Halloween

Typical Halloween decorations on display in Kobe, Japan.

WatchMojo History of Halloween

A short history of Halloween from WatchMojo.com.

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. A popular activity on Halloween night is "trick or treat" in which children dress in costumes and go door-to-door collecting candy. Halloween is popularly associated with ghosts, witches and the Devil.  

The origins of the festival can be traced back more than two thousand years to the polytheistic Celts in the British Isles. Halloween's pagan origins and perceived associations with evil mean that many religious people, especially Christians regard it with suspicion.

History

Halloween History

A short history of Halloween from National Geographic.

"Originally a Celtic festival, Samhain, the last day of October became All Hallows Eve in the eighth century when Pope Gregory III moved All Saints' Day (or Hallows' Day) to November 1. The move was a means to claim the day for Christians, yet connections to pagan, Wiccan, and Druid beliefs remained."

Although various earlier feasts and celebrations were observed to remember the departed saints, Gregory's Feast of All Saints was apparently the first such annual observance (and thus not "moved" from any other date). The Feast of All Souls (November 2) was later installed as a means of remembering the souls in Purgatory.

Some sources place the pagan celebration of Samhain later in November: "Although little is known about these celebrations, it seems that the Samhain festivities were observed between November 5-7 (midway between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice) with a one-week series of events, ending with the feast of 'the dead,' which marked the beginning of the new Celtic year."

It is unknown exactly how much influence the Celtic celebration had on the institution of the All Saints, but contemporary American practices almost certainly have a direct root through the large Irish (Celtic) immigrant population.

Halloween -- literally "All Hallow's Eve" -- is celebrated on the "eve" before All Saints ("All Hallowed").

Arguments for Christian abstention

Pagan origins

"More than a thousand years ago Christians confronted pagan rites appeasing the lord of death and evil spirits. Halloween's unsavory beginnings preceded Christ's birth when the druids, in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer with sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to the old pagan rites and superstitions."

Emphasis on evil and the occult

"Witches, sorcerers, and ghosts are popular figures during Halloween. But the Bible strictly forbids occult practices such as witchcraft, sorcery, divination, interpreting omens, casting spells, and consulting a medium (Deut. 18:9-11). These counterfeit attempts to see the future, control one's fate, or obtain guidance are forbidden because God's people are to trust him for their future and seek his guidance."

"No one can deny that Halloween is mainly focused on fear, darkness, monsters, the occult and violence. Are these the kinds of things that we should be exposing our children or ourselves to? ...Halloween is a holiday that glorifies that which is dark, that which is diabolical. "

See Ephesians 5:11 and 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Misappropriation of money

Christians who are convicted not to participate in this holiday also believe that their money could be used in better ways. Rather than spend money on  such things as costumes, parties and candy, some Christians would rather give their money to the Church or to ministries instead.

Arguments for Christian participation

Reinterpret or give new meaning

"For the children who will come to our door asking for candy, Halloween means something different from its original intent. Anthropologists talk about cultural reinterpretation, which is the process whereby an imported cultural trait or feature is reinterpreted to make it compatible with the values of the society embracing it. Presumably, the parents of little children who come to the door every year have reinterpreted Halloween, or ignored its original meaning so that their kids can have fun without the ugly elements usually associated with Halloween.

"Strictly speaking, it is impossible to reinterpret Halloween. Unlike Christmas and Easter, which also had pagan origins but were successfully changed into Christian holidays, Halloween is still pagan. Parents who dress their children in clown suits don't really reinterpret the holiday. They just divest it of meaning in order to turn the children loose for an evening of harmless fun."

Harmless fun

"[T]here is a place for some harmless fun. Kids love to dress up and pretend. If the Halloween experience is focused on fantasy rather than on the occult, I see no harm in it. Make costumes for your children that represent fun characters, such as Mickey Mouse or an elderly grandmother, and then let them go door-to-door asking for treats. This side of Halloween can be thoroughly enjoyable for little ones." James Dobson,

Don't prevent kids from gathering all the free candy they can because of ancient "pagan" traditions. But, beware of the real danger: cavities. Adults, that doesn't mean pass out apples. Kids, that means brush your teeth before bed.

'Baptize' the holiday

"...celebrate the fact that at death we pass from the land of shadows into the land of light."

Time with one's children

Many parents look forward to Halloween as it allows them to spend time with their children. Having the opportunity to set the focus of the evening, many Christian parents pray with their children before they leave to "trick or treat", and at the end of the night make a point, even as "childish" as it may seem, to give thanks to God for the candy that was freely given. Some have even taken the chance to use "free candy" to talk to their kids and relate this to God's grace that is given freely to those who believe.

Evangelism

Many parents who allow their children to go door-to-door for candy also have their children carry pieces of paper with passages from the Bible. When the child receives their candy, in return they leave the person with a passage from the Bible concerning God's love or Jesus', salvation, 

Alternative celebrations for Christians

Reformation Day

Reformation Day is a day in remembrance of the Protestant Reformation. It takes place on October 31 and is an official holiday in many European countries with a strong Protestant tradition.

Costume party

Christian parents can hold a costume party on the night of October 31, without referring to it as a "Halloween party". Even though children may be wearing costumes that resemble withes, ghosts, or things of this sort, the focus of the party does not have to be "pagan" or "evil".

Remembrance of departed believers

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." -Hebrews 13:7

Trunk and treat

Some churches host what is called a "Trunk and Treat". At this event, parents arrive having dressed up their cars, using their trunk (or truck bed) as the area where candy is passed out, decorations are done, or anything of this sort. Parents fill up the parking lot, and children go "car to car" viewing each car's "costume" and getting candy. It provides a time for parents to allow their children to enjoy themselves in a safe environment and all are able to enjoy fellowship with others from their church.

Cautions and ideas for Christians

Whether or not they allow their child to participate in Halloween festivities, Christian parents should be cautioned of a few things. If you decide not to allow your child to participate, be aware of their reactions and feelings. Typically children (or even teenagers) will feel left out from a social event and  time with their friends, or will feel abnormal, different, or "not like the other kids". This is not a reason to go against a personal conviction, but it does mean it is necessary to be conscious of their feelings, and to act as a support in their possible time of disappointment. It is a good idea to plan an alternative activity for the night of October 31.  

For those who will be allowing their child to participate, be cautious of the child's motives for participation. Some may get into the "evil" side of Halloween too much, while others may simply want to go for the social interaction. If your child is following Jesus, help remind him or her of their commitment to Christ, and to remain an example to their friends as they "trick or treat".

Halloween as seen by other religions

Similar concerns to those expressed above are also shared by some followers of Islam and Judaism. Like Christians, many of them are suspicious of Halloween's origin in non-Abrahamic polytheistic pagan religion and its links to the occult. Many immigrants also see celebrating Halloween as a form of cultural assimilatiom.They worry that future generations will lose their cultural identity by participating in festivals that are not derived from their own religious traditions.

As with Christians, opinion amongst individual followers is divided. There are those who consider Halloween to be harmless fun, those who see it as potentially harmful and those who believe that it can be spirtiually beneficial.

External links

General

• Halloween Wiki
• Hallowee at Wikipedia
• Halloween at Wikiquote
• Halloween at Wikinews

• Works related to Halloween at Wikisource

• Media related to Halloween on Wikimedia Commons

Halloween and Christianity

• Annie's "Halloween Welcome" Page, A Christian Perspective on the Holiday
• Halloween: As Viewed by Evangelical Christians, by B.A. Robinson
• Reformation Day Fun

Halloween and other religions

• Should Jews Trick-or-Treat on Halloween?
• Halloween Can Remind Jews to Hallow God's Presence
• Halloween in Islam: Should Muslims Celebrate?

This article uses content from Halloween on Theopedia.

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