Cossacks and Christians call for Halloween ban in southern town of Russia

Stavropol Cossacks and a Pyatigorsk Orthodox Church diocese have demanded that authorities ban a Halloween celebration planned to be held in Pyatigorsk, the press service of Pyatigorsk and Cherkessia diocese announced on Thursday.

The Education Ministry of the Krasnodar region recommended on Thursday that Halloween not be celebrated in the region’s educational institutions, as it is against the secular character of education and damaging to the mental and moral health of students.

Town’s first Halloween party
However, the administration of Pyatigorsk has organized for the time first in the history of the city’s cultural youth events a Halloween Party on Friday at one of the city’s main squares. 
"I consider it absolutely unacceptable for several reasons, as the celebration of Halloween, which has been imposed on us for 20 years, is well known for rampant antics and mockery of death, and therefore the memory of relatives and friends of everyone of us," RIA Novosti quoted diocese priest Andrey Sakhno, as saying. "I fully agree with those young men and women who are protesting against the imposition of barbarism and vulgarity, heavily mixed with paganism. Our department is actively reviving the rich cultural heritage of our ancestors, to be creators rather than consumers of culture," said Sakhno, commenting on appeals he said he had received from young people.

Cossack support

The ataman of the Stavropol Cossack society, Anatoly Smolkov, supports the diocese. "I think that this holiday should be banned, I agree with the diocese," said the head Cossack.
The Pyatigorsk mayor’s office reported that the event is held as a cultural event for the city’s youths.
Two years ago, at the request of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, an appearance by psychic healer Anatoly Kashpirovsky in the city was banned, which launched a series of bans of his appearances in southern Russia.

themoscownews.com