Not everyone celebrates Hallowe’en in Ireland. There are lots of faith groups, including many Christian faith groups, that do not celebrate the day. This is because Hallowe’en is a pagan festival.

Given that almost all schools in the country are not under the patronage of Paganism, it’s worth thinking about how one can make the day as inclusive as possible for everyone.

The one thing schools have in common, no matter what their ethos, is that on the final day of the autumn term, children and, often, the staff, like to dress up in costumes and play seasonal games.

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In order to make the day more inclusive. Some schools rename the day to something like “Dress Up Day” or “Self-Expression Day.” While this might jar with you at first, ultimately, all you are doing is changing the name of the day to make it more inclusive. Teachers can still teach about Hallowe’en but it also gives them opportunities to teach children about other autumn festivals such as Sukkot, Samhain and Diwali.