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Halloween facts every Christian should know (video)
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Halloween Candy
Most people think of Halloween as one big costume funfest with candy, toilet-papered trees and pumpkin carvings. For decades in American culture Halloween has served as a huge cash cow for candy makers and department stores selling decorations, costumes and trick or treat goodies. But there is more to Halloween than candy corn and watching reruns of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Halloween is the last day of the original Celtic calendar, October 31 and is a pagan holiday that honors the dead. This pagan celebration, originating over 2000 years ago, was actually called All Hallows Eve or The Festival of the Dead. It also has somewhat of a Christian history in that Christians used to celebrate the first day of the new Celtic year, being November 1, making the day before All Saint’s Eve.
The Druids, a part of the Celtic peoples from Ireland and Northern Europe celebrated the end of summer (or the festival of Samhain) with a festival of bonfires, signifying the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of a new one. The Celtic belief was that the souls of the dead roamed the villages and the souls who were unfriendly or evil needed to be appeased in order to keep them from wreaking havoc in the coming year. Leaving treats and gifts out for the evil souls would also help ensure the success of the following years’ crops. Often times the treats were ‘spirits’ or alcohol, cakes and bread.
Pagans typically considered Halloween the most sacred and magical night of the year. Other non-Christian beliefs, cults and religious sects still consider the night to hold amazing power where séances, spiritism, sorcery and tarot card readings are more readily performed.
Much superstition is weaved within the historical fabric of Halloween. Bobbing for apples was originally an act of divination or a ritual done to attempt to foretell the future. The first person to bite into an apple while bobbing was said to be the first person to marry in the coming year. The lighting of jack o lanterns was practical for those roaming around at night but also held another purpose. By carving scary faces into the pumpkins, they were said to help ward off evil spirits. The Druids originally started this practice with turnips they would hollow out and fill with oil. The Druids believed the carved turnip, hollowed out, would hold a demon.
While Halloween used to be a frightening and serious event centuries ago, the holiday morphed over time into more of a costume funfest for European and American cultures. The idea of leaving treats for evil souls turned in to modern day trick or treating, costume parties and practical jokes.
Many Christian families and church groups have conformed to the world’s idea of Halloween as a harmless time to celebrate fun and the changing of the seasons. With the increase in violent crime and candy being laced with drugs, churches across the country started Trunk or Treat events in their parking lots so kids would have a safe alternative to trick or treating door to door. Along with the trick or treating alternative many churches sponsor costume contests, show movies and encourage yard parties in order to reach out to their neighbors.
Funfests, fall craft shows, pumpkin carving contests and outdoor concerts have taken the place of traditional spook-fests in many communities across the country but there are still many organizations which sponsor haunted houses and more traditional Halloween events that might not be appropriate for children to attend.
As cults, witches, pagan groups and satanic worship becomes more accepted and glorified in our culture, Halloween is being taken back to more of a serious holiday for glorifying the dead and divination than it has in decades. Using great caution when allowing children to partake in events is extremely important. Even with the autumn twist on Halloween, most costumes for kids and adults still hold a theme of blood, death, murder and gore.
Various groups of Christians throughout the country are denouncing the celebration of Halloween in any form whatsoever, believing that it gives honor and glory to the Devil.. For… if it is not for God then it is against Him.
..the sacrifice of pagans are offered to demons, not to God and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 1 Corinthians 20-21
The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12
If and how Christians celebrate Halloween is a decision only they can make after much prayer and educating themselves on the relationship that the history of Halloween and the message that Halloween events send their kids. Is Halloween harmless to them? Is it harmless to you as a Christian? Or, like many churches are now stating, is there something gravely dangerous about making the evil seem like mere fun and games?
Please watch this encouraging Halloween reminder of what every day is supposed to be about.
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Halloween safety tips
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