As we enter the Autumn Season and near Winter, the lawns outside many homes become decorated for Halloween. Witches, ghosts, and skeletons appear with ever-increasing realism each Halloween season. Halloween has its origins in European paganism. Christian encounters with those traditions led to a make-over. Modern observations around the world are usually non-religious although some Christians groups practice an observance of All-Saints Day on those days.
History: Pagan Festivals, Christianity, and Modern Observations
The modern observation of secular Halloween is vastly different than its origins. The word itself comes from the Old English word Hallowe’en, meaning “hallowed evening” or referencing the Christian holiday that takes place the next day, All Saints’ Day. But the original elements are from the European pagan religious traditions. Yet Nicholas Rogers wrote in Halloween: From Pagan Rituals to Party Night, “To examine the history of Halloween is to recognize that it is not a holiday that has been celebrated the same way over the centuries, nor one whose meaning is fixed.”
Halloween itself is a Christian holiday that falls on the evening before All Saints’ Day (Nov 1st). Another day known as All Souls’ Day takes place on Nov 2nd and has its origins from when 11th century Benedictine Abbot of Cluny, St. Odilio set apart Nov 2nd to commemorate the faithful departed in the monasteries in that region. For Western Christians in the Pre-Protestant era, these days were associated with the departed saints and the souls of departed persons, involving prayers of commemoration, prayers on behalf of the dead, or prayers of intercession for them or through them. Such an understanding of the dead is found in Judaism and early Christianity. In other religions, there are observances related with the dead. Even though there was a Christianization of the pagan day related to the end of the harvest, folklorist Jack Santino in his book The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival of Northern Ireland calls it an “uneasy truce between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived.” Various non-Christian origins have been identified from Roman feast of Pomona, goddess of fruits and seeds, with Parentalia, the festival of the dead, but it is more commonly associated with the Gaelic festival of Samhain (meaning ‘summer’s end’).
The traditional agricultural-oriented cultures relied closely on the seasons and on the weather for their survival. Religious beliefs were tied to the forces of nature and the movement of heavenly bodies. In such societies, the “spirit world” had to be dealt with through appeasement. In addition, Samhain was time with practical uses as this marked the time to prepare for the winter by taking inventory of food-stocks, assessing the past harvest, and preparing the community to face the harsh winter. However, the legacy of Samhain today is not in its agricultural focus but rather on its emphasis on the connection with the spirit world. While a harvest festival such as Onam in Kerala, India is predominantly advertised in terms of harvest celebrations and the beginning of another season, Halloween is a concerned with spirit-world characters, death, terror, and so forth, Nicholas Rogers notes that while American conservative Evangelical Christians decry it as satanic, New Age religious practitioners including Wiccans emphasize the human–nature–spirit relationship while corporate America continues to commercialize Halloween to maximize their profits.
What Halloween was in the past is not entirely clear because it was not an event with a singular origin. Rather it is a day developed from different European cultural perspectives, re-shaped by the Roman Catholic Church into a time to commemorate the Saints and the dead, and criticized by Protestant churches in the early days of the Reformation. This day was brought to America by European immigrants who further adapted it over the centuries with a mix of superstition, religiosity, and entertainment. Over the last century, it was commercialized and spread as a secular holiday focused on harmless fun. The Roman Catholic Church attempts to renew the solemnity of Halloween, while downplaying the cultural superstitious practices and commercialized entertainment angle. Protestant Churches and Orthodox Churches warn its believers of the inappropriate spiritual connections and psychological harm of the embrace of terror and horror during the Halloween season. The playful and fun activities are acknowledged as harmless and instead alternative activities, such as Christianized trunk-or-treat events are put on by churches.
Supernaturalism and Magic in the Bible
In the book, Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles Peter and John encounter a man named Simon who was revered as a magician by the people of his town. Also known as Simon Magus, this man also came to join the Christian community after hearing the teachings of Peter and John, as recorded in Acts 8:9-24. Yet his belief in Jesus Christ seems to have been superficial because he misunderstood the nature of the Gospel message. He attempted to buy from the Apostles the gifts such as the laying on of hands and the baptism by the Holy Spirit. Verses 20-23 reads:
Peter rebuked him: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.”
Simon Magus comes from a society where the practice of the supernatural arts existed, although it may not have been viewed as common or publicly accepted. Magicians and witches were part of ancient societies, even being described throughout the Bible. For example, there were magicians in Egypt capable in replicating some minor miracles of Moses and Aaron (Exodus 6-7), King Saul who attempted to contact the spirit of Samuel through the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28), and a demon possessed slave girl who was able to divine the future for her master but was exorcised by the Apostle Paul (Acts 16). The Lord God condemned these sorts of supernatural activities in the laws prescribed to the Israelites through Moses, as seen in Deuteronomy 18:10–11:
Let no one be found among you who consigns a son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead.
In the ancient Greco-Roman world of the early church, magic was practiced privately but it was neither a favorable practice nor an acceptable one. It was reported that in the year 13 BC, Augustus Caesar ordered the burning of thousands of books on magic. The Book of Acts also describes the burning of books of magic by early converts to Christianity
Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. (Acts 19:18-20)
The magical arts, whether real and demonic, or of the illusionary kind, can be found in many ancient societies; they are still practiced throughout the modern world. The Bible condemns the magic practiced by witches, sorcerers, and others in order to control the environment and people around them as the works of evil. They deny the sovereignty of the Almighty God and His will. Their mode of operation is revealed in Peter’s condemnation of Simon Magus. Peter told Simon, “you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money… your heart is not right before God…. you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” Simon Magus neither comprehended the power of Jesus Christ nor experienced the transformation of his life. He merely followed what others did but his inner motive was to obtain powers to add to his collection. Simon’s motivations stem from the darkening of his mind, a quest for secret dark knowledge by which he controlled others, the pursuit of fortune, and selfishness. Tradition holds that he and his followers formed the heretic sect known as the Simonians but they are only one in the line of false prophets who mislead people about the truth of God. Modern Satanism, concocted by wicked men such as Anton LaVey mislead people with erroneous notions of atheism and selfishness, teaching cardinal vices of materialism, egoism, carnal desires, and promoting social Darwinism and other harmful anti-human teachings. Christians should avoid following such paths and teachings lest they betray the gospel which they received. They should avoid such ideologies which will twist and darken their minds to the knowledge of God and the light of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
Is Halloween Harmless Fun?
Consider the distinct teachings or practices of Halloween versus the Christian faith. On Halloween, the focus is on death, decay, and the dead. Fear, gore, and violence are staples of this season. Even the practice of Mischief Night or the “trick” in ‘trick-or-treat’ implies wrongdoing even though the pranks may be harmless. There is a depiction on sinful living and sins such as violence or lust. In contrast, Christianity emphasizes victory over death and destruction, the victory over evil and Satan, and the practice of the Divine Virtues.
In this day which celebrates darkness and the night, the words of the apostle Paul to the Thessalonians are worth listening to:
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So, then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober, for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. (1 Thess 5:4-7)
What are the things of darkness? These are the attitudes and ways of living that have no benefit for our spiritual growth and may in fact be harmful to us physically also: harming us in the ways we think and behave. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, the things of darkness are the failure to acknowledge God which leads such people to go against their human nature and all things which are good and right (Romans 1:28-31). Such a wickedness may not be embodied in every person but collectively as a society there is a stench of death and an overall decline of culture and morality. But the things of the light are exactly the opposite, which the apostle Paul pointed out to the Ephesians: “to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and diluted by its lusts, and to clothe yourselves with the new life, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17 – 24)”
What should be our reaction to Halloween? We, especially parents, must know what it is really about. Don’t entertain it has simply harmless fun but also avoid the evil aspects of this day. Don’t blindly follow the practices of Halloween. There is a fine line between entertainment and practices which are harmful to our spirituality. Therefore, think critically about these things according to the principles found in Philippians 4: 8–9.
- Which things are true?
- What is honorable?
- What is pure?
- What is pleasing?
- Which is commendable?
- Which are excellent and worthy of praise?
Whether Halloween or any other practice that is found in our life or the surrounding culture, evaluate them first according to the principles of the Bible. Be alert about what these practices are, avoid things which are damaging to the body and the spirit, stay away from confusing ideologies, and focus one’s attention on the things that belong to God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.