ROC – Raising our children within the spirit of Orthodoxy – Everyday life: Q&A

Meeting Outline

3 October 2019

With God’s Grace, the mothers and children group met today at the Monastery. The topic was a continuation from last week’s discussion on “Raising our children within the spirit of Orthodoxy – everyday life: Questions & Answers”. Specifically, we spoke about Halloween.

Halloween was originally established as the festival of Samhain. It was part of the ancient Celtic religion in Britain and other parts of Europe, and was practised as a pagan tradition.

With the move from paganism to Christianity, the Western Christian Church established the celebration of the All Saints Day on the day after Halloween, in an effort to help the people worship the true God. Halloween is today celebrated the evening before the Catholic Christian feast day of All Hallows (also known as All Saints or Hallowmas) on 1 November and All Souls’ Day on 2 November, thus giving the holiday on 31 October the full name of All Hallows’ Eve (meaning the evening before All Hallows’ Day).

From the above, it becomes clear that Halloween is not a Christian tradition. Although it can generate fun and an exciting atmosphere, it often unwittingly creates negative subliminal messages, which take us and our children away from God and from what is generally considered to be good and pure. On the contrary, one of our Church’s main characteristics is that it instills peace and happiness in the hearts of the faithful.So, in a society which is fully dipped into a celebration like this, how do we protect our children? How do we transmit to them the Orthodox way?

First and foremost, we start to work towards this from a very young age. The children can understand when we explain to them in simple words what Halloween is and what our Church and we believe. But most importantly, children learn from our example. What we do at home, what they see us doing and focusing on, that is what they will do, and that is what they will remember when they are in their teens or adulthood.

If we focus on Christ, if we live and breathe Christ, then our children will do so too. It is up to us parents to choose the images and ideals that our children will grow up with. If we expose them to Christ, the Saints, and the life of the Church, that is what they will focus on when they grow up. Or at least, they will know Christ inside their hearts, and they will always have a basis to return to even if they go away from us or from the Church at some stage in their lives.

We have a great responsibility as parents. Our children are the biggest gift God has given us, this big treasure that we should cherish and protect. And the greatest way to do this is through our example.