A History of Halloween
By: Ministry Founder Rev. Dr. J.L. Williams
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8
It is that day of the year when our children go through their annual metamorphosis from little cherubs to ghosts, goblins, witches, and vampires. They will excitedly attend school Halloween carnivals and prowl through a haunted house amidst shrieks and screams of fearful delight. Later, they will go trick-or-treating in their neighborhood, to be greeted by scowling jack-o’-lanterns, scary skeletons, and flying witches. Their wish is to be met by generous hosts who will fill their bags with candy, gum, and other goodies that will make their next visit to the dentist a real nightmare!
Due to the historical roots of Halloween, I cannot see it as innocent fun for children. I think it is a subtle step in anesthetizing them spiritually to the disguises and deceit of the devil. After all, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). That means that he makes evil look good, perversion look pure, and a lie look like the truth!
How did Halloween start? Halloween dates back to a practice of the ancient Celtic civilization. Their New Year began on November 1st, and the night before was to reverence Samhain, the Lord of the Dead. It was also when the souls of the dead returned to their former homes. If a proper “treat” were not awaiting to appease them, then they would respond with an appropriate “trick.” In order to fool and evade the spirits, some would dress up and masquerade as evil spirits, witches, ghosts, and ghouls. The perverted climax of this dark night was animal and human sacrifice to placate Samhain. The remains were then burned in “bone fires,” from which we get the popular “bonfire.”
Much of our modern Halloween paraphernalia comes from pagan practices such as witchcraft. The most important celebration for witchcraft practitioners was known as the “Black Sabbath,” which occurred on October 31st. It was that feast that gave us witches on broomsticks, black cats, skulls, and pumpkins.
Early in the life of the Church, there was a movement to honor the lives of certain church leaders and martyrs of the faith. Over time, they came to be called “saints.” Eventually, there were more saints than there were individual days to honor them. The solution seemed to be to consolidate the remembrance of all of them into one special day called “All Saints’ Day” on November 1st. This was an apparent attempt to coincide with the ancient festival of Samhain. A day that started out as simply a remembrance of the saints progressed to a reverence for the saints and finally ended in a worship of the saints. The night before evolved into “All Hallows’ Eve” and eventually to “Halloween.”
So, what is a concerned Christian parent to do in the face of this history and such strong cultural pressures from friends to observe Halloween today? This requires an annual call for godly creativity to come up with positive alternatives for children. Here are some suggestions.
First, do some Bible study with your children on what God says about dabbling in any occult practices. Next, try a fall festival with games, costumes, refreshments, and a good movie. If your children still like to dress up, substitute costumes that honor the demonic realm for ones with no negative connotations. Decorate your home with colorful, seasonal fall decorations. If you carve a pumpkin, give it a smile or a happy face. Tape a positive Gospel tract to the candy you give out.
As Christians, let’s be done with ghosts, witches, vampires, and monsters! Let’s leave that to the prince of darkness. And as Christians, we must focus on Jesus Christ, “the light of the world” (John 8:12).