The Horror of Halloween

Most people take Halloween for granted. It’s the shared childhood memory that almost everyone has experienced: the thrills of the horror, the excitement you get for when you go Trick-or-Treating, the stomach ache from eating too much candy, and much more. But not everyone has experienced this; as for me I never got the chance to join in the excitement that brings fun and joy to so many. 

Every year at my elementary school, they would dedicate half the day to doing Halloween events for the students, but I never witnessed it. If it involves monsters, gore, or anything that could be considered “wicked,” then I wasn’t allowed to participate. I would get taken out by a family friend who lived close to the school for the day to keep me from experiencing the celebrations and parade, but I would still be able to see what is going on in school, this time from far.

My family has always seen Halloween as satanic; a month of celebrating the devil. So they prevented me and my sibling from getting any exposure to the holiday. As Christians, we are told to not support anything evil, including a holiday that acknowledges and allows the presence of evil spirits and creatures. 

When I was younger, I would get upset every year when October rolled around. From my bedroom window, I could see and hear everyone celebrating and having fun while I was stuck inside, unable to join in the events. Even TV was no relief, as every channel was dedicated to showing even more Halloween. 

Over the years I just started to lose interest in Halloween. Maybe because I knew I wasn’t going to celebrate it anytime soon, or maybe because I just never really wanted to celebrate it. Either way, we all have different beliefs and traditions that shape us, and we should accept each other and our differences. At the end of the day, accepting another’s beliefs is the most sacred and respectable quality one should have.