Recently a lot of my “Facebook friends” have been posting and sharing different messages about Halloween in Poland. Most of them are against this holiday…

Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating sweet treats.

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Many celebrate Halloween on the night of 31st October, but the Roman Catholic Church in Poland opposes Halloween and its celebration. The All Saints’ Day and the All Souls’ Day are more important for Polish Catholics. However, many young people have been celebrating Halloween in Poland for some years.

The reason for this aversion towards Halloween probably derives from the traditional christian character of Poland – in the past dressing up as ghosts and monsters was considered a dangerous pagan ritual. That belief has been passed on though the ages and has stuck deeply in the conscience of the Poles. Fortunately, as the world becomes more and more of a „global village”, we start to notice that celebrating Halloween couldn’t be further from being a mockery of the dead. In fact, it constitutes mainly of great fun for both children and adults.

In my opinion there’s nothing wrong with putting on a costume, trick-or-treating, and enjoying the company of your friends and family.

I would love to hear your opinion. Please share your thought on celebrating Halloween in comments below:)