Halloween

Overview

Like that for Guy Fawkes – 5th November – bonfires and fireworks, Christians should NOT take part in Halloween. It is a satanic PAGAN ritual.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or WHATSOEVER YE DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD.

On this matter, Muslims have got things correct – they adopt a ZERO tolerance and acceptance to Halloween.

Those Christians who seek to tolerate and accept Halloween need to adopt what God has said about these PAGAN FESTIVALS. In doing so, they would follow the Muslim example in rejecting this PAGAN FESTIVAL.

Halloween. The Encyclopedia Americana says: “Elements of the customs connected with Halloween can be traced to a Druid [ancient Celtic priesthood] ceremony in pre-Christian times. The Celts had festivals for two major gods – a sun god and a god of the dead . . . , whose festival was held on November 1, the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The festival of the dead was gradually incorporated into Christian ritual.”

The name Halloween (originally spelled Hallowe’en) is a contraction of All Hallows Even, meaning the day before All Hallows Day (better known today as All Saints Day), a Catholic holiday commemorating Christian saints and martyrs observed since the early Middle Ages on November 1.

Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honouring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

This pagan holiday has roots reaching back to the Celts of Europe, who occupied parts of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France. It was a pagan festival called “Samhain” (pronounced “sow-in”) that celebrated the honour of the dead and involved the offering of large sacrifices of crops and animals.

In the early 1900s, the migrating Irish and Scots brought Halloween traditions to the United States. Over time, Halloween catapulted into mainstream culture.

Although many affirm that Samhain was the origin of modern-day Halloween, it is significant to note how many cultures throughout the world have celebrated a “day of the dead” (often with sacrifices), occurring at the end of summer and autumn [fall]. There seem to be too many parallels to call these similar celebrations a coincidence.

Halloween has generally been regarded as an American holiday. Yet this celebration has become popular in many parts of the world. Additionally, there are other festivities that are like Halloween in that they celebrate the existence and activity of spirit creatures. Here are some of the popular holidays like Halloween around the globe:

> North America – Day of the Dead

> South America – Kawsasqanchis

> Europe – Day of the Dead and variations of Halloween.

Many cultures have a form of Halloween in their tradition. It seems that most of this world’s peoples desire to celebrate the dead. The holidays or feasts may vary from place to place, falling on different days and following different customs. The common denominator is that they all honour or remember the dead or unseen spirits.

For example, in the Americas there is the Mexican Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos) that goes back to the ancient festival of the dead celebrated by Aztecs and the more-ancient Olmec. This was likely where the Guatemalans got their Day of the Dead. In the Mexican Day of the Dead participants give out candies in the shape of skeletons and visit graveyards to commune with the dead by leaving them food. Certain African tribes set aside days to honour the unseen spirits, warding off the evil ones and placating the good. German, Scandinavian, Spanish, Italian, and many other cultures have a Halloween-type holiday.

Brazilians also celebrate Finados (Day of the Dead). Bolivia has the Day of the Skulls (Día de los Natitas).

In Asia, there are similar festivals. For example, the Chinese celebrated the Ghost Festival, which was a day to pay homage to dead ancestors. The Japanese honour their ancestors by celebrating something similar called O-bon or merely Bon. Even Vietnam has a variant of the Ghost Festival called Tet Trung Nguyen. In Korea, there is Chuseok or Hankawi, in which deceased ancestors are ritualised. In Nepal, there is the cow pilgrimage called Gia Jatra to honour the recently deceased. In the Philippines, there is the Day of the Dead (Araw ng mga Patay), where tombs are cleaned and repainted. The list goes on and on.

In English-speaking countries, Halloween derives primarily from the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). Samhain, held on the three days around November 1, was a kind of New Year’s celebration and harvest festival all rolled up into one.

The Celts believed that these three days were special because of the transition from the old year to the new. They felt that during this time the boundary between the physical and spiritual worlds relaxed or lifted, allowing spirits to cross over more easily. This idea, of course, terrifies superstitious people – that departed spirits could walk among us, especially those who died in the past year as it was thought these spirits desired to return to the mortal realm. For this reason, they believed they had to appease the spirits to make them go into the spirit world and stay there.

The Celts did this by putting out food and treats so that, when these spirits came floating by their houses, they would pass on. They thought that, if they did not appease the spirits, they would play tricks or put curses on them. Whole villages would unite to drive away the evil spirits, ensuring that the upcoming year would be good. Others among them would hold séances or conduct other kinds of divination by incantation, potion, or trance to contact dead ancestors in hope of receiving guidance and inspiration.

An interesting aspect of this transition time – the three days of Samhain – is that it was considered to be “no time,” a time unto itself. Thus, it became a tradition that the order and the rules by which people lived were held in abeyance during them.

All laws went unenforced. The social order was turned upside-down – the fool became king, and the king became the fool. Men dressed as women and vice-versa. People took on different personas, dressing in disguise and acting the part. No work was done during this period of total abandon, for it was a time for revelry, drinking, eating, making and taking dares, and breaking the law. In a word, it was chaos.

Then Roman Catholicism arrived on the scene and “converted” the pagans. It also decreed a day to honour departed saints: May 13, All Saints’ Day. The priests instructed the “converted” pagans to keep All Saints’ Day, but they continued to celebrate Samhain because it was so much more fun than attending church to pray for the hallowed saints of yesteryear.

To keep them in the fold, in 835 AD Pope Gregory IV officially authorised moving All Saints’ Day to November 1 to coincide with Samhain. He allowed the pagan “Christians” to keep their old customs as long as they put a gloss of Christianity on them. Thus, they kept Samhain in the name of Christ to honour the departed saints.

Like Samhain, All Saints’ Day began the evening before, which was called All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Eve, or Halloween. Since then, Halloween has evolved into its present form, in which nothing remotely Christian remains. It is known for all its pre-Christian Celtic practices – particularly the recognition of the spirit world in the form of fairies, witches, ogres, goblins, demons, ghouls, vampires, etc..

“Halloween,” explains the Encyclopedia of American Folklore, “is integrally related to the prospect of contact with spiritual forces, many of which threaten or frighten.” Likewise, many celebrations like Halloween have pagan origins and are deeply rooted in ancestor worship. Even today, people around the world use these days to make contact with supposed spirits of the dead.

Although Halloween has been viewed mainly as an American holiday, each year people in more and more countries have been adopting it. Many newcomers to the celebration, however, are unaware of the pagan origins of Halloween symbols, decorations, and customs, most of which are related to supernatural beings and occult forces.

Celebrations like Halloween are in conflict with Bible teachings. The Bible warns as follows:

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth DIVINATION, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, [Numerology is a form of divination; Gematria is a God given hidden language.]

Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Leviticus 19:31 ¶ Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your GOD.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Galatians 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Thousands of Wiccans, who follow ancient Celtic rituals, still call Halloween by the ancient name Samhain and consider it to be the most sacred night of the year. “Christians don’t realise it, but they’re celebrating our holiday with us. . . . We like it,” stated the newspaper USA Today when quoting a professed witch.

Samhain

Samhain was an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, celebrated from October 31 to November 1. It was considered a liminal time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was thin, allowing spirits to cross over. Key traditions included bonfires, rituals to appease spirits, offerings of food, and divination games, laying the groundwork for modern Halloween celebrations.

Key aspects of Samhain

Seasonal significance: It marked the end of the lighter half of the year and the start of the darker, colder half, also functioning as the Celtic New Year.

Beliefs about the spirit world:

The boundary between the land of the living and the “Otherworld” was believed to thin, allowing spirits and the fairy folk [Aos Sí – The Aos Sí are a supernatural race from Irish and Scottish folklore, comparable to elves or fairies, whose name means “people of the mounds”] to pass into our world.

Offerings of food and drink were left to appease these spirits and ensure a safe winter.

Ancestors’ souls were thought to visit their homes, and a place was set for them at the table.

Traditions and rituals:

Bonfires: Large bonfires were lit for cleansing and protective purposes, and people would take a flame from them to relight their own hearth fires.

Offerings: Food and drink were offered to the spirits, sometimes through a ritualistic “dumb supper” where celebrants ate in silence while inviting ancestors to join them.

Divination: The festival was a popular time for fortune-telling, often using nuts and apples. The tradition of “bobbing for apples” is thought to have originated from this.

Costumes and “guising”: People wore costumes and went door-to-door reciting verses for food, possibly as a way to imitate or disguise themselves from the Aos Sí. The practice of carving faces into turnips to ward off evil spirits is also an ancient precursor to Jack-o’-lanterns.

Christian influence: The Christian church later attempted to co-opt the festival. Pope Gregory moved the celebration to November 1st, establishing All Saints’ Day, which was followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2nd. This was an effort to Christianise the pagan festival and its timing, and many of its traditions were incorporated into these new holidays, which ultimately led to the modern celebration of Halloween.

Where did the Jack-o’-lantern originate?

The carved pumpkin may have originated with the witches’ use of a collection of skulls with a candle in each to light the way to coven meetings. But among the Irish, who, as noted, prompted the popularisation of Halloween in America, the legend of “Irish Jack” explains the Jack-o’-lantern. According to the legend, a stingy drunk named Jack tricked the devil into climbing an apple tree for an apple, but then cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree to prevent the devil from coming down. Jack then forced the devil to swear he would never come after Jack’s soul. The devil reluctantly agreed.

Jack eventually died, but he was turned away at the gates of heaven because of his drunkenness and life of selfishness. He was sent to the devil, who also rejected him, keeping his promise. Since Jack had no place to go, he was condemned to wander the earth. As he was leaving hell (he happened to be eating a turnip), the devil threw a live coal at him. He put the coal inside the turnip and has since forever been roaming the earth with his “jack-o’-lantern” in search of a place to rest. Eventually, pumpkins replaced turnips since it was much easier to symbolise the devil’s coal inside a pumpkin.

How did the tradition of trick-or-treating begin?

There are several ancient practices that point to this tradition. One possibility is from the notion that ancient witches had to steal the materials needed for their festivals. The Druids may have believed that witches held this day to be special, something clearly true for modern witches.

The idea of trick-or-treating is further related to the ghosts of the dead in pagan, and even Catholic, history. For example, among the ancient Druids, “The ghosts that were thought to throng about the houses of the living were greeted with a banquet-laden table. At the end of the feast, masked and costumed villagers representing the souls of the dead paraded to the outskirts of town leading the ghosts away.”

As already noted, Halloween was thought to be a night when mischievous and evil spirits roamed freely. As in modern poltergeist lore, mischievous spirits could play tricks on the living – so it was advantageous to “hide” from them by wearing costumes. Masks and costumes were worn to either scare away the ghosts or to keep from being recognised by them:

In Ireland especially, people thought that ghosts and spirits roamed after dark on Halloween. They lit candles or lanterns to keep the spirits away, and if they had to go outside, they wore costumes and masks to frighten the spirits or to keep from being recognised by these unearthly beings.

Where did Halloween costumes originate?

Besides the reasons given above, Halloween masks and costumes were used to hide one’s attendance at pagan festivals or – as in traditional shamanism (mediated by a witch doctor or pagan priest) and other forms of animism – to change the personality of the wearer to allow for communication with the spirit world. Here, costumes could be worn to ward off evil spirits. On the other hand, the costume wearer might use a mask to try to attract and absorb the power of the animal represented by the mask and costume worn. According to this scenario, Halloween costumes may have originated with the Celtic Druid ceremonial participants, who wore animal heads and skins to acquire the strength of a particular animal.

An additional layer of tradition explaining the origin of Halloween costumes comes from the medieval Catholic practice of displaying the relics of saints on All Saints’ Day: “The poorer churches could not afford relics and so instituted a procession with parishioners dressed as the patron saints; the extras dressed as angels or devils and everyone paraded around the churchyard.”

Going from door to door seeking treats may result from the Druidic practice of begging material for the great bonfires. It is also related to the Catholic concept of purgatory and the custom of begging for a “soul cake.”

As for the “trick” custom of Halloween, this is related to the idea that ghosts and witches created mischief on this particular night. For example, if the living did not provide food, or “treats,” for the spirits, then the spirits would “trick” the living. People feared terrible things might happen to them if they did not honour the spirits. The Druids also believed that failure to worship their gods would bring dire consequences. If the gods were not treated properly in ritual, they would seek vengeance. This was therefore a day of fear. Further, some people soon realised that a mischievous sense of humour, or even malevolence, could be camouflaged – that they could perform practical jokes on or do harm to others and blame it on the ghosts or witches roaming about.

What’s the significance of fruits and nuts at Halloween?

Halloween traditions often involve fruit centrepieces, apples, and nuts. Three of the sacred fruits of the Celts were acorns, apples, and nuts, especially the hazelnut, considered a god, and the acorn, sacred from its association to the oak. Fruits and nuts also seem to be related to the Roman harvest feast of Pomona, apparently the goddess of fruit. For example, in ancient Rome, cider was drawn and the Romans bobbed for apples, which was part of a divination that supposedly helped a person discover their future marriage partner.

How did we get the tradition of telling ghost stories?

It became a natural expression of Halloween to tell ghost stories when dead souls were believed to be everywhere, and good, mischievous, and evil spirits roamed freely. These stories further originated as a personal expression of these beliefs.

Irish History – Samhain is thought to be the earliest manifestation of what we consider Halloween today. The medieval Irish festival, which started in the 10th century, marked the beginning of winter and the start of “the dark half” of the year, with the following day being All Saint’s Day. The autumn [fall] festival celebrated the final harvest of the year and also paid tribute to the dead. Bonfires were a staple at these events and it was the time when most cattle were slaughtered for food for the winter. Through the Christianisation of the people of Ireland, All Saint’s Day became All Hallows’ Day, which in turn transformed Samhain to All Hallows’ Eve and finally, Halloween.

The pagan festival of ancient Ireland known as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win, sah-ween or sow-in”), means “summer’s end” in Gaelic. The prehistoric observance is said to have marked the end of summer and the onset of winter, and was celebrated with feasting, bonfires, sacrificial offerings, and homage to the dead.

Samhain means “summer’s end” by the Celts. In old Germanic and Celtic societies, what we call equinoxes and solstices marked the middles of the season, not the beginnings. Therefore if there exist an autumnal equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox and a summer solstice, there are also the beginning of autumn, winter, spring and summer. All of these eight dates were important. Summer’s end which meant the beginning of winter was an important time for people who survived on plants grown in the field and animals that were kept in pastures. “This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death”. It is most likely this reason that the Druids (Celtic pagans) believed that the spirits of those who died the preceding year roamed the earth the night of Samhain.

Because ancient records are sparse and fragmentary, the exact nature of Samhain is not fully understood, but it was an annual communal meeting at the end of the harvest year, a time to gather resources for the winter months and bring animals back from the pastures. Samhain is also thought to have been a time of communing with the dead.

“According to the ancient sagas, Samhain was the time when tribal peoples paid tribute to their conquerors and when the sidh [ancient mounds] might reveal the magnificent palaces of the gods of the underworld.”

Isaiah 8:19 ¶ And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Isaiah 8:20 To the LAW and to the TESTIMONY: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them. [True prophets give messages that harmonise with the Bible.]

The earliest trace (of Halloween) is the Celtic festival, Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year. It was the “Day of the Dead”, and they believed the souls of the deceased would be available.

Halloween had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.

The festival observed at this time was called Samhain. It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year travelled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honour of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons – all part of the dark and dread.

Although no original written accounts of this festival exist today from the ancient Celts, there is some reference to it in Roman records from when the Romans conquered Celtic lands around 43 AD. Under Roman rule, the day of Samhain was influenced by Roman festivals of the time. The first was called “Pomona,” which was a type of harvest festival, and the next was “Feralia,” the Roman “Day of the Dead”. Interestingly, both Feralia and Samhain were festivals of the dead and celebrated at the end of October.

By 43 AD, “Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory.” For the 400 years they occupied Celtic lands, two Roman festivals: Feralia (the commemoration of the passing of the dead) and a day to honour Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruits and trees). The apple served as a symbol for Pomona and which might have been incorporated into Samhain by the practice of “bobbing for apples”.

Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people. In the early centuries of the first millennium AD, before missionaries such as “St.” Patrick and “St.” Columcille converted them to Christianity, the Celts practised an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids, who were priests, poets, scientists and scholars all at once. As religious leaders, ritual specialists, and bearers of learning, the Druids were not unlike the very missionaries and monks who were to Christianise their people and brand them evil devil worshippers.

Samhain, with its emphasis on the supernatural, was decidedly pagan. While missionaries identified their holy days with those observed by the Celts, they branded the earlier religion’s supernatural deities as evil, and associated them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered evil worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits. The Celtic underworld inevitably became identified with the Christian Hell.

The effects of this policy were to diminish but not totally eradicate the beliefs in the traditional gods. Celtic belief in supernatural creatures persisted, while the church made deliberate attempts to define them as being not merely dangerous, but malicious. Followers of the old religion went into hiding and were branded as witches.

What is Halloween?

Halloween, in some places, is a secular holiday combining vestiges of traditional harvest festival celebrations with customs more peculiar to the occasion such as costume wearing, trick-or-treating, pranksterism, and decorative imagery based on the changing of the seasons, death, and the supernatural. It takes place on October 31.

Though it was regarded up until the last few decades of the 20th century as primarily a children’s holiday, in more recent years activities such as costume parties, themed decorations, and even trick-or-treating have grown increasingly popular with adults as well, making Halloween a celebration for all ages.

Each year in America at least, as the last day of October nears, members of God’s church begin making plans to avoid Halloween. Some plan a trip to the local mall to do some shopping, even though the malls teem with kids and their parents trick-or-treating. Others hope to escape to the movie theatre to watch whatever happens to be in distribution at the time. A few seek out various other amusements from miniature golf to autumnal carnivals. Those of us with either less imagination or less motivation simply make ourselves appear to be somewhere else, putting the car in the garage, turning off all the lights at the front of the house, and creeping around on tiptoe so that no sound gives away our presence.

These plans coincide with a feeling of resigned dread that the holiday season – now stretching from mid-October to early-January – is upon us. We used to catch a break between the Feast of Tabernacles and the annoyances of the Christmas season, but no longer. Halloween has just become too big for kids, party-goers, and retailers alike, to pass over so easily.

Each year, roughly 65-70% of adults participate in Halloween, which includes wearing a costume. About 80% of households distribute treats to an average of 37 trick-or-treaters, and sadly, despite their best intentions, 7% of children eat all their candy on the first night.

In terms of retail sales, Halloween is second only to Christmas. Americans spend over $3 billion on Halloween items and activities, with nearly $2 billion spent on candy and the rest on costumes, decorations, and party favours. The average household shells out an average of $81 to celebrate this evening, mostly on candy and decorations.

As a party day, Halloween is third behind Christmas and Super Bowl Sunday. Bottlers sell more beer around Halloween than around Saint Patrick’s Day, when the beer flows like water. In many ways, Halloween is becoming a favourite of adults across America, a time when they can shed their inhibitions behind a mask and costume.

Many professing Christians have considered Halloween to be innocuous, an evening of innocent fun. However, there is a great deal more to this holiday than darling children dressed in cute costumes shouting for candy at the neighbours’ doors. Once the facts are known, no sound argument justifies Christians observing this most unchristian holiday – an unholy mixture of rank consumerism with outright paganism, occultism, vandalism, hedonism, and demonism.

What is Halloween and why is it celebrated?

Since Halloween itself originated in paganism, it is not surprising that its customs are related to pagan belief.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica: In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic Festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, at the end of summer…. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favourable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.

Halloween, celebrated on October 31st, is a holiday with roots in the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain, marking the end of summer and the beginning of winter, when the boundary between the living and dead was believed to be thin. It has since blended with Christian observances like All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day) and evolved into a modern festival featuring costumes, trick-or-treating, and parties, stemming from traditions like bonfires and warding off spirits.

Origins of Halloween

Samhain (Pagan Festival): Around 2,000 years ago, the Celts in ancient Europe celebrated Samhain, believing that on this night, spirits of the dead returned to Earth, potentially harming people or damaging crops.

Warding off Spirits: To protect themselves, the Celts lit large bonfires and wore costumes made of animal skins to scare away evil spirits.

Christian Influence: In the 7th and 9th centuries, the Catholic Church established All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd). “All Hallows’ Eve” (the night before All Hallows’ Day) eventually became “Halloween”.

What Is the Original Source for Halloween?

It seems no coincidence that cultures all around the world in both present and ancient times have had a holiday when the dead were remembered and animals were sacrificed. We can make a pretty strong argument that this holiday goes back to a time when all the peoples lived together – and then they took this holiday to various parts of the world.

Otherwise, it seems strange and difficult to explain how these cultures developed celebrations that are so similar. This would likely push the true origin of “Halloween” and these other “days of the dead” to the time before the dispersion at Babel (Genesis 11), over 4,250 years ago, after which different early cultures began to vary in its practice.

According to Archbishop Ussher [Usher], the time frame between these events was about 106 years, with the Flood ending in 2348 BC. and the dispersion occurring about 2242 BC. In this time frame, Noah would have still been alive, and Noah’s sons, too. We are not given much information in Genesis about the wives of Noah or his three sons, but Noah’s son’s wives were busy having children after the Flood, producing a total of 16 grandsons for Noah. And then their children had children, and so on!

Origin of Halloween

While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Halloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.

Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the Feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honour the dead.

The Druids celebrated this holiday with a great fire festival to encourage the dimming Sun not to vanish and people “danced round bonfires to keep evil spirits away, but left their doors open in the hope that the kind spirits of loved ones might join them around their hearths”. On this night, “divination was thought to be more effective than any other time, so methods were derived to ascertain who might marry, what great person might be born, who might rise to prominence, or who might die. Also during the celebration, the Celts “wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes”. Crops were burned and animals were sacrificed. The spirits were believed to be either “entertained by the living”, or to “find a body to possess for the incoming year”. This all gives reasons as to why “dressing up like witches, ghosts and goblins, villagers could avoid being possessed.”

Samhain signifies “summer’s end” or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.

The Celts were descendants of Gomer and were often equated with ancient Gauls or Galatians.

The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year’s crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.

How and when did Halloween originate?

According to the best available evidence, Halloween originated as a Catholic vigil observed on the eve of All Saints Day, November 1, in the early Middle Ages.

It has become commonplace to trace its roots even further back in time to a pagan festival of ancient Ireland known as Samhain (pronounced sow’-en or sow’-een), about which little is actually known. The prehistoric observance is said to have marked the end of summer and the onset of winter, and was celebrated with feasting, bonfires, sacrificial offerings, and homage to the dead.

Despite thematic similarities, there’s scant evidence of any real historical continuity linking Samhain to the medieval observance of Halloween, however. Some modern historians, notably Ronald Hutton (The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain, 1996) and Steve Roud (The English Year, 2008, and A Dictionary of English Folklore, 2005), flatly reject the popular notion that the Church designated November 1st All Saints Day to “Christianise” the pagan Celtic holiday. Citing a lack of historical documentation, Roud goes so far as to dismiss the Samhain theory of origin altogether.

“Certainly the Festival of Samhain, meaning Summer’s End, was by far the most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Irish calendar, and there was a sense that this was the time of year when the physical and supernatural worlds were closest and magical things could happen,” Roud notes, “but however strong the evidence in Ireland, in Wales it was May 1 and New Year which took precedence, in Scotland there is hardly any mention of it until much later, and in Anglo-Saxon England even less.”

It seems reasonable to conclude that the connection between Halloween and Samhain has, at the very least, been overstated in most modern accounts of the holiday’s origin.

Halloween History & Origin

Halloween [October 31st] or All Hallows Eve, as it is sometimes referred to, is a lot different now than it may have been celebrated many centuries ago.

Earliest Trace

Peter Tokofsky, an assistant professor in the department of folklore and mythology in UCLA states, “The earliest trace (of Halloween) is the Celtic festival, Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year. It was the “Day of the Dead”, and they believed the souls of the deceased would be available” (Navarro).

In America, Halloween is the one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. It’s one of the most popular holidays, second only to Christmas. While millions of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts of Halloween make the holiday more fascinating.

Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.

As the Christian debate goes on, celebrating Halloween is a preference that is not always viewed as participating in an evil holiday. Halloween is often celebrated with no reference to pagan rituals nor to the occult.

Halloween Timeline

5th Century BC

The Celts observe the Festival of Samhain at the end of October, when they believe ghosts and demons roam the earth more so than at other times.

1st Century AD

The Romans conquer the Celts and adopt the spiritistic rituals of Samhain.

7th Century AD

Around 600 AD, Pope Boniface IV is said to have established the annual celebration of All Saints’ Day to honour martyrs. Later, in the 8th Century, Pope Gregory III moved this holiday to November 1 in an effort to give a Christian alternative to this pagan celebration.

Christians who did not want to celebrate pagan festivals celebrated something of positive spiritual value – in this case honouring the saints and martyrs. With the overwhelming expansion of Christianity in Europe, All Saint’s Day became the dominant holiday.

In fact, the current name of “Halloween” originates from the day before All Saint’s Day, which was called “All Hallow Evening”; this name was shortened to “All Hallow’s Eve” or “All Hallow’s Even.” The name changed over time and became “Hallowe’en.”

As a result of their efforts to wipe out “pagan” holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 AD. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples’ customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.

In terms of spreading Christianity, this was a brilliant concept and it became a basic approach used in Catholic missionary work. Church holy days were purposely set to coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of many peoples. Likewise, “St.” John’s Day was set on the summer solstice.

8th Century

Pope Gregory III moved the All Saints’ Day holiday to November 1st in an effort to give a Christian alternative to this pagan celebration.

The Christian feast of All Saints was assigned to November 1st. The day honoured every Christian saint, especially those that did not otherwise have a special day devoted to them. This feast day was meant to substitute for Samhain, to draw the devotion of the Celtic peoples, and, finally, to replace it forever. That did not happen, but the traditional Celtic deities diminished in status, becoming fairies or leprechauns of more recent traditions.

The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely. The powerful symbolism of the travelling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honouring saints. Recognising that something that would subsume the original energy of Samhain was necessary, the church tried again to supplant it with a Christian feast day in the 9th Century. This time it established November 2nd as All Souls Day – a day when the living prayed for the souls of all the dead. But, once again, the practice of retaining traditional customs while attempting to redefine them had a sustaining effect: the traditional beliefs and customs lived on, in new guises.

9th Century

When “local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts.” Pope Gregory IV wanted to substitute Samhain with All Saints’ Day in 835 AD.

10th Century

All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), which is closer in resemblance to Samhain and Halloween today, was “first instituted at a French monastery in 998 AD and quickly spread throughout Europe”.

11th Century

The modern date of All Souls’ Day was first popularised in the early 11th Century after Abbot Odilo established it as a day for the monks of Cluny and associated monasteries to pray for the souls in purgatory.

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are collectively called Hallowtide.

The Roman Church made November 2nd All Souls Day to commemorate and honour the dead. This may well have been influenced by the continued persistence of the “Day of the Dead” by the ancient Irish, Scots, and others in Europe. Standing against this, many Protestant Christians [later] celebrated October 31st as Reformation Day in honour of reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others who spear-headed the Reformation in the 1500’s.

The earliest documented customs attributable to Halloween proper grew out of the tandem observances of All Saints’ Day (November 1), a day of prayer for saints and martyrs of the Church, and All Souls Day (November 2), a day of prayer for the souls of all the dead. Among the practices associated with Halloween during the Medieval period were the lighting of bonfires, evidently to symbolise the plight of souls lost in purgatory, and souling, which consisted of going door-to-door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for “soul cakes” and other treats. Mumming, a custom originally associated with Christmas consisted of parading in costume, chanting rhymes, and play-acting, was a somewhat later addition to Halloween.

16th Century

“Christian village children celebrated the vigil of All Saints’ by doing the Danse Macabre. The Seven Brethren whose grizzly death is described in the seventh chapter of the deuterocanonical book of Second Maccabees” is also said to have resulted in children dressing up in grizzly costumes to signify these deaths.

The modern definition and use of the term “saint” in the Roman Catholic Church was not instigated until 1588 by Pope Sixtus V. At this point, Catholics began their stage of proclaiming saints in a three-step procedure: Venerable, Blessed, and then a “Saint.” There is no reason to assume that, before this, saints were viewed any different to that held by Protestants. Even Luther used the term saints correctly in his 95 Theses and had no complaint toward its use. It wasn’t until after Luther that the word was redefined, and its use was corrupted.

Tricks and Treats: A traditional practice of divination was very common during Samhain. Methods such as reading apple peels, interpreting the movements of roasted nuts and counting crows all were used to find answers to questions about children, fortune and love. Later on, in the 16th Century, children also roamed the villages in costumes, while carrying turnip lanterns, performing tricks for treats.

Costumes: There were many children and adults who dressed as the dead for the festival. They blackened their faces and dressed in white, as to appear like a ghost. They also created masks and wore veils to conceal their identity.

18th Century

The name of the holiday, Hallowe’en (Hallow Evening) appears in print as Halloween.

All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic church honoured saints on this designated day.

All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows (hallowed means sanctified or holy), continued the ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to propitiate those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Hallowe’en – an ancient Celtic, pre-Christian New Year’s Day in contemporary dress.

Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic “Day of the Dead”.

19th Century

Thousands of people who moved from Ireland to the United States brought with them Halloween customs that, in time, combined with similar customs of emigrants from Britain and Germany, as well as Africa and other parts of the world.

Again, however, despite the obvious similarities between old and new, it may be an exaggeration to say these medieval customs “survived” to the present day, or even that they “evolved” into modern Halloween practices such as trick-or-treating. By the time Irish immigrants brought the holiday to North America in the mid-1800s, mumming and souling were all but forgotten in Ireland itself, where the known Halloween customs of the time consisted of praying, communal feasting, and playing divination games such as bobbing for apples.

Halloween came to the United States when European immigrants “brought their varied Halloween customs with them”. In the second half of the 19th Century, America was flooded with new immigrants including the Irish fleeing from the potato famine in Ireland in 1846. By combining Irish and English traditions, Americans began the “trick-or-treat” tradition. In the later 1800’s the holiday became more centred on community and in the 1920’s and 1930’s, Halloween became “a secular, but community-centred holiday”. In the 1950’s leaders changed Halloween as a holiday aimed at the young to limit vandalism. This all led to what Halloween actually is like today.

By the time Irish immigrants brought the holiday to North America in the mid-1800s, mumming and souling were all but forgotten in Ireland itself, where the known Halloween customs of the time consisted of praying, communal feasting, and playing divination games such as bobbing for apples.

As for modern Halloween, it has been noted that “Halloween beliefs and customs were brought to North America with the earliest Irish immigrants, then by the great waves of Irish immigrants fleeing the famines of the first half of the 19th Century.

Through the ages, various supernatural entities – including fairies and witches – came to be associated with Halloween, and more than a century ago in Ireland, the event was said to be a time when spirits of the dead could return to their old haunting grounds. Dressing up as ghosts or witches became fashionable, though as the holiday became more widespread and more commercialised (and with the arrival of mass-manufactured costumes), the selection of disguises for kids and adults greatly expanded beyond monsters to include everything from superheroes to princesses to politicians.

20th Century

Halloween becomes a popular nationwide holiday in the United States.

Known in the North American continent since colonial days, by the middle of the 20th Century Halloween had become largely a children’s holiday.” Since that time, the holiday’s popularity increased dramatically as adults, communities and institutions (such as schools, campuses and commercial haunted houses) have embraced the event.

Halloween symbols, customs, and practices undoubtedly have had a variety of influences upon Western culture throughout history. However, in early American history, Halloween was not celebrated due to America’s strong Christian heritage. It was not widely observed until the 20th Century. Initially, it was practised only in small Irish Catholic settlements, until thousands of Irish migrated to America during the great potato famine and brought their customs with them. To some degree, the modern Halloween is an Irish holiday with early origins in the Celtic winter festival. Interestingly, in American culture, the rise in popularity of Halloween also coincides roughly with the national rise in spiritism that began in 1848.

21st Century

The secular, commercialised holiday we know in America today would be barely recognisable to Halloween celebrants of even just a century ago.

Commercial interest in Halloween grows into a worldwide multibillion-dollar industry.

Today, many people still celebrate Samhain in all parts of the world through church autumn [fall] festivals. There are also people who follow the Pagan and Wicca religions who honour the festival by constructing large bonfires, singing traditional Gaelic songs and honouring the dead.

Today, Halloween is becoming once again an adult holiday or masquerade, like Mardi Gras [a carnival held in some countries on Shrove Tuesday, most famously in New Orleans]. Men and women in every disguise imaginable are taking to the streets of big American cities and parading past grinningly carved, candlelit jack o’lanterns, re-enacting customs with a lengthy pedigree. Their masked antics challenge, mock, tease, and appease the dread forces of the night, of the soul, and of the otherworld that becomes our world on this night of reversible possibilities, inverted roles, and transcendency. In so doing, they are reaffirming death and its place as a part of life in an exhilarating celebration of a holy and magic evening.

Tricks and games

These days, the “trick” part of the phrase “trick or treat” is mostly an empty threat, but pranks have long been a part of the holiday.

By the late 1800s, the tradition of playing tricks on Halloween was well established. In the United States and Canada, the pranks included tipping over outhouses, opening farmers’ gates and egging houses. But by the 1920s and ’30s, the celebrations more closely resembled an unruly block party, and the acts of vandalism got more serious.

Some people believe that because pranking was starting to get dangerous and out of hand, parents and town leaders began to encourage dressing up and trick-or-treating as a safe alternative to doing pranks.

However, Halloween was as much a time for festivities and games as it was for playing tricks or asking for treats. Apples are associated with Halloween, both as a treat and in the game of bobbing for apples, a game that since the colonial era in America was used for fortune-telling. Legend has it that the first person to pluck an apple from the water-filled bucket without using his or her hands would be the first to marry.

Apples were also part of another form of marriage prophecy. According to legend, on Halloween (sometimes at the stroke of midnight), young women would peel an apple into one continuous strip and throw it over her shoulder. The apple skin would supposedly land in the shape of the first letter of her future husband’s name.

Another Halloween ritual involved looking in a mirror at midnight by candlelight, for a future husband’s face was said to appear. (A scary variation of this later became the “Bloody Mary” ritual familiar to many schoolgirls.) Like many such childhood games, it was likely done in fun, though at least some people took it seriously.

The downward spiral

When you walk through Halloween stores and neighbourhoods decorated with plastic devils, zombies, witches, vampires, and evil spirits, it can be kind of creepy – something is certainly amiss. First, none of this is really pure, lovely, noble, or praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8)

Philippians 4:08 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

Whether the roots of Halloween come from the Samhain pagan beliefs in having a feast for the dead or an attempt by the Christian church to honour dead saints or praying for dead people who have not quite made it to heaven, the Bible is quite clear that the dead are truly dead. (See Isaiah 8:19-20.) So the spiritualistic emphasis on Halloween – celebrating false notions of death, even just for fun – is extremely incorrect. The only real safe conclusion we can make is that Halloween is something Christians shouldn’t celebrate.

Isaiah 8:20 To the LAW and to the TESTIMONY: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them. [True prophets give messages that harmonise with the Bible.]

Every year on October 31st, many Christian families dress up for Halloween and go trick-or-treating. Few ever really think of any connection with Satan or worshipping the dead during this annual holiday. Many parents simply want their kids to have a little fun. They think that perhaps the greatest damage to lives by celebrating Halloween comes from all the junk food and candy their kids collect from the neighbours.

Rather than upholding Halloween as a thing that you don’t want to miss – because the children love it – you need to explain to them that this is something that Jesus is NOT pleased with and if you love Jesus, sometimes you need to say “NO” to something that would normally seem attractive.

Do Muslims celebrate Halloween?

No, most Muslim scholars state that Muslims should not celebrate Halloween because of its origins in paganism, its association with witchcraft and superstition, and its conflict with Islamic principles. The Islamic view is that all non-Islamic religious festivals have been replaced by Islamic holidays like Eid, and participating in Halloween is seen as imitating other faiths.

Reasons why Halloween is discouraged for Muslims:

Pagan origins: Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which involved practices like venerating the dead and warding off evil spirits. Islam forbids associating partners with God and adhering to pagan rituals.

Superstition and the occult: The holiday’s themes of horror, ghosts, and supernatural entities go against Islamic teachings that discourage belief in the occult and superstition.

Imitating other faiths: Islamic teachings advise Muslims against imitating the customs and rituals of other religions. Instead of celebrating non-Islamic festivals like Halloween, Muslims are taught to celebrate their own religious holidays.

Conflict with Islamic values: The celebration of Halloween can be seen as an endorsement of a holiday that is rooted in practices that contradict the core message of Islam.

What is the spiritual meaning of Halloween?

Spiritually, Halloween originates from the Celtic festival of Samhain, a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds was believed to be thinnest, allowing spirits to roam freely. It symbolises transformation, the cycle of life and death, and the connection to ancestors. People honoured the dead, protected themselves from spirits with costumes and bonfires, and marked the end of the harvest and beginning of winter. Today, it has evolved into the modern, secular holiday known as Halloween, a time for fun and dressing up, though its ancient spiritual roots still resonate for some.

Celtic Origins & Samhain

The Thinning Veil: On Samhain, celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, the Celts believed the boundaries between the living and the spirit world were reduced, allowing spirits from the mythical “Otherworld” to pass through.

End of Harvest, Start of Winter: The festival marked the end of the summer and harvest, ushering in the dark, cold months of winter.

Ancestor Veneration: People would honour their ancestors and departed loved ones.

Protection from Spirits: To protect themselves from wandering spirits, particularly malevolent ones, people would wear costumes and light bonfires.

Evolution to Modern Halloween

Christian Influence: The holiday was eventually Christianised, with “All Hallows’ Eve” (the night before All Saints’ Day on November 1st) becoming the name for Halloween.

Secularisation: Over time, the focus shifted from its spiritual roots to a more secular holiday centred on costumes, trick-or-treating, and fun.

Halloween – What Does the Bible Say?

The Bible does not mention Halloween. However, both the ancient origins of Halloween and its modern customs show it to be a celebration based on false beliefs about the dead and invisible spirits, or demons.

The Bible warns:

Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Deuteronomy 18:12 For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy GOD doth drive them out from before thee.

While some view Halloween as harmless fun, the Bible indicates that the practices associated with it are not. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 10:20 But I [say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, can be traced back about 2,000 years to a pre-Christian Celtic festival held around November 1 called Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”), which means “summer’s end” in Gaelic, according to the Indo-European Etymological Dictionaries.

Though a direct connection between Halloween and Samhain has never been proven, many scholars believe that because All Saints’ Day (or All Hallows’ Mass, celebrated November 1) and Samhain, are so close together on the calendar, they influenced each other and later combined into the celebration now called Halloween.

Samhain: The origin of Halloween can be traced to this “ancient pagan festival celebrated by Celtic people over 2,000 years ago,” states The World Book Encyclopedia. “The Celts believed that the dead could walk among the living at this time. During Samhain, the living could visit with the dead.” However, the Bible clearly teaches that the dead “know not any thing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) Thus, they cannot contact the living.

Ecclesiastes 9:05 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Candy: The ancient Celts tried to appease wicked spirits with sweets. The church later encouraged celebrants to go from house to house on All Hallows’ Eve, asking for food in return for a prayer for the dead. This custom eventually became Halloween’s trick or treat.

Costumes: The Celts wore frightening masks so that evil spirits would mistakenly think the wearers were spirits and would leave them alone. The church gradually amalgamated pagan customs with the feasts of All Souls and All Saints. Later, celebrants went from house to house wearing costumes of saints, angels, and devils.

Turnips then Pumpkins: Carved, candlelit turnips were displayed to repel evil spirits. To some, the candle in the turnip represented a soul trapped in purgatory. Later, carved pumpkins were more commonly used.

Halloween costumes, candy, and trick or treat: According to the book “Halloween – An American Holiday, An American History”, some of the Celts wore ghoulish costumes so that wandering spirits would mistake them for one of their own and leave them alone. Others offered sweets to the spirits to appease them. In medieval Europe, the Catholic clergy adopted local pagan customs and had their adherents go from house to house wearing costumes and requesting small gifts. The Bible, on the other hand, does not permit merging false religious practices with the worship of God. See 2 Corinthians 6:17.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,

Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and zombies:These have long been associated with the evil spirit world. (Halloween Trivia) The Bible clearly states that we should oppose wicked spirit forces, not celebrate with them. – Ephesians 6:12.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

Halloween pumpkins, or jack-o’-lanterns: In medieval Britain, “supplicants moved from door to door asking for food in return for a prayer for the dead,” and they would carry “hollowed-out turnip lanterns, whose candle connoted a soul trapped in purgatory.” (Halloween – From Pagan Ritual to Party Night) Others say that the lanterns were used to ward off evil spirits. During the 1800’s in North America, pumpkins replaced turnips because they were plentiful as well as easy to hollow out and carve. The beliefs behind this custom – the immortality of the soul, purgatory, and prayers for the dead – are not based on the Bible. – Ezekiel 18:4.

Ezekiel 18:04 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Foundational Principles

Jeremiah 10:1-5 reveals a principle that we need to consider in terms of Halloween. The context is the heathen practice of idolatry. In this sense, it is ironic that Halloween comes primarily from the Celts, descendants of the Israelites.

Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are futile [vain, worthless]; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good.”

God commands us not to learn the way of the Gentiles, the nations who do not have the revelation of God. The Israelites were different from all the nations chiefly because God had revealed Himself to them and given them His law (Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Amos 3:1-2). The Gentiles invented their own futile, meaningless ways of worship because they did not have the truth.

This is the first reason why we should not keep Halloween. It adds nothing good, that is, nothing of God or godliness, to our character. Being devoid of God’s truth, it is simply worthless and a waste of time.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 provides a second reason to avoid Halloween. God says this to Israel just before they entered the Promised Land:

When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Halloween is a custom of the nations. God Himself calls such things abominations, practices that He hates. If we strip away its façade of revelry and feasting, it is idolatrous false worship, honouring spirit beings that are not God. In addition, God never tells us to celebrate this day or in any way to honour the spirits of the dead.

Notice that He warns us not to be “ensnared to follow” the practices of the nations. A snare is a trap designed to catch an unwary animal. The trap itself is hidden, but what is visible is a kind of lure, an attractive trick designed to fool the prey into entering the trap. Once it takes the bait, the gate comes down, a hook comes out, or a spring slams closed on a limb, and it is trapped.

God is alerting us to the fact that heathen or ungodly practices – customs, ways of worship, traditions, celebrations – usually have characteristics that appeal to our human nature. They are the lures. We can become caught up in them before we are aware of it. God advises us to watch out for the hidden dangers, the appealing entrapments, that are designed into these holidays.

Simple Idolatry

The Bible plainly denounces all of these practices in many places. For instance, God forbids spiritism, witchcraft, and the occult in numerous passages. Reconsider Deuteronomy 18:10-12 already quoted:

Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Deuteronomy 18:12 For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy GOD doth drive them out from before thee.

God considers these things to be idolatrous; they honour demonic spirits, and thus He calls them abominations or detestable things, things that He hates. Interestingly, He says these practices are a reason why He sent Israel in to dispossess these people. We do not want to practice customs that ultimately bring on God’s wrath and destruction.

Leviticus 20:06 ¶ And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

In Leviticus 20:6, God likens spiritism to prostitution, the physical counterpart to spiritual prostitution, idolatry. To God, witchcraft and occultism are similar to sexual immorality, but one is physical and the other is spiritual. Which is worse – physical or spiritual prostitution? Both defile the purity God desires in our flesh and in our spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1).

2 Corinthians 7:01: ¶ Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the FEAR of God.

This linking of spiritism with sexual sins and idolatry occurs elsewhere (Exodus 22:16-20; 1 Samuel 15:22-23). Witchcraft is equated with them because it is both prostitution and idolatry.

Exodus 22:16 ¶ And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

Exodus 22:17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

Exodus 22:18 ¶ Thou shalt not suffer a witch [a sorcerer] to live.

Exodus 22:19 ¶ Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.

Exodus 22:20 ¶ He that sacrificeth unto [any] god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in BURNT OFFERINGS and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the Word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

When a Christian meddles in spiritism of any kind, whether witchcraft, sorcery, divination, consulting a medium or fortune-teller, or even reading a horoscope, he undermines his relationship with God – just as a man who visits a prostitute damages his relationship with his wife. Someone else is coming between the two covenanted parties, causing division. Occultism puts a wedge between God and the Christian; he might as well bow to an idol. It produces the same result: to drive him away from God.

The New Testament takes the same approach as the Old:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, . . . of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Galatians 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

The apostle Paul speaks of adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and licentiousness – all with at least overtones of sexuality – then he mentions idolatry and immediately thereafter sorcery! It cannot be just a coincidence that they all fall in this order. Those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God because they are not fulfilling their covenant with God.

“Sorcery,” intriguingly, is pharmakeia in Greek, from which we derive our words “pharmacy” and “pharmaceutical.” Diviners, enchanters, witches, and sorcerers employed drugs and other potions to put them or their clients “in the spirit” so their “magic” would work. The drugs, then, came to stand for sorcery of all kinds. For the same reason, drug use is part of the celebration among the more serious Halloween devotees today.

The Bible’s teaching on this is consistent. Spiritism, the occult, is a form of idolatry, a kind of spiritual prostitution. Its end is separation from God and eventual destruction.

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:8-13:

Ephesians 5:08 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Ephesians 5:09 (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].

Ephesians 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

Ephesians 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

God’s truth shines on ungodly practices and exposes them for the darkness and evil they are. This is why all we need to know which is the one right and good way, because the light that shines from them will expose the unfruitful works of darkness and give us wisdom in how we should behave.

We were once dead in our sins, living in darkness, asleep to the things of God. Now, however, God has revealed His truth to us, and the truth in turn has revealed the evils of Halloween and spiritism of every kind.

Costumes and trick-or-treating

The tradition of dressing in costumes and trick-or-treating may go back to the practice of “mumming” and “guising,” in which people would disguise themselves and go door-to-door, asking for food. Early costumes were usually disguises, often woven out of straw, and sometimes people wore costumes to perform in plays or skits.

The practice may also be related to the medieval custom of “souling” in Britain and Ireland, when poor people would knock on doors on Hallowmas (November 1), asking for food in exchange for prayers for the dead.

Trick-or-treating didn’t start in the United States until World War II, but American kids were known to go out on Thanksgiving and ask for food – a practice known as Thanksgiving begging.

Mass solicitation rituals are pretty common, and are usually associated with winter holidays. While one tradition didn’t necessarily cause the others, they were “similar and parallel”.

Today, “trick-or-treating” is the most recognised of Halloween activities, and it is simply a form of extortion. Children, whether they know it or not, are acting as the spirits who will play a trick or put a curse on the one who does not pay up in food or treats. Divination and séances are also commonly held on October 31. Finally, Hooliganism – tricks resulting in vandalism – often reaches its high point on Halloween. For many years, Detroit was the scene of “hell night,” in which rampaging young people trashed large areas of the city, setting fires, smashing cars and windows, looting, and generally creating havoc.

The Celtic Feast of Samhain still survives in Halloween. It has simply reverted to our ancestors’ Celtic practice.

Why Sacrifices?

Returning to the much earlier quote that during the celebration of the Feast of Samhain, “the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. Crops were burned and animals were sacrificed.”

Consider the parallels:

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Genesis 4:01: ¶ And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Genesis 4:02 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Genesis 4:03 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Genesis 4:04 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

One sacrificed an animal as God intended, the other sacrificed his crops. By then, sin had entered the world and their futures were uncertain – death would strike them all at some unknown point. For Abel, that occurred on the day of the sacrifice – the first murder.

Proper sacrifices in the Bible were associated with sin and death. This goes back to the first sacrifice in Genesis 3:15 when the first two humans (Adam and Eve) sinned against God. The perfect creation that God had made was now marred with sin that deserved death (Genesis 1:31; Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 5:12).

Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Deuteronomy 32:04 [He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he. [Psalm 18:30]

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Genesis 3:15 And I [LORD God] will put enmity [deep-seated hostility, hatred, or animosity] between thee [the serpent, represented by Satan] and the woman [Eve, her descendants, all humanity], and between thy seed [all evil coming fom Satan, his angels and his people] and her seed [humanity, the church and ultimately culminating in Jesus Christ]; it shall bruise thy head [the ultimate victory of the “seed of the woman” over Satan], and thou [Satan and his representatives] shalt bruise his heel [the suffering and death that the serpent (Satan) will inflict on the “seed of the woman” (Jesus)].

The Bible says that the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:22).

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the GIFT of God [is] ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

This is why we all die (return to dust) – we all sin (Genesis 3:19; Romans 3:23).

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.

Romans 3:23 FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD;

Death is a terrible reality for all of us – not something to celebrate or treat as fun. Death is the punishment for sin. Since all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23), we must realise that death is coming. But God is a God of grace and mercy, and in His love He has offered a means of salvation through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died the ultimate death in our place. All who repent and believe can receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Romans 6:23).

Due to their sin, Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness. So, God made coats of animal skins to cover their nakedness. God sacrificed animals to cover this sin.

In a fashion similar to God, Abel offered sacrifices from his flocks (Genesis 4:4), and Noah did the same after the Flood. Later, the Israelites did this as well, giving sin offerings of lambs, doves, etc. as God commanded. But the blood of animals is not enough to remove sin; it is only enough to cover it temporarily (Hebrews 10:4).

Hebrews 10:04 For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Finite animals could never really take the infinite punishment from an infinite God. These instances of sacrificing animals were foreshadowing Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God – who, as the perfect infinite sacrifice on the Cross (Hebrews 9:26, 10:12), fully paid for our sins so that everyone who trusts in Him will be saved and given eternal life (John 3:16-18).

Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered ONE SACRIFICE for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

John 3:16 ¶ For GOD so loved the world, that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [The word BEGOTTEN means derived from something which is already in existence. Note: God did not send His Son to be begotten. God sent His Only Begotten Son. God already had an Only begotten Son; and in His Love to restore fallen man, this is what God gave. How did He give? The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, TORE FROM HIS BOSOM Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind. ….. [Review & Herald, July 9, 1895 paragraph 13] The condition for having everlasting life is to believe that GOD has given HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON and to believe in Him. This is as the baptisms mentioned within Acts.]

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [3rd person usage. So salvation is through Jesus; not through a god the holy spirit.]

John 3:18 ¶ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. [3rd person usage. The word begotten means derived from something which is already in existence.]

With most of the celebrations of the days of the dead, sacrifices are involved. This suggests that cultures around the world understood this concept of sacrificing to God to cover sins. A Christian should expect this, since all people groups have descended from those at Babel. So, logically, when people migrated to different parts of the world after God confused their language, they took the concept of sacrifice with them. Of course, their methods and meaning of sacrifice changed and varied over the years, and the true intent was lost.

This needs to be used as a tool for Christians to share the good news of Jesus Christ – by showing the true meaning of what sacrifices are and showing that Jesus was the final, perfect sacrifice, making sacrifices of animals no longer necessary. Sin and death (which sacrifice was a continual reminder of all the way back to Adam) have been conquered by the Son of God, and the free gift of salvation is now offered. If the days of the dead really have their roots in Noah’s sacrifices, then consider this: the Lord has even given the command to Christians to celebrate in remembrance of this final sacrifice – it is called the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 Paul says:

1 Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me.

Five guidelines that can help you get through Halloween

1. Follow the Bible. Teach your children plainly and clearly that the Bible does not support worshipping or contacting dead people. People were made to live for eternity, and it is sin that leads to death – so making light of death overlooks the source of death: sin. Are sin and death really things to have fun with? Of course not.

2. Share your faith. Jesus encouraged His disciples to be “in the world” but not “of the world” (John 17:15-16). That is not always easy. Many Christians feel compelled to share their faith with neighbours at Halloween. Instead of ignoring when children visit their homes, they open their doors to share something appropriate to guide them toward Jesus and the Bible.

John 17:15 I pray not that THOU shouldest take them out of the world, but that THOU shouldest keep them from the evil.

John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

3. Draw clear boundaries. Decide, based on Scripture, what you choose to do at Halloween. Pray and study earnestly and follow your God-given convictions. Some activities at Halloween are obviously things a Christian will not participate in: watching horror movies, eating lots of junk food, playing pranks that hurt people, telling scary stories, or visiting so-called haunted attractions.

4. Provide appropriate alternatives. Some churches attempt to guide people away from traditional Halloween activities to something better. Invite children to go to a church-sponsored meeting and learn about animals, listen to a spiritual talk on Noah and the ark, and enjoy some innocent games.

5. Refrain from a judgmental spirit. Perhaps your fellow Christians are working through how to deal with Halloween. Maybe they are not as clear or convicted as you are about what to do – especially those with children. Approaching them with an angry or critical spirit will not help them. Instead of condemning parents, why not invite families into your home for a short Bible study (age-appropriate). Make it a time of worship and fellowship with the emphasis that as Christians the only thing we “hallow” is the name of our Heavenly Father to whom Jesus taught us when we pray to say, “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).

Halloween is obviously not a holiday Christians should celebrate. Yet some well-meaning Christians believe it can be an opportunity to teach others about what truly happens when people die. There certainly are evil spirits, and there is nothing funny about it. But God is more powerful than the devil.

However you choose to tackle this dubious holiday in your home, why not make sure that in the least, you spend time sharing your faith, worshipping the Living God with your family, or participating in community-building fellowship with your church. Turn something meant for evil into something to point others to the truth about life, death, and the Heavenly Father!

Celebration of Holidays

The Bible is not the source of popular religious and secular holidays that are celebrated in many parts of the world today. What, then, is the origin of such celebrations? Consider a few examples:

Easter. “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament,” states The Encyclopedia Britannica. How did Easter get started? It is rooted in pagan worship. While this holiday is supposed to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection, the customs associated with the Easter season are not Christian. For instance, concerning the popular “Easter bunny,” The Catholic Encyclopedia says: “The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has, like the egg, always been an emblem of fertility.”

New Year’s Celebrations. The date and customs associated with New Year’s celebrations vary from one country to another. Regarding the origin of this celebration, The World Book Encyclopedia states: “The Roman ruler Julius Caesar established January 1 as New Year’s Day in 46 BC. The Romans dedicated this day to Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. The month of January was named after Janus, who had two faces – one looking forward and the other looking backward.” So New Year’s celebrations are founded on pagan traditions.

Other Holidays. It is not possible to discuss all the observances held throughout the world. However, holidays that exalt humans or human organisations are not acceptable to Jehovah. (Jeremiah 17:5-7; Acts 10:25-26) Keep in mind, too, that the origin of religious celebrations has a bearing on whether they please God or not. (Isaiah 52:11; Revelation 18:4) The Bible principles will help you to determine how God views participation in holidays of a secular nature.

Jeremiah 17:05 ¶ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed [be] the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:06 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the WILDERNESS, [in] a salt land and not inhabited.

Jeremiah 17:07 Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Acts 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped [him].

Acts 10:26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

Isaiah 52:11 ¶ Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean [thing]; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

Revelation 18:04 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

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