1 November 2011. Some Vox Pop on Halloween…

This is an image from a parish Halloween party… keep some perspective, guys… it’s just innocent kid stuff.

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A correspondent sent me this:

Very good post! It directly answers the zealots (mostly converts) who crusade against Halloween. I’m not a pro-Halloween or anything, I’m just not gonna make a big deal out of it. Just like everything in life, taking things too far leads… to trouble. I am more concerned with Christian Holidays like Christmas being desecrated into presents, elves, Santa, and commercialism. I’m especially concerned with Holy Pascha not even bringing observed at all, and if it is, it’s nothing more than an Easter egg hunt and a baked ham. Maybe these zealots who crusade in America should crusade about the immorality and un-Orthodox activities happening at places like St Vlad’s and the Diocese of NY/NJ… Just sayin’!

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I certainly agree with both the tenor and the specifics of the above. Christmas is MORE than the secular mid-winter holiday… but the mid-winter holiday’s a lesser part of it, and we diminish Christmas by eliminating it. There’s NOTHING wrong with Santa, elves, and presents… and a good deal right. However, we shouldn’t forget WHY we celebrate Christmas. Other societies have gotten around the problem by the problem by giving gifts on St Nicholas Day (Low Countries, Mitteleuropa), Tres Reyes (Spanish-speaking countries), or New Year’s (the Russian Orthodox space). You can’t change well-entrenched custom… so, let’s remember that the gift-giving does mean something. Talkin’ about innocence… look at the vid below… it’s a Masha and Medved piece from Good Night, Kids (one of the most popular Russkie TV shows… a whole generation grew up with Uncle Volodya and Aunt Valya)… it’s good clean and innocent secular holiday fun (there’s not much dialogue… watch it and SMILE):

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As for Easter… let’s recapture the spirit of Easter that we see in the Rodina… if we let the “Glory of Easter” live in us, we’ll have no problems. Oh, yes… do pass the ham and kulich… that’s a harmless and innocent thing, too.

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Albany NY

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