The origins of Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain and it is celebrated each year on 31 October.
This day also marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.
Hence, the Celts lighted bonfires and ward off ghosts on this day, but the festival has now evolved into a day of trick-or-treating, donning costumes and eating treats.
Nonetheless, being a Malaysian, Halloween was never a big thing until recently where institutions began adopting it as part of their monthly gathering in schools or offices in the big city.
As the celebration gradually became popular in the country, the Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan published a circular preventing Muslims to celebrate this ‘Christian’ holiday.
In the circular, the Mufti said “Celebrating Halloween is haram. Based on historic information, Halloween is closely associated to Christianity and Christians celebrate Halloween to remember those who have passed away.”
Meanwhile, a netizen on Twitter pointed out that it is a misconception that Halloween is closely related to the Christian faith.
In his tweet, he wrote “Since when is Halloween a Christian holiday? We celebrate All Souls Day to remind us of those who have passed away.”
“Halloween is an American holiday and it is a part of their culture there.”
Meanwhile, a netizen said that Christians themselves do not celebrate Halloween, nor do they believe in Halloween.
Some even shared extracts from Wikipedia and insisted that it was a Christian celebration, but there were arguments on whether the information on Wikipedia is accurate too.
Nonetheless, participating in a certain celebration for fun does not mean that one’s religion and believes are being influenced.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts!
