During this time of year, I am often asked why my family chooses not to celebrate Halloween, so I wanted to take this opportunity to express our convictions. Before I do however, I want to make it clear that I in no way stand in judgment of anyone that chooses to celebrate this holiday – that is neither my place nor my desire. The Holy Spirit is the only one that can bring about convictions, and He has certainly done that in our lives.
When my oldest two children were little, both my husband and myself did celebrate Halloween. At that time, I viewed the holiday as completely harmless. It was fun to dress my boys in cute little costumes and take them around to family and friends, showing them off and letting them get candy. Quite frankly, I never thought beyond just that, as to what the holiday was actually about. In my mind, it was completely innocent.
A few years later, a friend and I were talking about why she chose to not celebrate Halloween. At that time, I must admit that I thought she was completely over-the-top and just a bit too “fanatic” for me. Although I completely respected her and her decision for her family, I did not agree that it was right for me to follow suit. However, something inside of me really began to stir and the more I considered our conversation, the more uneasy I began to feel. My husband and I had extensive conversations on the subject, and we began to pray about the situation and set out to study and find out for ourselves what this holiday was really all about.
Thousands of years ago in Europe, there were groups of people known as the Celtics. The Celtic people were pagan Druids whose major celebrations were marked by the seasons. They were very superstitious and their lives depended on the growth of their crops and a successful harvest. They began a celebration known as the Samhain Festival (pronounced “sow” “en”), whereby they would observe the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. Since Samhain is loosely translated “Summer’s End”, it was during this time that they would bring in the last of their crops, store up food, and prepare animals for slaughter and sacrifice. This was an important time for them as they celebrated the beginning of the “dark season” known as winter.
The Celts believed the curtain – or veil – dividing the living and the dead lifted during Samhain to allow the spirits of the dead to walk among the living, looking for bodies in which they could inhabit. They believed that Samhain – the lord of death – was sent by evil spirits to attack humans. The only way that the humans could escape was by wearing disguises and looking like the evil spirits themselves. It was thought that if one were dressed to appear as if they were already dead, the evil spirits might assume they were one of the ghostly spirits roaming about and leave them alone. It was also during this time that they would begin to carve out scary and ghoulish faces in turnips (which later became the carved pumpkins that we know today) in an effort to ward off the evil spirits. Spirits who were not suitably “treated” would “trick” those who had neglected them. The fear of haunting only multiplied if that spirit had been offended during its natural lifetime.
Samhain also became a time to honor the dead. They would set out food on their doorsteps for the wandering souls of the deceased. They would turn to divination to discern the future and seek protection. Many forms of witchcraft were employed and carried out during this time.
Another critical part of the celebration of Samhain was the lighting of large bonfires. These bonfires were thought to be a cleansing ritual and various symbolic acts would be performed during the fires, such as throwing the bones of newly slaughtered livestock into the flames and other forms of sacrifice.
After discovering the way that Halloween originated, I could no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that the history and practices of this holiday are rooted in spiritism and mysticism. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I cannot knowingly partake in anything that is in direct opposition to my beliefs. We do live in a spiritual world filled with both goodness from God and evil from Satan. Ephesians 6:12 states that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” However, Christ has power over all darkness and we do not have to live in fear!
Although we live in this world, we are not to be of this world. We are to separate ourselves from the darkness and allow Christ’s light to shine through us. I believe that Halloween allows us the opportunity to do just that – to separate ourselves from the rest of the world and live as an example for those that are searching for truth.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~ Romans 12:2
