Ministry of Education of Krasnodar Territory prohibits Halloween celebration

On October 24, the Ministry of the Krasnodar Territory sent the administration of municipal education departments and principals of educational institutions a letter, recommending avoiding "celebration of Halloween in any form."

The letter, signed by Nikolai Bairachny, Deputy Regional Minister of Education, states that "the presence in the Halloween events of features of religious content (cult of death or mockery of death, typification of death and evil spirits) contradicts the secular character of education in public educational institutions", and the children, who take part in the such events, "often experience fear, depressed mood, aggression, and suicidal tendencies."

"Religious cult of the devil and death in Halloween is manifested in the content of the external attributes, setting the venues, costumes, music, and content of the 'festive' activities and entertainment. All that activities are often accompanied by blasphemous acts against symbols and attributes of traditional religions," states the official website of Ekaterinodar and Kuban Diocese. The statement continues: "The Halloween, held on the eve of the Catholic All Saints' Day, has no relation to the saints at all, except in a mocking."

Igor Globa, a resident of Krasnodar, former publisher of Vedic literature, has noted that by its name, the Halloween "is the All Saints' Day, and by it celebration, it is a rampant devilry." "I believe that the prohibition of the Halloween celebration in schools contains no harm. Perhaps, it could be even useful," he says.

Sergey Burtsev, a blogger from Krasnodar, a representative of yet unregistered "Pirate Party of Russia", called absurd the prohibition of the Krasnodar Regional Ministry of Education.

"This is a deliberate reductio ad absurdum. The prohibition of Halloween presents local officials from the Ministry of Education as dense-minded people stuck in the 1980s," he said.