trick or treaters and I think gives a prize for costumes etc.
I usually works out, much easier in small towns etc

[DoubleA]

The kids in school love celebrating Halloween on the weekend, that means they get to dress up twice. One for school the other for the real deal.