A village in western Switzerland is preparing to mark 31 October with pumpkin soup, lanterns and a Bible story rather than ghosts and trick-or-treating. Rachel Muhlethaler, a member of the Église de la Colline, a congregation of the FREE (Free Evangelical Churches of Switzerland) in Crissier, is organising the Fête de la Lumière in Froideville with a team of families — an event she describes as a way of bringing joy and neighbours together on a night that is, in her words, “a little gloomy”.
The event is now in its fourth edition in Froideville, after four earlier years in Crissier, where it began. Muhlethaler explains that it grew out of a practical dilemma: Christian parents who did not want to celebrate fear and death had few alternatives, and she and her family decided to offer a gentle, visible witness instead. Organising it also draws together Christian families from different confessions, who work side by side during the preparations whatever their convictions.
From 18:00, villagers are invited to free pumpkin soup and dishes prepared by volunteers, with games for children outdoors — board games, duck fishing, giant Connect Four, table football and a small theatre. At 19:00 the gathering moves to the ecumenical centre for a biblical story. In past years the team has used a kamishibai paper theatre to tell the story of Lazarus; this year a storyteller will take part. Children then receive a small keepsake, such as a candle carrying a message or a verse, before a light display of Japanese lanterns and illuminated bubbles. About 200 people attended last year, many of them not Christians, and the organisers say their aim is simply to keep Jesus at the centre and to serve him fully.
(Originally published in French. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: La FREE (Free Evangelical Churches of Switzerland) — lafree.ch/la-fete-de-la-lumiere-une-alternative-chretienne-a-halloween/
