Monday, November 11, 2013
Halloween Is An Establishment of Religion?
Last month, a Pennsylvania school district decided to cancel elementary school Halloween celebrations because of its religious nature. The school principal, Orlando Taylor, signed a letter that stated: "Some holidays observed in the community that are considered by many to be secular (ex. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day) are viewed by others as having religious overtones. The district must always be mindful of the sensitivity of all the members of the community with regard to holidays and celebrations of a religious, cultural or secular nature. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that school districts may not endorse, prefer, favor, promote or advance any religious beliefs" (Scott 3). “The district says the changes were made to maximize instruction time in the classroom, and that school-wide Halloween activities can take place before and after school hours” (7). In exchange for canceling Halloween parties, the school district announced plans to hold a fall festival after school hours where students would be permitted to wear costumes. Interestingly, the reaction from parents and students is mixed, with some parents complaining of no longer celebrating American tradition and culture and others stating that they would not send their children to school during the celebrations; however, the real debate in this case is whether Halloween celebrations in schools violate the Establishment Clause.
In 1993, in Clever v. Cherry Hill Township, the use of religious symbols and the marking of certain religious holidays on calendars was challenged by Cherry Hill, New Jersey taxpayers. School parents also objected to religious displays in classrooms. This specific case involved Christmas. While it never made it to the Supreme Court, the New Jersey District Court ruled: "Religion is a pervasive and enduring human phenomenon which is an appropriate, if not desirable, subject of secular study. It is hard to imagine how such study can be undertaken without exposing students to the religious doctrines and symbols of others. Plaintiffs protest that the calendars and central displays are not part of ‘a planned program of instruction,’ but the use of appropriate classroom and central displays is clearly a recognized and legitimate educational technique." The ruling in this case permits public schools to include religious holiday observances and education. The application of this ruling, because Halloween and Christmas are both included on the calendar and are from two different traditions, proves that there is no preference for one religion over another. The custom of the Halloween celebration originates as a pagan holiday that was later influenced by the Catholic Church: "Halloween is also known as All Hallows’ Eve, and traditionally the day serves serves as the beginning of Hallowmas, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints and deceased religious believers. Hallowmas is derived from two words: the Old English word halig, meaning saint, and the word mass. Many scholars believe that Hallowmas was created by the Catholic Church when it took a pagan holiday, Samhain, and Christianized it in order to ease the pagans’ conversion to Christianity. Samhain itself is a festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and it is celebrated by modern pagans and others from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st" (Bulger 2). The question here is whether or not paganism is a religion. I believe that it is; however, while Halloween has had Christian influence, the holiday itself is no longer religious. It is a festival that initially celebrated the harvest and honored the dead. In modern society, Halloween is commonly associated with costumes and candy, and most children are unaware that this celebration stems from a pagan holiday that was influenced by the Catholic Church. Because Halloween has evolved into a secular tradition, I do not see celebrating this in schools as a violation of the Establishment Clause. The purpose of the Establishment Clause is to prevent the government from promoting one religion over another. The celebration of many holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July for example) that originate from different religions, cultures, or historical events have been included on mass distribution calendars and recognized by the general population. This fact demonstrates that the recognition of a faith tradition event is not equated to government sanctioning or promotion. Therefore, because no one religion is being promoted over another, the celebration of Halloween in schools is not an Establishment of religion. Do you agree?
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