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 ccording
to the Gallup Poll organization, 89% of Americans celebrate Halloween.
Halloween occurs on October 31 in the United States. It has been called
the “All Hallows’ Eve” holiday, Hallowmas Eve, or All-Hallowmas.
It occurs on the evening before All Saints’ Day, a church holiday.
Therefore, Halloween is known as the hallowed or holy eve. The English
word “hallowed” means “to make holy.” Some might
think that Halloween is a holy, Christian holiday, but that is far from
the truth. Today, it is observed largely as a secular celebration. Most adults, 65%, dress up their children, 64% pass out
treats, 43% put out decorations, 36% create jack-o-laterns, 16% attend
a Halloween party, 14% wear costumes themselves, and 9% go to haunted
houses. The statistics reveal that most Americans view Halloween as an
enjoyable and uneventful activity. Yet, in an October 2000 poll, Gallup
discovered that 42% of adults believe that some homes are haunted and
38% believe in ghosts. A 2003 Gallup poll discovered that even 54% of
individuals with postgraduate degrees still believe in the supernatural.
Origin of Halloween. So what is the origin
of Halloween? Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic
festival of Samhain, which was held in honor of the Lord of the Dead.
The Druids, Celtic priests, believed that Samhain or the Lord of the
Dead would return on October 31 and release the spirits of the dead,
witches, goblins, and elves to return to their families in order to harm
those who had inflicted harm on them in this life. If the family did
not appease or “treat” the returning dead with sacrifices
from their crops, of their animals - notably black cats - or humans,
the dead would “trick” the living with failed crops or sick
animals, poor family health, stolen babies, and tragedy. The Druids wore
costumes of animal heads and skins, and “predicted” the fortunes
of others. Consequently, large bonfires of sacred oak branches would
be set on hilltops to scare away the evil spirits and satisfy the dead
and the evil spirits. Some would carry torches and create bonfires to
scare away evil spirits and witches. After the Roman Army invaded and
subdued the Celts, the soldiers introduced the festival known as Pomona
Day to the Druids. The festival of Pomona is in honor of the Roman goddess
of fruits and gardens. The celebration involved “bobbing” for
apples.
In the 7th century A.D., Pope Boniface IV established All
Saints’ Day on May 13 and in A.D. 834, the pope moved “All
Saints Day” or “All Hallows Day” from May 13 to November
1 and declared October 31 to be “All Hallows Eve,” or Halloween.[1]
While there are differences of viewpoint, it is generally believed that
the pope had attempted to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with
a church holiday.
By the end of the Middle Ages, the secular and the sacred days had merged. The Reformation essentially put an end to the religious holiday among Protestants, although in Britain especially Halloween continued to be celebrated as a secular holiday. Along with other festivities, the celebration of Halloween was largely forbidden among the early American colonists, although in the 1800s there developed festivals that marked the harvest and incorporated elements of Halloween. When large numbers of immigrants, including the Irish, went to the United States beginning in the mid 19th century, they took their Halloween customs with them, and in the 20th century Halloween became one of the principal U.S. holidays, particularly among children.[2] Consequently, the Halloween that we celebrate includes all
of these influences, Pomona Day’s apples, nuts, pumpkins, black
cats, magic, evil spirits, ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint’s
Day and All Soul’s Day.
Biblical Perspective. What is the biblical
perspective? Is the Halloween celebration harmless fun? Some years ago,
a young woman, who was a Satan worshipper and a member of the occult
asked, “Why do Christians celebrate our New Year?” She added
that Halloween was the biggest holiday of the year for Satanists. She
did not understand why Christians celebrate the occult New Year which
begins on November 1, just we celebrate each New Year on December 31.
The Druids’ New Year is November 1. How would you respond to that
question?
God warns us to avoid involvement in the occult. That would
include its celebrations. It is clear that Halloween has occultic origins.
If in fact Pope Boniface IV attempted to offer an alternative holiday,
it is clear he failed. It is clear that early Protestants attempted to
suppress the celebration of the occultic holiday, but they failed too!
It is clear that both understood and recognized that Halloween has occultic
origins.
God has warned us to avoid anything associated with the
occult. (Deut. 18:9-14).
When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (NASB) Deut. 18:9-11 Notice that the first part of the passage warns us to not imitate the
detestable things of other nations. We are to avoid them. Surely, there
are better things to do than to mimic the practices of an ancient false
religion.
Conclusion. Our goal in this life is not
pleasure. Our goal is to glorify God by our words, actions, and thoughts.
Listen to the apostle Paul,
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV) Phil. 4:8 We are encouraged to dwell on that which is pure, honorable, excellent,
and praiseworthy. Yes, Christians have liberty
in Jesus Christ to do
as they want in regards to celebrations (2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 2:4), but
isn’t
there something better to do than celebrate Halloween? And shouldn’t
we avoid causing another to stumble, especially one caught in the occult
(1 Cor. 8:9 )? Our actions can confuse them. Is Halloween "trick or
treating" honoring to the Lord? Is the wearing of costumes or masks of
witches, ghost, goblins, skeletons and other occult garb honoring to
God? Jesus has encouraged us to follow a better practice with these words,
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (NASB) Matt. 6:33 How about an alternative to Halloween such as hosting a party for your
children with other children and provide activities and food that are
fun and distinctly different? Why not invite another family who does
not know the Lord to a party at your home and celebrate all that God
has done in your life?
May the Lord bless you,
PDF Download: Celebrating Halloween (76K, PDF)
Related Links:
References:
1. “Halloween.” Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. |
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