Should the Orthodox avoid celebrating Halloween?

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Do you think that the Orthodox Christians living in America, where Halloween is a very popular holiday, should avoid taking part in any form of celebration of this holiday (for example, trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, decorating their houses to make them look scary etc.)?

[guest]

I know that some people make a big deal about Halloween and how Orthodox Christians should avoid it at all costs.
The Serbian St. Nikolaj of Zica wrote about the topic and why it should Orthodox Christians should not partake, so I would recommend reading his words.
I have a slightly different opinion, and while I don't disagree with what St. Nikolaj says, I think we as Orthodox Christians need to be constantly aware of everything we do while living amongst non-Orthodox.
For example, no one is criticized for going to a baseball or basketball game, or even participating in recreational activities, etc.
But when you think about it, how does watching a sporting event on TV bring us closer to God?
Or going to a movie, even a Disney movie.
None of this will help in our salvation, and could potentially lead us away from God.
So my humble opinion is we should constantly be aware of what we do and realize how far we stray from God, so while Halloween can potentially lead to great spiritual harm, I think we should more importantly be aware of this, as with everything we do, and not stray too far away from Christ.
I don't know if this makes sense.

[BodyAndBlood]

Halloween is an evil pagan holiday. It is a gate to dark things which seek souls.

[texianfortruth]

I'll share what I used to do when I was a Baptist...leave the porch light on, and hand out a small ziploc bag full of candy with a "gospel tract". An attempt to turn what the enemy meant for evil to good. Although I haven't really seen the orthodox equivalent of a gospel tract, as they tend to be more oriented towards Augustinian concepts and decision-based theology.