MANILA - A priest has warned that dressing up as monsters or demons to celebrate Halloween is "succumbing to the attack of Satan."

“If you use [costumes] of ghosts, it is [succumbing to a] subliminal attack of Satan,” Quezon City Immaculate Conception Parish Priest Fr. Joel Saballa said in an interview in Radio Veritas.

Saballa lamented that Filipinos take after the Westernized celebration of Halloween.

He said parents should instead turn to saints to teach their children about Jesus Christ.

“The problem is we have mothers who are so happy seeing their children looking like ghosts, looking like demons, but when their children turn out to behave like demons, they get angry…when their children grow up and have a demon-like attitude, they don’t want it,” he said.

“But if you use the life of saints, it is a way to show children that we can actually live according to Christ through the use of saints we actually have,” he added.

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Instead of children dressing up as ghosts or devils, another priest suggested remembering the true occasion of the November 1st holiday.

"Imbis po na nagsusuot ng nakakatakot na mga nilalang, ginawa po namin yung turo ng Simbahan, lalong lalo na po ang Nov. 1 ay All Saints' Day po," Rev. Fr. Hans Magdurulang, assistant Parish Priest in Mandaluyong's San Felipe Neri Parish told radio DZMM.

(Instead of wearing costumes of scary creatures, we do what the Church teaches, especially because Nov. 1 is All Saints' Day.)

"Kagaya po ng aming pamagat, HolyWin, panalo nawa ang kabanalan laban sa kasamaan."

(Like out title, HolyWin, may the holy win against evil.)

Magdurulang said children and adults dressed as saints and other Catholic characters are welcome to join their parade, after which a mass will be held then the awarding for best costume.