Aside from being a Pagan celebration... Halloween just seems so played out. It seems to be the same thing every year, the same candy corn, the same costumes, the same Halloween specials on TV, the same decorations, the same parties, the same practices, the same traditions, the same candy, the same themes of black cats, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and mummies... and it seems every year less and less kids are out trick or treating.
In my 20 years nothing has changed about Halloween... maybe this is because I don't celebrate it, but I feel like it's so boring and lame now, or maybe the Halloween hype is more for younger children... but even then I started feeling annoyed when the month of October crept around the corner.
This is one of the beautiful things about the Eidain. They will always be different. Ramadan will always start at a different time of the year, some years we'll be sipping hot chocolate for iftaar, eating ripe apples and seasonal pumpkin pie, or having popsicles on the front porch before Taraweeh and ice cold beverages to break our fasts with in the summers' scorching heat... it'll always be different seasonally. Therefore, just the season alone will have something different to offer inshaAllah, it'll help make it all the more enjoyable! Eid does have it's common traditions as well, but it seems to me every year there's something new to look forward too.
When Thanksgiving ends, it'll be the same decorated lawns, candy canes in all the stores, potbellied Santas in malls, the same Christmas specials on TV.. I guess this is enjoyable for those who do celebrate it, but it seems stale to me. Where's the umph?
On another note: In NY we lived in an apartment and no one came trick or treating at our apartment door. When we moved to NJ and October came around my mom started seeing shows and commercials related to Halloween and trick or treating. This was the first time since she moved to America that she would come face to face with the holiday since we'd just moved into a house. She grew anxious for the little kids who would come knocking on our door seeking candy. We were NOT practicing then, so getting involved seemed to be a must. We never even considered we could just not open the door or put a sign up saying we didn't have candy.
My mom went out and bought dozens of bags of candies and even bought zip lock bags and goody bags to package them in hahaha. For the entire week ahead I'd come home from school and help her pack the bags with candy. Each bag probably had a minimum of 15 candies! We had hundreds of bags too, all sitting in a box by the door waiting for the night of the 31st.
When that night came, I sat by the door waiting to give the bags out and see everyone in their costumes. I recognized some classmates and for some reason felt obliged to give them 3 bags of candy each haha. Every child who's parent came up to the door with them commented on the bags of candies we gave out. Finally a family friend came with her son to the door and also said something about the bag of candy, telling my mom she really went out of her way and was in the 'Halloween spirit'. "Isn't this how you do it?" My mom asked her. The woman laughed at her and said you just take 2 candies or something out of a jumbo sized variety bag of candy and put it in the kids bags, not make your own stuffed goody bags. We felt dumb! Not to mention at the end of the night we had more than 200 bags still left!! What were we thinking? LOL!
I'm sure other people who just move to America have their own first Halloween stories. This is the only holiday where you REALLY interact with your neighbors and community members because they show up at your doorstep begging for candy. All other holidays are pretty much observed alone at home with your families or in churches.
12 comments:
Salaams Sis:
They don't "beg" for candy :) It's an expectation of their holiday, that's all.
What really shocks me is how many Muslim children participate in Halloween activities due to the encouragement and blessing of their parents. Same goes for Easter, Christmas, etc. I guess it must be difficult because the schools are always having activities and parties during these times. Our Muslim children may feel left out. And their parents don't want them to feel left out.
Muslim parents in non-Muslim countries must be strong in their deen to help the children through these cultural differences.
That was a cute story about your Mom! See? She didn't make Halloween lame? She made it EXTRA special for the kids that came to her door :)
Said I don't..like..candy corn. No I don't..like..candy cornnnnnnn.
As salamu alaykum
For me honestly, I stopped celebrating Halloween a long time ago even before I reverted. I find Halloween a wast of money and time. And also, Halloween is always putting children in danger, usually that time of the year there are more kidnappers outside because they know children will be outside.
Also, many girls who wear strange costumes will just attract attention and many of them like the attention. I feel awful for the niqabi sisters because they are always made fun of like poeple say to them 'It's not halloween yet girl!'
Anyway I don't know what to do now because I know for a fact people will ring our bell and ask for candy, should I put like an Islamic sign for them to realize Muslims don't celebrate Halloween or just "No Candy." I'm confused.
I also think Muslim kids do feel left out but as I grown, we always did holiday projects in school like during art, we'd make pumpkins, Christmas cards, I think that should be the only place Muslim kids should be doing these things; during school. It's not like out of nowhere a kid goes "I can't do this because it's against my religion"; I'm sure children are bound to do these activities in school.
I'm waiting to have a baby very soon insha'Allah and I really wouldn't want him/her exposed to these holidays... they gave me nightmares when I was a child... They place the Halloween movie series on tv every time during Halloween and I freak out!!!!!
taishawty,
I don't think kids are necessarily obliged to do those types of projects in school. It may change from school to school but maybe the parent can request the teacher to let their child work on a different type of project while the other kids work on christmas cards etc. It would be worth a try for someone that doesn't want their child involved in those activities.
As for what type of sign to put on your door, just my personal opinion but maybe just a sign that says "Sorry, no candy" would be enough. Allahu alim. As salaamu alaikum
so this is your new place. it reminds me of your xanga ^^
lol @ your mum!
why do you even bother living here in the us or anywhere in the west for the matter if our holidays and customs bother you so much? if you don't want your children to be american and learn to mix and be free? you just want to live in a tribal religion that has no place in a civilized society. nobody is begging you to stay we don't even want you here. the majority of us all hate you and doht want you here. its just nobody is willing to say that openly. why dont you go live in saudi arabia where everything is the fucking same thing and enforced by your fanatic criminal religious police? why do you insist on living here if you look down on us and everything you do? if youre so much better leave our countries! stop making money here stop using our money! go live in your criminal islamic countries! really leave the us. leave canada. leave the uk. leave europe. you're not welcome. death to you all and death to islam death to your holidays and traditions. death to every hijabi and niqabi. death to every bearded man. death to every muslim. deaht ot your children too if they refuse to civilize themselves. one day islam will die and you will have lived your life in vain hiding like a freak and passing judgement at the truth and our lives. youre not going to go to any paradise or heaven. youre just going to rot and youll be forgotten. maybe youll go to a hell because muslims really do belong there for being such parasites.
The holidays are a time to share your feelings, joy, appreciation. The umph is in that, not in the event itself. Every year, there is more to love, more to appreciate.
fannysotanny, you're funny. thanks for visiting. i'm sure your approach to getting Muslims to live in "Islamic countries" will be productive since you do it in such a rude and immature manner...? I'm not one to waste time on your nonsense, so see ya later.
Salaams Ukti!!!
You've been tagged for hadith "when in the masjid" Plz check my blog for info.
Wa' Salaam
I dislike Halloween as well. I dressed up a few times in college, but find it rather annoying and desperate when people that are clearly adults make a fuss over getting dressed up. The costumes aren't even inventive just inappropriate. For kids it's great, but at a certain age people should get over it somewhat. I'm blase about it, and it's good to have fun but it seems so cheesy.
I went trick or treating as a kid! Massaha Allah, your story made me laugh and laugh a little bit! I am a revert to Islam and I still dress up for Halloween....oh well, some would consider it haram...but LOL...I would love to sit in a room full of people from all over the world who moved to the US and hear their stories about their first halloween. LOL.
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