Holy Habits
It was in 2022 that Kairos Buds first introduced Holy Habits – a unique initiative that encouraged children to dress up as their favourite saint to commemorate All-Saints’ Day. Parents sent pictures of little saints which we published on our social media pages.
Last year we conducted it in two different categories – photo and reels. We uploaded those adorable photos and videos of our lovely future saints on Kairos Buds’ Instagram page. Some of them chose to recite a quote from the saint they dressed up as. Participants were given a one-week long window to dress up as the saint of their choice and also to send us the photos or videos through the Holy Habits website.
Linu is a happy mum of 5 wonderful kids. She and her husband Deepak together strive for holiness and focus on nurturing their children in the path of saints. They live in Singapore. Typically, Linu gets very busy in October. Do you know why? Let’s hear from her.
‘The second half of the month of October is a time of excitement for kids and the discussions from them mostly revolve around the various saints of our Catholic Church, and who they want to dress up as on November 1st. As parents of 5 children, it is in fact a challenge given the usually tight daily routine, to plan, to find time to study about the various saints, sit together as a family to select a saint for each one and prepare the required items to dress up – provided it’s not a saint who was already selected in the previous years. We then discuss together, the importance of the chosen saints, their life, the specialty in the costume, etc. It is in fact more like a project and usually takes a couple of days to get each one dressed up, considering sleep time, their mood and patience during the entire process. Last year, we had to redo the dress up for the younger ones due to their impatience to get back to games or when they turned hungry and cranky, by the time we set up the photoshoot. Each one of them has a unique character, personality, talent & taste. It only makes it more complex to execute a task together. The challenge exists only until completion and thereafter we experience a sense of great achievement among the kids. As parents, it is satisfying to see the kids inclined to know and learn about the saints through this process. It is tedious but at the same time, a glorious work of art for His Kingdom.’
Let’s meet Cynthia from Australia who shared with us her experience of Holy Habits 2023.
‘Being from Australia, I sought a way to avoid Halloween celebrations. For the last three years, my 7-year-old, Cianna stayed home from school, as I wasn’t happy about Halloween celebrations, while this year my 4-year-old Antony expressed a strong interest. Cianna, who had previously participated in Holyween competitions, wanted a new costume, preferring to dress as Mother Mary. Though we struggled to find the exact costume, we ended up portraying the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, with our 5-month-old, Serene. Cianna encountered challenges during the video shoot, because “Baby Jesus” wasn’t properly co-operating. Somehow, we’ve managed to get a satisfying take after several attempts. This inspired our son, Antony, to dress up as St Antony, though capturing his video posed challenges due to his language skills. It was fulfilling to encourage the kids in these activities. During a drive on October 31st (Halloween day) when we saw kids in Halloween costumes, Cianna beautifully explained to Antony why they chose angelic or saintly costumes, not scary ones, which made me immensely proud. I sent their videos and images to both their class teachers and lots of kids are interested to dress up like that. Thank you, Kairos Buds, for the great opportunity.’
Divya worked as a teacher in Assam, India. She came to know about Holy Habits and took an initiative to create videos with two students who dressed up as St Maria Goretti and Marcelino (from the movie ‘Marcelino, Bread and Wine’). This video was indeed nicely done. She said, ‘After seeing the videos, our principal and sisters are eager to get more children involved. I’m sure they will be very interested to participate in the subsequent years.’
For Wilma who lives in Qatar, it’s an experience of learning. ‘It’s not just about dressing up like saints. For the past two weeks, Eloi, Ohel, and I have been learning about these two saints.’
Ann from UAE had something to say as well. ‘When my son Leo returned from school excited about Halloween and his ghost craft, I gently explained that we don’t celebrate the holiday and suggested we dress as saints instead. When he inquired about saints, I described them as holy individuals who endured hardships for their faith in Jesus. After that, I continued with my tasks. Later, when Leo finished his lunch, he was eager to dress up as a saint. I showed him a picture of Bl Carlo Acutis, and he was instantly thrilled and ready. Capturing his joy in a photo made my day; redirecting his attention from Halloween-related concepts like ghosts was not a struggle but a source of immense joy for me.’
‘That was, however, a great initiative by the Kairos team. The children were even more thrilled than us to dress up as saints. It was also beautiful to see children from around the world teaming up, dressed in different saintly attires, taking such a daring step,’ said Vincy from India.
Kairos Buds is once again organising Holy Habits this year to keep the ‘Hallow’ in ‘Halloween’. Children are encouraged to dress up as their favourite saint. Essential information can be found @ https://www.jykairosmedia.org/holy-habits. [add a QR code also]
To view the photos and reels from Holy Habits 2023, visit the Kairos Buds Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/kairosbuds/.
Rather than cursing the darkness, it is better to light a single candle. So, let us ignite countless flames and spread the divine light far and wide.
Kairos Buds – Holy Habits (Dress up like Saints – 2023) https://www.jykairosmedia.org/post/holy-habits
