What Unificationists Are Celebrating This Halloween

Bring out the pumpkins and put some snickers bars on the offering table, because this year True Children’s Day falls on Halloween!

True Children’s day is the day that Unificationists celebrate not just the children in their lives, but the idea that we are all children of our Heavenly Parent. Halloween is commonly seen as a children’s holiday. Dressing up and knocking on doors for candy is a tradition that American children look forward to every year. It’s also a time of year when adults can join in the magic and wonder of childhood. So it’s an appropriate time to think about what makes True Children’s Day so special.

Father Moon said that out of all the Holy Days that we can celebrate, Children’s Day is the most precious and “is a day for all people of the world to mark and celebrate forever and ever.” We call it True Children’s Day because it represents the return of God’s sons and daughters and the day that God can recover His position as our Heavenly Parent.

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God's Hope Hinges On His And Her Children

It’s an amazing fact of life that all the hope of a parent hinges on their children. It actually starts with God, the ultimate Parent. Think about it. God is eternal, God is permanent, and will never change, no matter what. Even after humankind became separated from our Heavenly Parent, God didn’t give up. Our Heavenly Parent still recognizes all of humanity as sons and daughters. God is everlasting, and each one of us is born into an eternal place in God’s heart.

If you think about your family, you might argue that the position of parents or even grandparents is the most important position, but ironically, the humblest position has the most power. A parent’s happiness is all wrapped up in their child and even the seemingly almighty God is held hostage to the love of His children. This is why Father Moon found it so important to celebrate our true identity as God’s sons and daughters. Celebrating True Children’s Day means putting God as the center of our families and the center of who we are. All of humanity can become one family under God as God’s sons and daughters, and what better reason to celebrate this day!

So How Do We Celebrate It?

In the best way you can – doing fun things with your family!

With the holy day falling on Halloween, it’s easy to get in the childhood spirit. Whether you go out with your children or bring joy to the neighborhood kids with the best decorations in town, there are lots of ways to celebrate. Of course, it’s not just a day to celebrate kids, it’s about recognizing that we are all God’s children. It is a day where we can thank God for our existence, our families, our relationships and our blessings. And we can see ourselves for the honorable, special sons and daughters of God we all know deep down we are.

Many celebrate True Children’s Day by taking a moment in the morning for meditation, inspirational reading or prayer with the entire family to set the tone of the holy day that it is. Then, you can let your hair down and pop open the sparkling cider! Be creative. Cook a special meal together. Bake a cake. Play fun games during the day –Yute (or Yut Nori) is a traditional Korean game that Father Moon played with his family on this holy day. Get ready for Halloween together by decorating the house and preparing treats. Go out and trick or treat together, or throw a True Children’s Day party with a dress up theme. It’s a great time to not only spend time with family, but to interact with the larger community and spread God’s love to others. 

Enjoy this special day to celebrate our awesomeness with God!

What does being God’s child mean for you? What are some unique things you like to do with your family?