Halloween is celebrated widely today, not only in America and Western Europe, but also in many other parts of the world. Customs vary from country to country, but many of the practices are similar. No doubt many people think little of its origins, and for this reason a warning is in order, as we see how Satan is using all this to his own ends.
Halloween has its origins in a Celtic festival called Samhain that dates back at least 2000 years. The Celts lived in what is now the United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France, and they practiced an evil, pagan religion called Druidism. They celebrated their New Year on November 1, as this marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. For these ancient people, winter was a hard time; food was often scarce, and weaker people frequently died. Being very superstitious, the Celts also believed that the way into the unseen world was opened at this time and that the spirits of the dead were free to roam about. As a result, a festival was held the night before, accompanied with many unusual customs and rites. Bonfires were lit, and people dressed up in grotesque costumes, possibly to avoid being recognized by the spirits that were supposed to be out and about. Children evidently went around and begged for food (possibly the origin of the modern practice of “trick or treat”), while others practiced acts of mild vandalism, such as moving gates or fences and letting livestock out of their fields. (This may have been the origin of the “trick” aspect of “trick or treat.”) Others attempted to tell one another’s fortunes and to seek guidance and inspiration through contact with the spirits of departed relatives.
The Accommodation
of Pagan Practices
When Christianity spread to these Celtic lands, many of those who now professed faith found it very difficult to give up their heathen customs and festivals. Sad to say, pagan festivals were then often connected with so-called Christian holidays in order to make them seem more legitimate; thus Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as “All Saints’ Day.” However, many pagan customs persisted. All Saints’ Day was also known in England as “All Hallows,” and since Samhain was celebrated the night before November 1, the celebration in Christian terms became known as “All Hallows Eve,” later shortened to “Halloween.” Space does not permit us to mention the origins of all the traditions associated with this festival, but such things as jack-o’-lanterns and telling ghost stories, along with superstitions about witches and the fear of black cats all evolved at various times, in conjunction with these festivities.
Big Business
Halloween was not widely celebrated in North America until the latter part of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, when large numbers of immigrants brought the tradition with them. Its popularity increased, and during the last fifty years, Halloween has become big business. It is the second largest commercial holiday in the United States, eclipsed only by Christmas. Apparently 25% of the candy sold annually in the U.S.A. is sold around Halloween, and vast amounts of money are spent on costumes. In other parts of the world, some celebrate Halloween in this same “American” fashion, while others spend November 1 more soberly, visiting cemeteries and remembering the dead.
The Believer’s Attitude
What should the believer’s attitude be to all this? No doubt some view the whole thing as harmless fun, thinking little of the evil behind it. Others will allow their children to participate in some of the festivities (such as “trick or treating”) but shy away from anything to do with such things as ghosts and witches. Still others will not allow their children to have any part in it.
Satan’s Tactics
In the celebration of Halloween we see a progression of Satan’s tactics. What started out as a pagan carnival was then overlaid with a Christian title. Now the underworld aspect of the whole observance is rising to the top again, but it is being presented as fun. Witches, ghosts, evil spirits and more are passed off as amusing, played with on many electronic games and associated with adventure in such entities as Pokémon cards. Satan and his hosts are real! If the devil cannot frighten us, he will hold our hand and lead us down a candy-strewn path. (In this connection, it is noteworthy that those who practice witchcraft today do not view Halloween as a day of fun; for them it is a serious occasion, when they believe, as did the ancient Druids, that the spirits of the dead are released, and thus contact can be made with them.)
Not only the evil origins of Halloween, but also its present-day depravity should make every true believer recoil from it. “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). Since God began to call men out of the world, Satan has used two tactics to try to spoil the work of the Lord. He uses violence and persecution, and he uses seduction. Both methods are being used around the world in 2012!
We need to have our eyes open and turned upward, and our hearts warmed by the Lord’s love and reaching outward.
’Gainst the giant-like might
Of our foes we can bring,
As our weapons of fight,
But a stone and a sling;
Should this have dismayed us,
Our souls it may cheer,
That called on to aid us,
Our Father will hear.
W. J. Prost