What Religions Don’t Celebrate Halloween
Halloween is the one day where you can dress up as a witch and no one will raise an eyebrow. Unfortunately, not everyone likes Halloween. Religious people often have their own reasons for avoiding the holiday, and some religions prohibit certain kinds of activities during this time of year. Here’s a list of religions that don’t celebrate Halloween:
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate Halloween because the holiday is considered pagan. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that sacrifices to idols and spirits are a major sin in the Bible. Since Halloween involves honoring the dead, it falls under this category.
Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not handle or use occult items and symbols, so they avoid wearing costumes that represent witches or ghosts during this time of year as well.
Islam
Muslims do not celebrate Halloween because it is not an Islamic holiday. Islam is a monotheistic religion that follows the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that there is only one God, Allah (also spelled Al-Lah), and therefore reject the Christian concept of trinity. Muslims also believe that Jesus was a prophet and messenger of God, but they consider him to be a human being who had no divine status or powers.
Islam prohibits its followers from celebrating holidays that are not part of their culture or history—including Halloween, which originated with Paganism—or those considered evil in nature, like Christmas (which originates from Paganism as well).
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism does not celebrate Halloween. The major Jewish holidays are widely observed by Orthodox Jews. These include Passover, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) and Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law).
Halloween is also called Samhain, which means “summer’s end.” It falls on October 31. This holiday originated with the ancient Celtic people who lived in Ireland and Scotland before they were converted to Christianity. Many of their traditions were influenced by nature worship and included bonfires where food was offered to spirits believed to roam freely during this festival.
The Jewish tradition does not recognize these practices but does commemorate periods that have significance for that religion as well as its followers:
Mormon Church of Latter-Day Saints
The Mormon Church of Latter-day Saints also forbids celebrating Halloween as they feel that it is a celebration of evil, witchcraft and death. Mormons believe that there is only one true God who is all powerful and that He created everything in this world including us. They believe that we have an immortal soul which will live forever after death. Some Christians refer to their belief as the “Mormon doctrine” because they follow what they call the “Word of Wisdom” (a section from their book called The Doctrine & Covenants), but technically this is not a doctrine since it doesn’t deal directly with salvation; however, some Mormons still consider it important enough to follow.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodox Christians observe All Saints Day on November 1st, which is a day dedicated to remembering the righteous who have died. Eastern Orthodox Christians do not celebrate Halloween in any way, but they may observe it as an American holiday.
Christian Scientists
Christians Scientists do not celebrate Halloween. They believe that God is the only power in the universe and that this power is good. Christian Scientists believe in the power of prayer to heal sickness, sin and evil influences. They do not believe in evil spirits or Satan as described by other religions such as Judaism and Christianity.
Some religions don’t celebrate Halloween.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
This religion does not celebrate Halloween because they believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and they do not engage in pagan activities. In addition, they have a strong belief in the separation of church and state; therefore, they feel that people should be free to make their own choices regarding their religious expression. Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not participate in any holiday that involves dressing up or making sacrifices to pagan gods such as Samhain.[1]
Islam
While some Muslims may choose to celebrate Halloween with their non-Muslim friends who also observe it (see below), there is no official sanction given by any Islamic authorities for doing so.[2] Many Muslims believe that it is forbidden for them to celebrate this holiday due its pagan origins and association with witchcraft.[3][4] Those who do choose celebrate it often dress up as ghouls or other horrifying creatures from horror movies which may make others uncomfortable due their extreme likenesses.[5] Additionally many Muslim-American communities host events where women wear hijabs (headscarves) which can make them stand out more than usual when trying leave behind cultural stereotypes associated with “Halloween Costume” parties like Mardi Gras parades or Carnival celebrations held during Lent season every year.[6][7][8][9]. While some Muslims may choose dress up for these parties out of fun just like Christians might go trick-or-treating on All Saints Day weekend even though Halloween comes later during November 1st through 2nd weekend each year while others still oppose dressing up altogether regardless if you’re celebrating this time period whether religiously based or personal reasons.”
As you can see, there are many religions that don’t celebrate Halloween. But the important thing to remember is that this doesn’t mean they’re bad or wrong. They just have different ways of expressing their beliefs and values than we do. That’s why it’s important for us to respect other people’s beliefs and cultures when possible!