A perspective on the origin of Halloween I wrote up for my church a few years back. Somewhat lengthy, but a worthwhile read if you want to know the history of this holiday and the churches response... Over the years I’ve had numerous conversations with different individuals on the topic of Halloween. Questions that came up ranged from whether or not Christians should let their children participate, and if not, do we lock ourselves in the house with the lights turned off or should we in some way try to fight back against this evil? One side of the spectrum says that it’s the most dangerous time of the year, and the other side thinks that it’s nothing more than a secular time of fun and games. Personally, I don’t find it my place to tell you whether or not you should participate in Halloween. That is a decision for you and your family to make on your own, before God. However, I do find it important for everyone to understand the origins of Halloween so you are best equipped to make an educated and rational decision about your family’s participation in this event. Each family must be persuaded in their own mind about how they approach Halloween, so the purpose of this paper is to provide you with an unbiased perspective on its origins, the early church’s response, and nothing more. Once you have prayerfully considered the information contained in this paper, and a decision is made, please be sure to communicate the reasoning behind that decision to your children. It is important for them to understand the origin of this ritual for themselves, as well as why your family chooses to participate or not. So, without much further ado… In my studies on this topic, it was generally agreed that October 31st was a special day celebrated by the ancient Druids, who were basically the Celtic priesthood. The Celtic calendar seemed to be divided into two seasons, summer and winter. In the summer they would worship the Sun God on May 1 (Beltane). In the winter they would worship the Lord of the Dead on October 31 (Samhain). The Celts began their new year on November 1, which marked the beginning of winter. Apparently on October 31, the Lord of the Dead gathered the soul of all the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals, and then decided what animal form they would take on for the next year. The souls of the good were reincarnated as humans. Both seasons involved festivals that included animal sacrifice, offerings, and bonfires in recognition of the dead and in order to appease the gods whom they worshipped. It was believed that on this night demons, witches, goblins, and ghosts roamed about, which is why the people lit large bonfires on hilltops to scare them away. Because of all this, young boys would travel the neighborhoods several days before asking people for material that can be used to build these bonfires. On this night, evil or frustrated ghosts were also said to play tricks on humans and cause supernatural manifestations, so the Celts would dance around the bonfires wearing masks and pretending they were being pursued by evil spirits. One of the most common pagan beliefs of the time involved the spirits of those who died during that year not being able to go to their final resting place until they were properly prepared with possessions, food, and drink. So a common tradition was to pacify the spirits by sending them off on a one-way trip by “treating” them well with such items. If they were not treated well, then the spirit would “trick” or haunt those who neglected to prepare it for departure from this world. People feared that terrible things might happen to them if they didn’t honor the spirits. The Druids, themselves, believed that failure to worship their gods would bring dire consequences, that is, if the gods weren’t treated properly in ritual then they would seek vengeance. The practice of “trick or treating” can also be related back to going from door to door and begging for material to be used in the great bonfires of the day. Furthermore, these spirits were believed to assume grotesque appearances, so the Celts would dress up to look like them in hopes of being left alone. It was therefore advantageous to wear “costumes” in order to hide from them. Masks and costumes were worn to either scare the ghosts away or to keep from being recognized by them. Some thought that the sprits could be warded off by carving grotesque faces into gourds and setting a candle inside of it. The Irish also popularized a legend of a man named “Irish Jack”, which is another way in which our culture may have come up with the pumpkin on the porch. The legend goes like this: There was a stingy drunk named Jack who tricked the devil into climbing an apple tree for an apple but then cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree preventing the devil from coming down. Jack forced the devil to swear he would never come after Jack’s soul. The devil reluctantly agreed. Jack eventually died but was turned away at the gates of heaven because of his drunkenness and life of selfishness. He was next sent to the devil who also rejected him, keeping his promise. Since Jack had no place to go, he was condemned to wander the earth. As he was leaving hell, the devil threw a live coal at him. He put the coal inside a turnip he had been eating, and has since forever been roaming the earth with his “jack-o-lantern” in search of a place to rest. Eventually, pumpkins replaced turnips since it was much easier to symbolize the devil’s coal inside a pumpkin. These legends help shed some light on why people dress up in disguise, go trick-or-treating, and display jack-o-lanterns during the evening on this day. I was encouraged to discover that the early Christian church moved a festive celebration called All Saints Day from May to November 1 and renamed October 31st “All Hallows Eve” (or Halloween) in order to directly challenge the sentiments of Samhain. The Church not only sought to give Christians an alternative, spiritually edifying holiday, but created a bold evangelistic move designed to demonstrate that only the power of the resurrected Christ could protect them from the destructive ploys of Satan and his followers. It was a time in which they boldly proclaimed the marvelous fact of the resurrection and the lordship of Jesus Christ. Like I previously stated, each family should evaluate Halloween and determine an appropriate response for themselves. We should refrain from any participation that would compromise our own faith or bring dishonor to the Lord Jesus Christ. We should always look for ways to become a positive, Christ-honoring voice in the midst of secularism and paganism. Some Christians decide to have absolutely no contact with Halloween. They may decide to completely ignore the holiday, not answer their door to trick-or-treaters, and instead have a family evening watching Bible story videos or playing family games. Parents who choose this course need to explain to their children why they have taken this stand. Some Christians decide to have a limited, non-compromising participation in Halloween. Sometimes their activities can be creative and help to promote the gospel. Other families respond to trick or treaters by including a salvation tract with each treat. Some Christians decide to overcome the pagan and secular trappings of Halloween in a manner similar to the way the Church overcame pagan festivals with All Saints Day. Many churches have Harvest Festivals, where children may dress as farm animals or farmers. Others host Reformation Festivals, where children may dress as their favorite Bible character or as a figure from church history. Some churches sponsor Judgment Houses for older children and teenagers where the gospel is preached as the way to avoid the horrors of eternal punishment. Regardless of the position you take regarding your familys response to Halloween, all Christians can rejoice that greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4); that we can resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7); and that through the cross Christ has spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15). Whether you decide to participate in Halloween or not, our children must be aware that death, demons, pain, and suffering are real in a cursed creation. All of us have to struggle with it, and so will our children. We must let them know that Satan is not a character dressed in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork, but rather that he is a very real and powerful adversary whose goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Regardless of our participation, we should use this time of the year as an opportunity to remind our children (and ourselves) that we are in a spiritual war, and as believers, we must live a Spirit-controlled life. Scripture is full of warnings about this war as well as instructions on how to win. The Lord provides His saints with sufficient armor to combat and thwart the adversary. Read Ephesians 6:10-17 with your children. Help them to understand the basic truths regarding the believer’s necessary spiritual preparation as well as the truths regarding their enemy, their battle, and their ultimate victory. Praise God that He has equipped us with all the necessary pieces of spiritual armor to resist and overcome Satan’s assaults!
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:17:27 +0000
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