Aquilus Vampire and Pagan Forum

How do you feel about the secular part of it?  Do you embrace it or avoid it?

I embrace it. I see it as completely divorced from the spiritual aspects, almost as differnet holidays. I think it's fun. lol
I guess I'm a big kid at heart.

As far as I'm concerned, they are both the same thing, only one is more 'commercialised' than the other.

Most people celebrate Halloween without being aware of it's true origins...yet still celebrate it because it's traditional.

Exactly like Christmas and the Winter Solstice  :)

 I DO celebrate Halloween rather than Samhain though, because I'm not Wiccan. I don't feel comfortable using the term 'Samhain' personally, although I am spiritually connected to the season and I am aware of what it represents...if that makes sense.

Even though I go 'flat out' on Halloween, I do celebrate the true meaning too; by displaying items appropriate to the season in my home, and reflecting on the year gone by, as well as remembering my family members who have passed on...even though I don't make a 'big' ritual of it.

Halloween is the 'on the surface' fun part, that includes both the participation of myself and of others. Difference is, I KNOW what we're celebrating lol.

To me, Halloween is mainly fun for the sake of having fun. I love wearing costumes and garb, and being free of mundane worries for a time. But All Hallows Eve is a very personal time with my loved ones, on all levels of existence. This is the time when I honor those on both sides of the veil and learn more about myself in return.

Exactly. :)

I just roll with it.

If we tried to incorporate all of the holidays in the world and cultures in the world, we would probably not have many days where we -do- work and go to school (:-D).  I do not like it when holidays get commercialized, but  it is inevitable and bound to happen.

I do strongly honor my dead, do not get me wrong, but I know that we cannot make everyone happy.  :-)  A lot of social contracts are built on compromise.


Sincerely,
TheRadiantSeraphim

I absolutely adore the secular part of it!  I love dressing up and handing out candy, feeling the magic in the air, and seeing everyone dressed up.  I love everything about Halloween. :)

I miss this holiday a lot.  It is not celebrated in Israel, so the best I can do is put a few decorations on my desk and exchange greetings with my friends abroad :'(
Sonni

Zaladin, I'm sorry to hear that ( shakes head)  >:(

This year was really slow.  People are more into taking the kids to the mall to get candy, or just keep them home :(

Halloween/Samhain is one of my favorite holidays. I love to dress up, have fun and decorate my home with dark and spooky things. It's also a time for the dead/spirits, honoring their passing and their moving ons.

~Blue

Yay, candy....oh sorry...

Halloween is the commonly used term in the Pagan (I use pagan more than Witch or Wiccan because it's the more accepted term here where I live) circles that I hang out in.   

So, again, subjective.