Thread by @JewWhoHasItAll

Dear Teachers,

Shavua tov!

We hope you are settling back into your routine after the end of the holiday season!

However, the Christian students at Rashbi Elementary School are not quite done with their Christian chagim.

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Even though we all just got back from Fall Break, they may be asking for some days off.

Their upcoming chagim have a particularly colorful and exotic set of traditions that will be unfamiliar to our #PublicSchool community.

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If any of your students identify as Christian, please encourage them to stand up in front of the class as ambassadors to their people to share the meaning behind their families’ unusual holiday traditions.

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The end of the Christian month of “October” on their calendar of Pope Gregory and the beginning of their month “November” are holy days for our Christian students.

Christian holidays lack a fixed date on the secular calendar because they move around throughout the year.

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You can visit gregcal.com to learn the dates of Christian holidays.

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This year they fall on Cheshvan 6-8. This period is known as the Yemei Kol Ha’Kedoshim, or “Allhallowtide.”

You might assume that these dates constitute a "Gregorian" Rosh Chodesh celebration, but Christians do not observe rosh chodesh in any special way.

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The Yemei Kol Ha’Kedoshim are part of a Christian tradition of ancestor veneration; the chagim honor dead ancestors and departed Kedoshim of the Christian faith.

Indeed, “hallow” means tzaddik, so the reference to holy people is also in the Christian name of the holiday.

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The chagim start with Chag Erev Kol Ha’Kedoshim (EK"H), known among Christians as “Halloween” or “All Hallows’ Eve.”
Mainstream society more often calls it Backwards Purim. Frum Christians may code switch, saying “Halloween” among themselves and Backwards Purim in public.

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The holiday officially starts on the night of 31 "October" on the "Gregorian" calendar.

Backwards Purim is followed by Yom Kol Ha’Kedoshim (YK"K), on 1 "November," which is called “All Saints’ Day” by the Christians, during the day.

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Confusingly, Christians consider these chagim to be two separate days (31 "October" and 1 "November"), even though the observances actually take place on only one day, which this year is Cheshvan 7.

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The holiday season concludes with Yom Kol Ha’Neshamot (YK"N), known by Christians as “All Souls’ Day” on 2 "November," which falls on the 8th of Cheshvan this year.

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Like many Christian chagim, the timing and customs of these chagim may have Pagan origins. Some scholars think that this chag is timed to coincide with the ancient Celtic religious holiday of Samhain, which is the Celtic New Year.

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Less observant Christian families may not observe the latter two chagim, but most Christian families observe Erev Kol Ha’Kedoshim, which kicks off the three days of chag.

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Christian families originating in Medinat Mexico may observe "Día de Muertos" (a Christo-Ladino phrase meaning Yom Ha’Meitim), which is another name for Yom Kol Ha’Kedoshim, albeit with different minhagim for observance.

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Customs vary throughout the world, but Christians living in Medinat American are mainly immigrants from the British Isles, so they follow those minhagim in their observance.

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Broadly speaking, the 1st day of the chag is devoted to scaring one’s friends & neighbors with frightening costumes and imagery; the 2nd day is spent as a feast honoring all of the dead tzaddikim of the faith, and in some traditions to honor all deceased Christians.

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The 3rd day is for honoring deceased loved ones.

In many minhags the latter 2 days’ observances are compressed into 1 and in some the combined chag is moved to the next First Day when Christians hold their most important Christian shacharit service on Christian Shabbat.

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This service may resemble a Christian Yizkor service to remember the members of the congregation who died during the previous year.

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Erev Kol Ha’Kedoshim (EK"H), or “Halloween,” is celebrated at night. Most of its minhags are Pagan in origin. Some scholars believe that early Christians adopted these rituals in an attempt to convert the Pagans, others say it is because they couldn’t stop them.

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Ancient Celts believed that on Erev Kol Ha'Kedoshim, the veil between the living and the dead was thin. People would dress in costumes and light bonfires to fend off the darkness of winter.

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Following the conversion of some Celts to Christianity, children would dress as sheydim, dybbuks, golems, and other scary beings, in order to hide themselves from real sheydim roaming the earth.

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In ancient times, on this night, poor people would go to wealthy homes begging for food or money. This practice was referred to as “Souling,” and the poor were given spiced rolls called “Soul Cakes.” (For those who aren't familiar, “Soul” is a Christian word for neshama.)

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In exchange for the food, the poor would promise to daven for the neshamot of the householder’s deceased relatives.

Eventually, children took over this practice and dressed in costumes when going door to door, in a practice called “Guising.”

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In most cases, the children no longer promised to daven for the dead and instead sang a special song, then threatened to play a trick if not given a small gift of food or money.

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This soon became known as “Trick Or Treating,” after the extortionary threat “trick or treat” children say.
Today most children are not earnestly threatening and only want a treat; do not feel threatened if a costumed child demands treats at your door on a random evening!

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In the days leading up to EK"H Christian homes are decorated with frightening death-related imagery such as matzevas, ghosts, and skeletons. However, Kohanim should not be concerned; there are no real graves.

All skeletons are usually made of artificial materials.

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Christian holidays typically have official colors; in the case of EK"H you may notice orange & black decorations.
These colors are used because they represent the new Celtic year, which marks the transition from autumn (orange) to winter (black).

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Sometimes you may notice the inclusion of the color purple. This is a modern innovation invented by marketers.

Frum Christians limit themselves to only orange and black decorations.

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Another popular tradition for EK"H in ancient times was carrying a candle inside a hollow turnip while "Souling;" the candle was said to represent a neshama trapped in Gehinnom. Today, flashlights are typically carried by children who are "Guising" on these nights.

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The tradition of a hollow vegetable lives on; today’s Christians enjoy hollowing out a gourd, carving a frightening face, and putting a candle inside.

This carved gourd is known as a “Ya'akov's Lantern” and is placed on the front steps of a home to ward off evil spirits.

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Christian families traditionally indicate their observance of the chag by placing a Yaakov’s Lantern outside the house. This helps children identify houses observing the chag, so as not to scare and disturb other neighbors during the "Trick Or Treating."

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Although EK"H is a Christian celebration and thus not appropriate for non-Christians to observe, you may help local Christian children celebrate their important chag by passing out candy.

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You may indicate your participation by placing black & orange (or white & yellow) ribbons on the your front door and leaving an exterior light on.
If you have some Christian families in your neighborhood, some little sheydim or machshefas may show up!

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Christian children typically start "Trick Or Treating" at around dusk; earlier for toddlers with early bedtimes. In many places, the minhag is to say “Trick or treat”; in other places, the local minhag may be for the child to sing a short song or say a poem.

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In either case, you should not throw the candy at the child.

If a child holds out a bag of candy to you, you should not take the bag. It isn’t a mishloach manot. Rather, the child expects you to put some candy in the bag.

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This is part of the “backwards” element of the holiday’s more widely known name, Backwards Purim, but the name can also be somewhat misleading because the holiday does not relate to Purim.

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Although frum Christian families may insist on scary costumes in keeping with the Celtic minhag, more liberal Christians dress their children in a wider variety of guises. However, children do NOT dress up as characters from the Purim story.

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So if you see a child dressed in a fancy gown it isn't appropriate to ask if they are Queen Esther, even if the costume was clearly purchased for 80% off at a post-Purim sale the previous year.
If the child is dressed as a scary character it is appropriate to feign fear.

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Although so-called “Trick Or Treating” is a popular minhag in honor of EK"H, it is not a mitzvah of the day and there is no minimum amount of treats you are required to give out or that a child is required to collect.

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While it is polite to offer some candy options free of major allergens, it is not required to offer two different foods or to offer foods with two different brachot.

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You may inclusively offer a selection of small non-food items such as pencils or stickers in your bowl of candy.

Non-food items are appreciated by children who are shomer treyf or have other special dietary needs. It would be a shame to give them candy they can’t eat.

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In keeping with Christian tradition, perhaps they will say an El Maleh Rachamim in honor of your dead relative, in exchange for the treat?

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"Trick Or Treating" is limited to children. If an adult holds out a bag and says “trick or treat," you may give the traditional response of “Aren’t you a little old for this?” If it's a teen rather than an adult, it's appropriate to say “Chag sameach” and give them candy.

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Some Christians observe EK"H with parties in addition to the traditional “Trick Or Treating.” There are several traditional games played at these parties, many of which involve apples— but not dipped in honey, as you might expect!

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The apples actually relate to an ancient Roman fertility ritual that was incorporated into the Celtic Samhain holiday. In one game, players attempt to bite into an apple floating in water; in another, they attempt to bite into an apple hanging from a string.

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The first person to successfully bite into an apple is believed to be the next to get married. In an alternate version the apples may be designated for an individual, and the player’s success in biting that apple determines whether that person will become their spouse.

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Christian adults typically celebrate EK"H by dressing in sexy versions of children’s costumes and drinking too much alcohol at bars or at private parties. Christian-run bars, or entrepreneurial regular bars, may host special parties for EK"H in order to attract customers.

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Despite the sexy costumes & fertility rituals, unlike Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh, gifts to romantic partners aren't customary.

If you see a woman dressed as a sexy machshefa it's wrong to comment on her revealing attire; that's harassment. You may say "chag sameach."

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Following the debauchery of EK"H, YK"K & YK"N are observed with more solemnity. Some Christian families visit the one or two local Christian cemeteries to offer candles, flowers, or prayers.

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Stones are not typically left at Christian graves, but if you ever have occasion to visit a Christian grave, it is appropriate to leave a flower.

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EK"H is a Christian and pagan religious holiday and thus, obviously, not appropriate for observance in #PublicSchool.
However, frum Christian students may bring a note from their Christian rabbi if they need to miss school to observe these holidays.
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Christian students may dress up in their costume for school only with a note from their Christian rabbi that it is religiously mandated.

Christian students may feel free to bring kosher, pareve, nut-free candy to their classmates after the holiday, even without a note.

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If you wish to offer holiday greetings to your Christian students, you may say "Happy Halloween." If this name is too complicated to remember and pronounce, a "chag sameach" is always appropriate.

Shavua tov to all students and teachers!

Principal Rosenberg

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