The "Christian" history of Halloween
The Roman Catholic festival of All Saints is known to have been introduced in the early 7th century, on the occasion of the dedication of the Pantheon as a church. The Pantheon was a Pagan temple built to the gods of Rome, and the name "Pantheon" literally means "to every god". So, I guess it only makes sense that after adopting a Pagan Temple for worship, that Christianity would adopt a pagan holiday in commemoration of the event.
The Roman Catholic Church officially named the celebration All Saints' Day, All Hallows, or Hallowmas. All Saints' became the festival to honor any saint who didn't already have a day of his or her own. The mass which was said on All Saints' was called Allhallowmas, the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before naturally became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually morphed into what we call Halloween.
To hallow is to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate. It is important to note that God never told us to celebrate, remember, or honor deceased ancestors or "Saints" in any way. The only one whom we are to consider "Hallowed" is God himself. No man is worthy of such reverence. Thus, this is a form of idolatry. This in itself is enough reason not to celebrate Halloween, but it gets much worse.
"Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry." (1Corinthians 10:14)
Should Christians celebrate Halloween?
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 18:9-13)
Halloween is a religious day, but it is not Christian. It has strong roots in paganism and witchcraft. It began as the Druid festival of Samhain. The Celts considered it the day of death. The druids also taught that on the eve of the feast of Samhain, the spirits of all who had died during the previous year would return to their former home to visit the living.
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there." (Deuteronomy 18:9)
Samhain is still celebrated today as a religious festival by both Pagans and Wiccans, and was a Pagan celebration long before it was celebrated by any Christian. Also known as The Witch's New Year, it is a pagan celebration of remembering ancestors, honoring the dead, and communicating with the underworld.
"Don't dabble in the occult or consult with mediums; you'll pollute your souls. I am God, your God." (Lev. 19:31)
"I will resolutely reject persons who dabble in the occult or consult with mediums, prostituting themselves in their practices. I will cut them off from their people." (Lev. 20:6)
Known by most folks as Halloween, Samhain is considered by Pagans and Wiccans as a Sabbat (Witches Sabbath) to honor the ancestors who came before us, and is considered by most Wiccans to be the most important of the Witches Sabbats. They believe that it is s a good time to contact the spirit world with a seance, because it's the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.
"Let no one be found among you who… practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD…" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
Worship Rituals
There are various rituals or acts of worship that are connected to this Pagan festival. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, you are not to learn how to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through fire…" (Deut. 18:9-10)
People superstitiously wore masks and costumes to placate, trick, or frighten away evil spirits.
"They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans." (Isaiah 2:6)
The Jack-O-Lantern finds its origin in the candle-lit turnip, pumpkin, or skull, which served as a signal to mark those farms and homes that supported the Pagan religion, and thus were seeking the “treat” when the terror of Halloween began. The World Book Encyclopedia says: “The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of the Jack-O-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul.”
"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them, for it is shameful to even speak of the things which are done by them in secret." (Ephesians 5:11-12)
In some cultures girls would stay inside playing games of divination, while the boys went out and caused trouble in the neighborhood. Popular tricks include toilet papering yards and buildings, powder-bombing and egging cars, people, and homes, using soap to write on windows, "forking" yards, setting off consumer fireworks, smashing pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns, and various other forms of vandalism.
"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)
Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, the occult, and mythical monsters. Fear is the goal and motivation for many people who celebrate this festival. Horror movies, haunted houses, and games involving witchcraft are commonplace for many practitioners. Tarot cards and Ouija boards are featured at many parties, and scary costumes abound. Gore, horror, and terror are common words associated with this festival, and people of all ages seek to scare or be scared in some way or another.
"Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)
In many forms of paganism, witchcraft, and the occult, altars are constructed, sacrifices are offered, and spirits are consulted on this night.
"…the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? …" (1Corinthians 10:20-22)
Many Christians and churches have tried to offer "Christian alternatives" to the otherwise pagan festival. These alternatives include "Fall Festivals", "Harvest Festivals", "Hell Houses", and various other fall or harvest related events. Should Christians try to celebrate an alternative event? I will let you be the judge of that, but consider these scriptures.
"Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God." (3John 1:11)
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron… Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly." (1Timothy 4:1-7)
Biblical Fall Festivals
Instead of celebrating a pagan festival, perhaps we should consider celebrating the "Fall Festivals" that God gave to us in the Bible. There are three fall festivals found in the Bible, and they are closely related to one another. These festivals are known as the "Feast of Trumpets", "Day of Atonement", and the "Feast of Tabernacles".
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies…" (Leviticus 23:1-2)
These are "sacred assemblies" given by God to us. They are divine appointments that God has placed on the calendar for us to participate in with Him. They are special meeting times, and they are prophetic about God's plans for the future. (I will go into more details on this in a future article).
What Holidays did God give us, and why are they significant?
I want to briefly introduce these festivals, and bring up the importance of each. There are seven feasts collected within three assembly times. These are celebrations of Jesus, and are prophetic about the times and seasons that God has appointed. These are found in Leviticus chapter 23.
Spring Festivals: (First Coming)
- Passover (Pesach) - Jesus, our Passover lamb (1Cor 5:7)
- Feast of Unleavened Bread (festival of matzah) - Jesus, bread without yeast was broken, striped, and pierced (Matt 26:26)
- Firstfruits - Jesus, the Firstfruits of the resurrection (1Cor 15:20)
Summer Festival: (Church Era)
- Feast of Weeks (Shavu'ot) [Pentecost] - Jesus, sent the Holy Spirit, the Church began (Acts 2:1)
Fall Festivals: (Second Coming)
- Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah) - Jesus, returns at the last trump (1Cor 15:52)
- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) - Jesus will judge the world (Acts 17:31, Rev. 20:12)
- Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) - God will make his dwelling among us (Rev. 21:3)
It is important to remember that these festivals were given "to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come" (Lev. 23:41) That means that God intended for these events to be celebrated for all generations by all who believe in Him. Also, because of their strong Messianic and prophetic significance, Christians should be eager to participate in them.
"THEREFORE LET US KEEP THE FESTIVAL, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." (1Cor 5:8)