Halloween Banned in Moscow

Oct. 31, 2003

MOSCOW, (UPI) -- Halloween has taken a double whammy in Moscow from both school administrators and church officials banning it outright, the BBC reports.

City education officials claim Halloween brings elements of religion into the classroom, which is forbidden. Meanwhile, the Russian Orthodox Church condemns the event's glorification of evil spirits.

The education department is also reportedly concerned ghoulish elements of the holiday have upset parents, many of whom were distressed to see children pretending to hang each other after Halloween.

A Russian Orthodox Church spokesman said Halloween was "more than strange."

"When people turn to evil forces by way of a joke, when they praise them and flirt with them, it reflects on the fate of the person, because it teaches him that evil is acceptable," Vsevolod Chaplin told the Interfax news agency.

Nonetheless, Halloween -- the night before the Catholic All Souls Day -- is not widely celebrated in Russia.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
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