Is it immoral or unethical to celebrate Halloween?

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Which is why I prefer my spirits in bottles, and my cats alive and purring.

I got in a debate with someone who thinks Halloween is 1 immoral and 2 American. It's not American, at least not for Celts, it started with Samhain. I get why she doesn't celebrate it as an Anglo Saxon but my roots are Celtic so I'll celebrate any Irish holidays going (except colonialist ones obviously).

I told her I think Bonfire Night is immoral.

I stand by that if someone thinks about it as deeply as I do. Most people just don't so they're not being immoral.

But there's something sick about burning the effigy of an actual person. I don't care if you burn effigies of demons like they did in the past. That's like an English version of Samhain where such bonfires still take place. If you're a Christian who actually believes in Demons then they're pure evil. If you're a Pagan who believes in Demons then some of them represent evil. But the reformation made it about burning effigies of the pope (which is sick) and the gunpowder plot made it about burning effigies of Guy Fawkes (also sick).

And in Lewesham there's more recent people burnt in effigy every year. They sometimes do politicians and sometimes burn representations of Travellers. That's hate speech, not speech but it's spreading hate. I think that's immoral and doesn't take a lot of thinking about to make it immoral.

Most people don't really think much about it so it's not immoral but I'd say the Lewesham thing always is. And if you think about it, the Guy Fawkes thing is. Just Guy Fawkes, along with Dick Turpin and whoever Jack the Ripper was, has been made into a fictionalised figure at this point and he hardly has living relatives to complain about it. I still don't do it personally myself though.

I'd wear a bunny suit, ask for candies, give light shows, have a picnic and party in a cemetery with the dead for all I care.

Even at wakes, oh yes.
Karaoke, gambling, wild dress codes... While there's a group of rosary prayers chanting in front of a cross nearby.
In rural regions, depending where, gets top up with witches and medicine men alike no problem.


That's how my world works.

Christian teachings, along with other religious kinds of practices... That do not contradict with 'paganism'.

This persistent divide between seeing nature as sacred, from philosophy like teachings...
Claiming this is moral, that is immoral -- might as well be all in someone's head.
There's a funny persistent misinterpretation of what sin and division even meant.

To witness them misinterpretations in action is either hilarious, tragic or just plain pathethic.


So if one asks me; 'Is it immoral or unethical to celebrate Halloween?'
I'd ask;
What religious beliefs do you conform?
What is your idea of celebrating Halloween?
And what is your basis on the term unethical?


Contexts, contexts...!
'Unethical' may even mean 'carving funny faces on large surfaces' it mattered not what it meant -- luring/baring spirits, devil worship/dissing, story/history/myth reenactment/celebration, or plain old commercial giggles turn illegal due to copyright.

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I have such a non-religious background that I was in my 40s before I ever heard this idea. My nephew had worked as a teacher in Chile and was told that they don't celebrate Halloween and consider it un-Christian. I think this kind of negative celebration is good idea. Denial of unpleasant things is not healthy .

I think one year only it's probably immoral to go round strangers houses trick and treating and spreading the virus esp around old people.

Just get the kid to go to bubble house.

That's all the trick and treating I was allowed anyway. Went up and down grandma's drive about 10 times each Halloween night. Before the school disco every year. Mum was worried if I went to strangers there might be a creep or something about.

Christmas and Easter are both of Pagan origin, and are both more overtly "evil" than "All Hallo's Day". And there are some Christians who refuse to celebrate Christmas and Easter.