Just Call It Halloween, Nothing Else, Anne Arundel Council Proclaims

[Squatch]

Link

Amid talk of budget constraints and environmental impact fees, Anne Arundel leaders took time this week to weigh in on another controversial issue: Halloween.

A County Council member -- outraged that some schools have ditched the name of the traditional holiday in favor of "Orange and Black Day" or fall festival -- submitted a resolution calling for a uniform celebration of Halloween in county public schools.

"I just think this political correctness thing has gone too far," said council member C. Edward Middlebrooks (R-Severna Park). "We have some schools calling it 'Harvest Day.' What are we even harvesting these days? Let's call it what it is, and let the kids be kids."

The nonbinding resolution encountered guffaws and giggles at a council meeting Monday night, but passed unanimously.

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I hate to say it, but...yeah. I agree with Middlebrooks.

[Marrah_G]

1. People are so damn stupid

Let the kids trick o treat and wear scary costumes. I promise you we aren't going to recruit them for the Samhain ritual because frankly, we start way past their bed times.

The basis for all the name changes is the pockets of nutcase Evangelists out there scared to death that their kids are going to hell for celebrating that "Satan Worship" holiday.

Idiots. Every last one of them.

And the best little Irony is that Pagans DO celebrate Harvest Festivals... so feel free to run screaming from the Christian name right to the Paganish name...all because you are sure Satan is out to molest little Jimmy in his TMNT costume with the plastic face.

[smokey nj]

3. When did things get this crazy?

Outside the warnings about testing candy, no one ever got their panties in a bunch over Halloween when I was a kid - and I went to Catholic school. Hell, the convent was one of the stops on our trick-or-treating route. Halloween was especially fun for those of us who went to Catholic school, because our school was closed the next day for All Saint's Day.

[Virginia Dare]

12. It's the right wing fundamentalists..

they are afraid of ANYTHING that is not centered around the church. My fundie neighbor hands out fundamentalist christian bullshit propaganda to the kids that come to her door for trick or treat. I don't let my daughter go there anymore. A former neighbor used to put a big sign on her front door "THIS IS A CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD. WE DO NOT CELEBRATE PAGAN HOLIDAYS".

It's fucking nuts.

[Marrah_G]

14. I hope her house gets egged....n/t

Nope...not very Christian of me.... oh wait.

[Tesha]

17. So Yule was out at their place?

Or do they bend their morals to celebrate hijacked
Pagan holidays?

They might want to watch out for Oestre, too.

Tesha

[Virginia Dare]

18. Oh Tesha, don't confuse their feeble little minds with reality..n/t

[KatyaR]

21. No, see, that has to do with JEEEEZUSSSS, so it's okay.

All those little elves and gingerbread men and lights and trees and over-the-top gifts are because of Jesus, so of course it's okay. It's just those heathen holidays that are a problem.

[Tesha]

25. Ah, thanks. I thought the Winter Solstice figured in there somewhere. ;-) (NT)

[Megahurtz]

24. Faux-Christian Fundamentalist Idiots Have Taken Over.

Indoctrinated by the Church of Hal Lindsey. :sarcasm:

Catholic School was never this stupid!

[Dervill Crow]

7. I should have read on before posting . . .

Merry Meet, Marrah. :hi:

[Marrah_G]

9. You too!

BB and have a wonderful Samhain!

[seabeyond]

13. kids went to a christian school didnt allow halloween. evil....

they would have a dress up fall festival though to makes lots of money for the school.

i always told all the kids in school not to mention a lot of adults.... it is a night of family, being together, laughter, giggles and love and happiness, playing dress up to go out in our neighborhoods to say hi to our neighbor in laughter, giggles and love and happiness. if anything god would have to be overjoyed. if anything, those evil spirits or satan would shrivel up and die in all that laughter, giggles and love and happiness.

yes, it is silly for all these schools, org and chruches to participate in the spirit of it but call it another day. not to mention being hypocrits

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. But... Halloween is the Devil's holiday!

You never know what is behind that mask that shows up on your doorstep!

If we call it Harvest Day we won't invoke the Devil!

[Dervill Crow]

6. LOL - but calling it Harvest Day you are joining with the Pagans.

Not that Pagans worship any devil, except maybe the Most Sacred deviled eggs at Ostara--those would be the ones with the secret ingredient of onion flakes.

[Marrah_G]

10. Mmmmm Sacred Deviled Eggs.........

[Dervill Crow]

28. I would say "heavenly," but that sort of goes against my Pagan leanings. . .

My daughter makes the BEST deviled eggs.

[TlalocW]

4. Halloween is one of the few BIG holidays that has resisted

Being co-opted by Christianity, which is why there have been pushes to replace it with a differently-named celebration by religious nutjobs. The holiday is pretty much shared by people just wanting a day to be silly and have an excuse to party, dress silly, and get candy, and by the pagan/wiccan faction who still pay heed to its religious history. More level-headed Christian groups take part in the sharing, but the nutjobs want it their way or no way but thankfully haven't been successful. Halloween is still splashed around in television ads, Halloween costumes are still sold in mainstream stores, and every year, the Peanuts gang go out trick-or-treating dressed as witches and ghosts each year, have a party with jack-o-lanterns, and Linus waits for a non-Christian Santa Claus to appear in the pumpkin patch no matter how many Harvest Festivals they have.

I was in my garage a few days ago, puttering around, and a Baptist church had kids out canvassing the neighborhood with fliers for their upcoming events. One of them came up to me and gave me one that featured its Harvest Festival. I said I wasn't interested if they weren't able to call it Halloween. The kid misunderstood me, smiled, and said, "No, sir. We never call it Halloween." I replied, "No, you misunderstand. If you can't bring yourself to call Halloween by its proper name then I'm not interested in your church." Smile faded, and the kid made a quick exit to get away from the bound-for-hell-man in his garage.

TlalocW

[Dervill Crow]

5. Halloween is the "Christian" name (Scottish, actually), short for Allhallow-Even.

If they don't like Halloween, they could always call it Samhain, which means "summer's end" and is a harvest festival. :eyes:

Silly people. Don't know anything about Middlebrooks, but he seems correct on this hugh issue! :rofl:

[Marrah_G]

11. One little change

Samhain actually means "November" so it's celebrated on the Eve of November.

[Dervill Crow]

27. Online etymology dictionary as well as Celtic Reconstructionism sites

Samhain
1888, from Ir. samhain (Gaelic Samhuinn), from O.Ir. samain, lit. "summer's end," from O.Ir. sam "summer" (see summer) + fuin "end." Nov. 1, the Celtic festival of the start of winter and of the new year. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Samhain

I pulled up some articles saying Samhain means November, too, but both seem correct, since November is winter.

[zappaman]

8. Grew up in Severna Park

and am sad to see that religious nuttery has invaded there.
Ridiculous.

[TornadoTN]

15. Oddly enough, I'm in agreement with the Repug. on this one

Just call it what it is. It's Halloween. If you don't like it, fine, don't participatte. Or organize your own event.

All of the churches in this area of my state really have ramped up the fight against "EVIL" Halloween too, so I can feel the pain of seeing all of this idiocy on display.

[Virginia Dare]

19. It's a day for KIDS, why do the adults have to hijack it for..

their own greed and moral grandstanding. Just let it be a fun day for KIDS.

Not an excuse to sell massive amounts of booze.

Not an excuse to get drunk and dress like pimps and whores.

Not a day for the fundies to go all paranoid about evil.

Just a day for KIDS. Can't we DO THAT?



:rant:

[TornadoTN]

20. It's a recruitment tool for them

They put together these elaborate campaigns in the media about how "awful" Halloween is and how its the "Devil's work" hoping to get some of the non-thinking out in the world to start coming to church, errr, I mean donating to the offerring place.

[Virginia Dare]

23. You got that right..

they never miss an opportunity to "recruit".

[johnaries]

16. Let's call it what it is - Samhain.

It was a religious holiday long before power-mad leaders calling themselves "Christians" (but acting very un-Christ-like) decided to steal it and make it into something it is not.
And while we're at it, let's call Christmas what it really is - Yule. Christ was born sometime in the spring.

[Marrah_G]

22. I wouldn't have such an issue with the theft of our Holy days if...

They just stopped accusing us of devil worship and evil. Their fear of us is disturbing. The ignorance in this day an age is inexusible.

They claim we try and entide their children when the reality is we are one of the few religion out there that does not Prothelesyze or demand that others believe as we do. We are also one of the only faiths that actively excludes people under 18 from most groups unless they are with a parent, and even then not all groups allow even that. The liability due to prejudice is just to great.

No, Mrs. right winger, we do not want your children anywhere near us.

[Dervill Crow]

29. You should pardon the expression: "Amen!" eom

[LWolf]

26. What if I don't want Halloween in my school

because a classroom full of sugared children in a frenzy over costumes and candy disrupts the purpose for being there?

Teaching and learning.

It has nothing to do, for me, with "Halloween," although I think the holiday itself has become too commercial. I plan to have Halloween fun myself. After work. With my family.

I am not an organizer or babysitter for children's parties. I believe that is the job of families, not schools and teachers.

I'd rather spend the day teaching and learning, and party after school.

If my school wants to hold some sort of after/b] school celebration, I'm there. As long as the parents are, too, and we are celebrating it as a community.