Christians and Halloween Your selection (topic) has been submitted. We appreciate your help. Christians and Halloween Email by Travis Allen Halloween. It's a time of year when the air gets crisper, the days get shorter, and for many young Americans the excitement grows in anticipation of the darkest, spookiest holiday of the year. Retailers also rejoice as they warm up their cash registers to receive an average of $79.82 per household in decorations, costumes, candy, and greeting cards. Halloween will bring in approximately $8 billion this year. It's a good bet retailers won't entertain high expectations of getting $79.82 per household from the Christian market. Many Christians refuse to participate in Halloween. Some are wary of its pagan origins; others of its dark, ghoulish imagery; still others are concerned for the safety of their children. But other Christians choose to partake of the festivities, whether participating in school activities, neighborhood trick-or-treating, or a Halloween alternative at their church. The question is, How should Christians respond to Halloween? Is it irresponsible for parents to let their children trick-or-treat? What about Christians who refuse any kind of celebration during the season—are they overreacting?

The Pagan Origin of Halloween The name "Halloween" comes from the All Saints Day celebration of the early Christian church, a day set aside for the solemn remembrance of the martyrs. All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, began the time of remembrance. "All Hallows Eve" was eventually contracted to "Hallow-e'en," which became "Halloween." As Christianity moved through Europe it collided with indigenous pagan cultures and confronted established customs. Pagan holidays and festivals were so entrenched that new converts found them to be a stumbling block to their faith. To deal with the problem, the organized church would commonly move a distinctively Christian holiday to a spot on the calendar that would directly challenge a pagan holiday. The intent was to counter pagan influences and provide a Christian alternative. But most often the church only succeeded in "Christianizing" a pagan ritual—the ritual was still pagan, but mixed with Christian symbolism. That's what happened to All Saints Eve—it was the original Halloween alternative! The Celtic people of Europe and Britain were pagan Druids whose major celebrations were marked by the seasons.

At the end of the year in northern Europe, people made preparations to ensure winter survival by harvesting the crops and culling the herds, slaughtering animals that wouldn't make it. Life slowed down as winter brought darkness (shortened days and longer nights), fallow ground, and death. The imagery of death, symbolized by skeletons, skulls, and the color black, remains prominent in today's Halloween celebrations. The pagan Samhain festival (pronounced "sow" "en") celebrated the final harvest, death, and the onset of winter, for three days—October 31 to November 2. The Celts believed the curtain dividing the living and the dead lifted during Samhain to allow the spirits of the dead to walk among the living—ghosts haunting the earth. Some embraced the season of haunting by engaging in occult practices such as divination and communication with the dead. They sought "divine" spirits (demons) and the spirits of their ancestors regarding weather forecasts for the coming year, crop expectations, and even romantic prospects. Bobbing for apples was one practice the pagans used to divine the spiritual world's "blessings" on a couple's romance.

For others the focus on death, occultism, divination, and the thought of spirits returning to haunt the living, fueled ignorant superstitions and fears. They believed spirits were earthbound until they received a proper sendoff with treats—possessions, wealth, food, and drink. Spirits who were not suitably "treated" would "trick" those who had neglected them. The fear of haunting only multiplied if that spirit had been offended during its natural lifetime. Trick-bent spirits were believed to assume grotesque appearances. Some traditions developed, which believed wearing a costume to look like a spirit would fool the wandering spirits. Others believed the spirits could be warded off by carving a grotesque face into a gourd or root vegetable (the Scottish used turnips) and setting a candle inside it—the jack-o-lantern. Into that dark, superstitious, pagan world, God mercifully shined the light of the gospel. Newly converted Christians armed themselves with the truth and no longer feared a haunting from departed spirits returning to earth.

In fact, they denounced their former pagan spiritism in accord with Deuteronomy 18: There shall not be found among you anyone...who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10-13). Nonetheless, Christian converts found family and cultural influence hard to withstand; they were tempted to rejoin the pagan festivals, especially Samhain. Pope Gregory IV reacted to the pagan challenge by moving the celebration of All Saints Day in the ninth century—he set the date at November 1, right in the middle of Samhain. As the centuries passed, Samhain and All Hallows Eve mixed together. On the one hand, pagan superstitions gave way to "Christianized" superstitions and provided more fodder for fear. People began to understand that the pagan ancestral spirits were demons and the diviners were practicing witchcraft and necromancy. On the other hand, the festival time provided greater opportunity for revelry.

Trick-or-treat became a time when roving bands of young hooligans would go house-to-house gathering food and drink for their parties. Stingy householders ran the risk of a "trick" being played on their property from drunken young people. Halloween didn't become an American holiday until the immigration of the working classes from the British Isles in the late nineteenth century. While early immigrants may have believed the superstitious traditions, it was the mischievous aspects of the holiday that attracted American young people. Younger generations borrowed or adapted many customs without reference to their pagan origins. Hollywood has added to the "fun" a wide assortment of fictional characters—demons, monsters, vampires, werewolves, mummies, and psychopaths. That certainly isn't improving the American mind, but it sure is making someone a lot of money. The Christian Response to Halloween Today Halloween is almost exclusively an American secular holiday, but many who celebrate have no concept of its religious origins or pagan heritage. That's not to say Halloween has become more wholesome.

Children dress up in entertaining costumes, wander the neighborhood in search of candy, and tell each other scary ghost stories; but adults often engage in shameful acts of drunkenness and debauchery. So, how should Christians respond? First, Christians should not respond to Halloween like superstitious pagans. Pagans are superstitious; Christians are enlightened by the truth of God's Word. Evil spirits are no more active and sinister on Halloween than they are on any other day of the year; in fact, any day is a good day for Satan to prowl about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). God has forever "disarmed principalities and powers" through the cross of Christ and "made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them through [Christ]" (Colossians 2:15). Second, Christians should respond to Halloween with cautionary wisdom. Some people fear the activity of Satanists or pagan witches, but the actual incidents of satanic-associated crime are very low.

The real threat on Halloween is from the social problems that attend sinful behavior—drunk driving, pranksters and vandals, and unsupervised children. Like any other day of the year, Christians should exercise caution as wise stewards of their possessions and protectors of their families. Christian young people should stay away from secular Halloween parties since those are breeding grounds for trouble. Christian parents can protect their children by keeping them well-supervised and restricting treat consumption to those goodies received from trusted sources. Third, Christians should respond to Halloween with gospel compassion. The unbelieving, Christ-rejecting world lives in perpetual fear of death. It isn't just the experience of death, but rather what the Bible calls "a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume [God's] adversaries" (Hebrews 10:27). Witches, ghosts, and evil spirits are not terrifying; God's wrath unleashed on the unforgiven sinner—now that is truly terrifying. Christians should use Halloween and all that it brings to the imagination—death imagery, superstition, expressions of debauched revelry—as an opportunity to engage the unbelieving world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God has given everyone a conscience that responds to His truth (Romans 2:14-16), and the conscience is the Christian's ally in the evangelistic enterprise. Christians should take time to inform the consciences of friends and family with biblical truth regarding God, the Bible, sin, Christ, future judgment, and the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ for the repentant sinner. There are several different ways Christians will engage in Halloween evangelism. Some will adopt a "No Participation" policy. As Christian parents, they don't want their kids participating in spiritually compromising activities—listening to ghost stories and coloring pictures of witches. They don't want their kids to dress up in costumes for trick-or-treating or even attending Halloween alternatives. That response naturally raises eyebrows and provides a good opportunity to share the gospel to those who ask. It's also important that parents explain their stand to their children and prepare them to face the teasing or ridicule of their peers and the disapproval or scorn of their teachers. Other Christians will opt for Halloween alternatives called "Harvest Festivals" or "Reformation Festivals"—the kids dress up as farmers, Bible characters, or Reformation heroes.

It's ironic when you consider Halloween's beginning as an alternative, but it can be an effective means of reaching out to neighborhood families with the gospel. Some churches leave the church building behind and take acts of mercy into their community, "treating" needy families with food baskets, gift cards, and the gospel message. Those are good alternatives; there are others that are not so good. Some churches are using "Hell House" evangelism to shock young people and scare them into becoming Christians. They walk people through rooms patterned after carnival-style haunted houses and put sin on display—women undergoing abortions, people sacrificed in a satanic ritual, consequences of premarital sex, dangers of rave parties, demon possession, and other tragedies. Here's the problem with so-called Hell House evangelism: To shock an unshockable culture, you have to get pretty graphic. Graphic exhibits of sin and its consequences are unnecessary—unbelieving minds are already full of such images. What they need to see is a life truly transformed by the power of God, and what they need to hear is the truth of God in an accurate presentation of the gospel. Cheap gimmickry is unfitting for Christ's ambassadors.

There's another option open to Christians: limited, non-compromising participation in Halloween. There's nothing inherently evil about candy, costumes, or trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. In fact, all of that can provide a unique gospel opportunity with neighbors. Even handing out candy to neighborhood children—provided you're not stingy—can improve your reputation among the kids. As long as the costumes are innocent and the behavior does not dishonor Christ, trick-or-treating can be used to further gospel interests. Ultimately, Christian participation in Halloween is a matter of conscience before God. Whatever level of Halloween participation you choose, you must honor God by keeping yourself separate from the world and by showing mercy to those who are perishing. Halloween provides the Christian with the opportunity to accomplish both of those things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's a message that is holy, set apart from the world; it's a message that is the very mercy of a forgiving God. What better time of the year is there to share such a message than Halloween? Related Resources (free): Where did Halloween come from? Can a Christian celebrate it? | CARM Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry Where did Halloween come from? Can a Christian celebrate it?

by Matt Slick 12/11/2008 Halloween is celebrated by millions of people in multiple countries as a fun time for kids by putting on costumes and going door-to-door to get candy. But it is also known as a time of witches, ghouls, goblins, and ghosts. On one hand, some Christians see Halloween as a harmless time of fun and on the other, a ghastly and demonically inspired night that should be avoided. As Christians , there is a lot of debate on whether or not we should participate in Halloween. Is it alright to go trick-or-treating? Can we dress our kids up in costumes and send them out door-to-door? If we do any of this, are we celebrating an evil holiday? Halloween's Origins The word Halloween is derived from the term, "All Hallows Eve," which occurred on Oct. 31. "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day" was the next Day, Nov. 1st. Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day. Some say that the origins of Halloween can be traced back to ancient Ireland and Scotland around the time of Christ. On Oct.

31st the Celts celebrated the day because it was when animal herders would move their animals into barns and pens and prepare to ride out the winter. This was also the time of the crop harvests. This annual change of season and lifestyle was marked by a festival called Samhain, pronounced 'sow-ane' which means 'end of summer.' Sow rhymes with cow. There was much superstition associated with this time of change, including the belief in fairies and that the spirits of the dead wandered around looking for bodies to inhabit. Since the living did not want to be possessed by spirits, they dressed up in costumes and paraded around the streets making loud noises to confuse and frighten the spirits away. In addition, the new year began for the Celts on Nov. 1. So, the day of Samhain was believed to be a day that was in neither the year past or the year to come. Since it was in between, chaos ruled on that day. Often, people would pull practical jokes on others as a result. Later, around the 5th century, as the Catholic Church developed and moved into the area, instead of adding a new day to celebrate, it took over the Samhain celebration.

Nov. 1st became "All Hallows Eve" where all the saints of the Catholic church were honored. A later custom developed where people would go door-to-door on Nov. 2 requesting small cakes in exchange for the promise of saying prayers for some of the dead relatives of each house. This arose out of the religious belief that the dead were in a state of limbo before they went to heaven or hell and that the prayers of the living could influence the outcome. This may have been the precursor to Trick-or-Treat. The Jack-O-Lantern apparently comes from Irish folklore about a man named Jack who tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Once the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk preventing the devil from coming down. The devil then made a deal with Jack not to allow Jack into hell after he died if only Jack would remove the cross from the tree. After Jack died, he couldn't go to hell; and he couldn't go to heaven. He was forced to wander around the earth with a single candle to light his way. The candle was placed in a turnip to keep it burning longer.

When the Irish came to America in the 1800's, they adopted the pumpkin instead of the turnip. Along with these traditions, they brought the idea that the black cat was considered by some to be reincarnated spirits who had prophetic abilities. So, it appears that the origins of Halloween are a mixture of old Celtic pagan rituals superstition and early Catholic traditions. What does the Bible say about Halloween? What does the Bible say about Halloween? Nothing. But it does speak concerning witches, the occult, and paganism. Exodus 22:18, "You shall not let a witch live." Deut. 18:10-12, "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, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD..." The Bible definitely speaks negatively about occultic practices, spirits, and witches and condemns not only the practice but also the people who are involved in it.

As Christians, we are to have nothing to do with the occult. Tarot Cards, contacting the dead, séances, lucky charms, etc., are all unbiblical and can harm a Christian's fellowship with God and open the Christian to demonic oppression. Most Christians know this and avoid these activities. But, the question still remains. Since there are ancient pagan connections and modern day occultic connections, what is the Christian to do? Can the Christian celebrate Halloween? The answer is simple: Yes and No. Let’s look at the negative first. The Christian is not to be involved with or support the occult, witchcraft, demonism, or any other thing that uplifts the occult. To do so is to contradict God’s word, dabble in the demonic, and invite judgment from God. If a Halloween celebration is centered on demons, devils, spirits, etc., I would say don't have anything to do with it. On the other hand, it isn't wrong to dress up in a costume and go door-to-door saying "Trick or Treat." Provided that the costume isn't demonic, I can't see anything wrong with this. It's just fun for the kids. Take a look at the Christmas tree.

It was originally an ancient fertility symbol. Yet, it has become a representation of Christmas and the place where gifts are placed. Are the Christians then paying homage to an ancient pagan fertility god? Not at all. They do not consider it pagan and are simply joining in a cultural event and giving no honor to anything unscriptural. Think about this. In the Bible in 1 Cor. 10:23-33, Paul speaks about meat sacrificed to idols. This meat was often sold in the meat market; and the question arose, "Should a Christian eat such meat?" Paul said in verse 25, "Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience' sake." This is most interesting. He says it is okay to eat the meat bought in the market place even though that meat may have been sacrificed to idols. Then in verses 28-29 he says, "But if anyone should say to you, 'This is meat sacrificed to idols,' do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience?" (NASB).

Paul is saying that if you find out the meat was sacrificed to idols, don't eat it--not because of you but because of the other person. In other words, eating that meat won't affect you. But, it may affect the attitude of another who does not understand the freedom the Christian has in Christ. Is it any different with Halloween (or Christmas)? No. Even though Halloween has pagan origins and because of your freedom in Christ, you and/or your kids can dress up in costumes and go door-to-door and just have fun. However, if you are not comfortable with doing this, then you should not. If you know of a person who would be hindered by doing it, then you shouldn't either. Where Did Halloween Come From Where Did Halloween Come From? Do you know that Halloween was introduced into the professing Christian world centuries after the death of the Apostles, yet it was celebrated by the pagans centuries before the New Testament Church was founded! How did Halloween come to America? Here is the intriguing answer from history: ï¿½The American celebration rests upon Scottish and Irish folk customs WHICH CAN BE TRACED IN DIRECT LINE FROM PRE-CHRISTIAN TIMESï¿½ ï¿½ from paganism!

ï¿½Although Halloween has become a night of rollicking fun, superstitious spells, and eerie games which people take only half seriously, its beginnings were quite otherwise. The earliest Halloween celebrations were heldï¿½ ï¿½ not by the inspired early Church, but ï¿½ ï¿½by the Druids in honor of Samhain, Lord of the Dead, whose festival fell on November 1.ï¿½ (From Halloween Through Twenty Centuries, by Ralph Linton, p. 4.) Far from being Christian, this festival is an old pagan holiday, masquerading as though it was one of the customs of the Church. And yet professing Christians allow their children to get into the spirit of this pagan custom! The Encyclopedia Americana states about Halloween that it ï¿½is clearly a relic of pagan times.ï¿½ Now notice what the authoritative Encyclopaedia Britannica says about Halloween: ï¿½It long antedates Christianity. The two chief characteristics of ancient Halloween were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night in the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander about.

History shows that the main celebrations of Halloween were purely Druidicalï¿½ ï¿½ from the pagan Druids of Northwest Europe ï¿½ ï¿½and this is further proved by the fact that in parts of Ireland October 31 is still known as OIDHCH SHAMHNA, ï¿½Vigil of Saman.ï¿½ ï¿½ Saman or Samhain was the pagan lord of the dead among the Druids. So Halloween was celebrated among the pagans long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This pagan holiday, however, was not celebrated alone among the Druids. It was also a Roman festival! The Britannica continues: ï¿½On the Druidic ceremonies were grafted some of the characteristics of the Roman festival in honour of Pomona held about November 1, in which nuts and apples, representing the winter store of fruits, played an important part.ï¿½ Notice the widespread pagan custom to celebrate this season of the year. Why Halloween Was Celebrated Now comes the shocking truth from history as to why this holiday was celebrated!

Here are the plain facts as written in THE BOOK OF HALLOWEEN, on page 10, by Ruth Kelley: The pagan Druid priests ï¿½taught the immortality of the soul, that it passed from one body to another at death . . . .ï¿½ They believed that on the last night of the old year (October 31) the lord of death gathered together the souls of all those who had died in the passing year and had been condemned to live in the bodies of animals, to decree what forms they should inhabit for the next twelve months. He could be coaxed to give lighter sentence by gifts and prayers.ï¿½ ï¿½On the New Year, their sins being expiated, they were released to go to the Druid Heaven.ï¿½ (From Halloween Through Twenty Centuries, p. 5). Halloween was celebrated to preserve in the minds of the people the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul ï¿½ that the dead are not really dead.

Almost all heathen nations had days in honor of the dead ï¿½ days originally instituted to commemorate the death of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10) whom Semiramis, his wife, said was still alive. Now let us understand the meaning of the word ï¿½Halloween.ï¿½ It is the eve of Allhallows or Hallowmas or All Saintsï¿½ Day ï¿½ and as such it is one of the most solemn festivals of the [Catholic] church.ï¿½ (From page 3 of Lintonï¿½s Halloween Through Twenty Centuries.) Halloween is the evening of Allhallows or All Saintsï¿½ Day, which falls on November 1. Since in ancient times, the days were customarily reckoned as beginning at sunset, Halloween was merely the evening celebration in anticipation of the great day of November 1, dedicated to the lord of the dead! Who Was the ï¿½Lord of the Deadï¿½? You will remember that shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus was questioned by the Sadduces about the resurrection.

In order to prove that there would be a resurrection from the dead, Jesus told them: ï¿½But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living,ï¿½ Matthew 22:31-32. Notice the meaning of Jesusï¿½ answer. Since the patriarches are DEAD, and since God is ONLY the God of the living ï¿½ because the DEAD serve not the Lord (Psalms 6:5, 115:17) ï¿½ then there must be a resurrection of the DEAD in order that they might live again and that God might be their God.

To make the resurrection possible, ï¿½Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living,ï¿½ Romans 14:9.ï¿½ Observe that Jesus became the lord or master of the dead because through His resurrection He gained the keys of the grave and death (Revelation 1:18) and will resurrect the dead so they may live to serve Him.ï¿½ But from whom did Jesus gain these keys?ï¿½ Who had prior mastery over the dead? Paul, in the book of Hebrews, speaks of ï¿½him that had the power of death, that is the devil,ï¿½ Hebrews 2:14.ï¿½ So the devil, Satan, was lord or master of the dead! Among the heathen Druids, Samhain or Saman, the lord of the dead, was Satan! To this day people still celebrate with frolicking fun a wild night in honor of the devil! Paul says that the heathen who thought they were worshipping the true God were actually serving demons (Gal. 4:8). Young people today who set fires on Halloween are not serving God.

But if Halloween is merely the evening in honor of the devil, how did the day ï¿½ called Allhallows or All Saintsï¿½ Day ï¿½ come to be celebrated in the professing Christian Church? The Origin of All Saintsï¿½ Day The first of November, celebrated among the pagans in honor of Samhain ï¿½ Satan ï¿½ is today celebrated in hundreds of churches ï¿½to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and according to [pope] Urban IV, to supply any deficiencies in the faithfulï¿½s celebration of saintsï¿½ feasts during the year,ï¿½ (Catholic Encyclopedia). How did the veneration of saints, supposedly alive in heaven, come to be celebrated on a day in honor of the devil? ï¿½. . . The Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all.ï¿½ Notice, what once was a memorial for each martyr on different days became a general day in honor of the dead who were believed to be alive in heaven. ï¿½Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the basilica of St.

Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary on November 1 . . . . Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration on 1 November to the entire Church. The vigil (Halloween) seems to have been held as early as the feast itself.ï¿½ Notice that the celebration of Halloween, the eve of the day, is as old as the celebration of All Saintsï¿½ Day in the Catholic Church. On page 6 of his book, Ralph Linton says of this holiday, ï¿½All Saintsï¿½ Day was introduced into the church calendar because the year was not long enough to make it possible to dedicate a special day for each spirit of the Catholic Church . . . .ï¿½ That the day chosen was one already associated in the popular mind with a thronging of spirits of the dead which was quite in line with church policy of incorporating harmless pagan folk ideas.ï¿½ Protestants continued the celebration of Halloween partly ï¿½since it was on this day, in 1517, that Martin Luther posted his epoch-making ninety-five theses on the door of the castle church at Wittenbergï¿½ which started the Protestant Reformation.

ï¿½He chose Halloween night because he knew that the townsfolk . . . would be coming to the church that night.ï¿½ (Halloween, pp. 9-10.) Origin of ï¿½Trick or Treatï¿½ Do you know where the common Halloween prank of children knocking on doors and shouting ï¿½trick or treatï¿½ originated? Linton says: ï¿½. . . certainly it comes from pagan times.ï¿½ In Ireland up to the turn of the century, it was customary to have a procession ï¿½led by a man in a white robe wearing a horse-head mask.ï¿½ (ï¿½The horse was sacred to the Sun God,ï¿½ says Linton, ï¿½which indicated that this custom was a survival of a Druidï¿½ rite.ï¿½) The procession levied a contribution from the farmers in the perverted name of what probably was an old Druid god. Unless the procession was ï¿½treated liberally with gifts, the farmers were ï¿½trickedï¿½ with the threat of a curse that would ruin next yearï¿½s crops!

This traditional custom of having processions at Halloween is further derived from another unusual practice. Wealthy churches during the Middle Ages, copying the ancient Greek and Roman religious processions, paraded the relics of patron saints. The poorer parishes could not afford to buy relics so they used caricatures of their patron saints. ï¿½Those who were not playing the parts of the holy ones also wanted to get into the procession and so dressed up as angels or devils. The Allhallows procession around the churchyard eventually became a gay and motley parade (from page 103 of Halloween Through Twenty Centuries). The present day ï¿½trick or treatï¿½ is but a continuation of these degenerate and absurd customs which came out of paganism and have been labeled with Christian names. Is it any wonder that children and adults wantonly damage private property ï¿½ on a day originally dedicated to Satan, the Destroyer? Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? | Celebrating Holidays Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? This article was published by Angie Mosteller on October 6, 2011. Many Christians struggle to decide how (or if) to celebrate Halloween.

After all, it is a holiday that seems to emphasize darkness, superstition and fear. Personally, as I tried to make decisions about what Halloween would look like for my family, I was surprised to find some very interesting Christian history about the holiday. The name Halloween is distinctly Christian in origin; it is a blending of the words All Hallows’ and Even or E’en (referring to the evening before All Holies Day, or All Saints’ Day, which is November 1). The term hallow means “holy” – you may recall reciting it in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9). All Saints’ Day was formally established by the church in 835 A.D. as a time to remember the lives of holy men and women who had died. Some scholars claim, and many Christians have come to believe, that the church chose to commemorate the saints on November 1 in order to compete with an ancient pagan Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in) that was celebrated on the same day.

However, Samhain seems to have been a tradition limited to the Northern Celtic people (particularly in Ireland and Scotland), and since these areas were Christianized by this time, it is difficult to substantiate this assertion. Scholar Francis X. Weiser believes that November 1 was chosen so that the many pilgrims who traveled to Rome to celebrate the saints could be easily fed after the harvest.1 Whatever claims are made about the ancient pagan celebration of Samhain are purely speculative. There were no written records among the northern Celtic people prior to their Christianization in the 5th century. What we do know, however, is that the Celtic people viewed Samhain as a change of seasons. The name itself is derived from Old Irish that roughly means “summer’s end.”2 The change of seasons brought increasingly long and cold nights that drew people around their hearth fires. Combined with a Christian holiday that focused on the dead, there developed a perfect setting for colorful storytelling about ghosts, goblins and superstitions. Now it comes as no surprise that nonbelievers would associate a holiday for the dead with darkness, mystery and fear.

However, even among Christians there developed a host of wild and terrible descriptions about the afterlife – particularly regarding the “punishments, torments and pains” of purgatory.3 Such beliefs, particularly the connection between purgatory and indulgences, are what motivated Martin Luther to post his famous 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church on October 31, 1517. The date was not coincidental. For more information on the association, see our Halloween and Reformation Day page. To address much of the misunderstanding about the afterlife among Christians, Reformers emphasized that the Bible addresses all believers as “saints,” even “the muddled and sinful ones to whom Paul writes his letters.”4 Furthermore, the Reformers argued that, biblically, there are no distinctions made between the destination of “heroes of the faith” and the rest of Christian souls; they all enter the presence of the Lord immediately after death.5 For as Jesus says to the criminal on the cross, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

We Christians can truly celebrate our dead, for we know that “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). And, though our bodies die, our spirits dwell with Christ (Philippians 1:23) until He returns to earth to make all things new (2 Peter 3:13) and to clothe us with glorious bodies (Philippians 3:20-21). What a message of hope! So, though we mourn the loss of our loved ones, we do not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). In light of the history of Halloween, here are some ways that I have decided to celebrate with my family: (1) Remembering Heroes of the Faith: Since All Saints’ Day was intended to celebrate heroes of the faith, I find that it is a perfect time to read biographies about Christians who have demonstrated exceptional faith and courage. These stories inspire us to “live up to what we have already attained” in Christ (Philippians 3:16).

Furthermore, if we choose to wear costumes for Halloween, we have a wealth of Christian heroes to choose from who represent virtually every time period, every geographic area, and a wide variety of professions (yes, even princesses and warriors). (2) Remembering Our Loved Ones: October 31 is Reformation Day (in honor of Martin Luther posting his 95 theses on this day). One important aspect of the Reformation was the emphasis that all believers are saints and “citizens of heaven” (Philippians 3:20); the destination of our loved ones who died in Christ is no different than that of the “heroes of the faith.” Remembering our loved ones connects our hearts to heaven in a more intimate way, and it can motivate us to explore the Scriptures and learn what they teach about the afterlife. What a perfect time to reflect on what our loved ones might be experiencing in heaven and to acknowledge our longing to be reunited with them under the perfect lordship of Jesus. (3) Remembering the Lost: It should come as no surprise that a holiday celebrating death would come to be associated with darkness and fear. We live among so many people who don’t know Christ.

To many of them, death is mysterious and even terrifying. There is a desperate need for light in our dark world, and the Bible says we are to “shine like stars in the universe as [we] hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15b-16a) to those who are perishing. So many aspects of Halloween are natural starting points for spiritual conversations: “Why do you think Halloween is such a ‘dark’ holiday?”; “Do you believe in ghosts?”; “Are you afraid of death?” Halloween provides a rare opportunity to discuss the reality of the spiritual world which is so often neglected or ignored in a materialist culture like ours. In summary, I pray that God will help us to be light in the darkness and to find ways to creatively bring the “hallowed” back into Halloween. This page was created by: Back to main Halloween Articles page. We welcome your ideas! If you have suggestions on how to improve this page, please contact us . Some of the content on this page is drawn from a Rose Publishing pamphlet, Christian Origins of Halloween ; it has a copyright © 2012.

You may freely use this content if you cite the source and/or link back to this page. Sources: 1 Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. Deus Books, 1963 (original 1952), p. 188. 2 Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween, From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 11. 3 Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Question 2, Articles 2 and 6. 4 Wright, N.T. For All the Saints? Remember the Christian Departed. Morehouse Publishing, 2003, p. 22. 5 Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646, Chapter XXXII. You May Also Like: Is Halloween a Religious Holiday? Question: Is Halloween Christian, Pagan, or Secular? Answer: The most straightforward answer is "secular." People who celebrate this day in a religious context generally do not call it Halloween, and the common practices associated with Halloween such as costuming and giving of treats are secular celebrations.

(Jack-o-lanterns came to us through folklore.) Christian Origins – All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day The reason we celebrate Halloween on October 31 is that it evolved out of a Catholic holiday called All Hallows Eve, which occurs the day before All Saints Day, a general celebration of the saints which comes on November 1. In turn, All Saints Day originally was celebrated on May 13, and in the Orthodox Church continues to be celebrated in late spring on the first Sunday after Pentecost, which in turn is seven weeks after Easter. Pope Gregory III is commonly credited with moving it in the 9th century to November 1, although the reasons for the move are debated. Ancient Celtic Origins - Samhain It is often argued, most commonly by neo-pagans and Christians who are against Halloween celebrations, that All Saints Day was moved to November 1 to co-opt a Celtic Irish celebration called Samhain, which involved dressing up as evil spirits. Hungry children in the Middle Ages added the twist of begging for food and money, which we know of today as trick-or-treating.

Read more: What We Know Do and Don't Know about Samhain Did the Catholic Church Co-opt Samhain? There is no direct evidence to say they did. Gregory's reasons for moving it from May 13 to November 1 remain mysterious. A twelfth-century writer suggested it was because Rome could support larger numbers of pilgrims in November than in May. Moreover, Ireland is a long way from Rome, and Ireland had long been Christianized by the time of Gregory. So the logic of changing a feast day throughout Europe to co-opt a holiday originally celebrated in a small portion of it has some substantial weaknesses. Halloween Around the World The Protestant church, too, has opposed Halloween celebrations in various areas around the world. However, even in countries with little to no Christian heritage, Halloween is steadily becoming more popular—riding not on any religious associations, but simply its powerful presence in North American pop culture. Reflecting that global reach of pop culture, the costumes chosen, too, have moved away from their religious and supernatural roots to embrace cartoon characters, celebrities and even social commentary.

Halloween History Halloween History The tangled origins of the October 31 holiday by Shmuel Ross The Truth About Dracula Halloween is known and loved today as a time to wear costumes, go door to door asking for candy, and watch monster movies. But the holiday's origins go back centuries to the enactment of All Saints' Day , a Christian holiday. Along the way, it has also picked up traditions from Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrating the start of winter. All Saints' Day The name "Halloween" began as "All Hallows Eve." This became "All Hallow E'en," leading to "Hallowe'en," or Halloween. It was the evening before All Hallows Day, which was later called All Saints' Day. (In this case, "hallows" meant "saints.") All Saints' Day, a feast for all martyrs and saints, was celebrated on November 1st for the first time during the 8th century, but customs varied regarding its observance. This date was officially established for all Catholic churches in 837 by Pope Gregory IV. Starting in the 10th century, this feast was the eve of All Souls' Day , which soon came to overshadow it.

All Souls' Day Taking place on November 2, All Souls' Day was a day of prayer for the dead. It was believed that the prayers of those still living could comfort dead souls, or elevate them from Purgatory . The observances began the previous evening with prayers and the ringing of church bells. When England moved from Catholicism to Protestantism , the All Souls' Day bell-ringing was prohibited and no official services were conducted. Individuals and groups continued to find ways of observing the day, perhaps out of a feeling of obligation to their dead loved ones; reports dating to the 16th century refer to people praying in the fields by the light of torches or bonfires. Another observance involved "soul cakes." These (and alms ) were given to the poor, in return for which the poor would offer a prayer for the dead. The poor and their children in some areas would go "souling," going to the homes of the wealthy and asking for soul cakes, fruit, and alms, a practice mentioned by Shakespeare in The Two Gentlemen of Verona . ("You have learned...

to speak puling [whiningly], like a beggar at Hallowmas.") Samhain November 1st also marks an ancient Celtic festival named Samhain (pronounced sah-win), or "summer's end." While little is known for certain about its original observances, it appears to have been a pagan calendar feast on the opposite side of the year from Beltane . (Some otherwise reputable sources claim that Samhain is the name for a Celtic god of the dead. This is unquestionably false.) There has been much speculation about the relationship between the Halloween–All Saints–All Souls holidays and Samhain. Some believe that the Christian observances were deliberately moved to November in order to take over the pagan holiday. There is, however, no evidence for this. Others suggest that the pagan celebration may have gained its associations with the dead from the Christian holidays, but this is also speculation at best. Midway Through Autumn A more likely explanation may be that the turn of autumn—with the harvest finished, the days getting colder, the nights getting longer, and everybody getting ready to face the winter—naturally leads to thoughts of death and the unknowable.

Much as many different cultures mark the start of spring with light-hearted holidays and celebrations of fertility and renewal , autumn may attract holidays in which people focus on the other side of the life cycle. On the other hand, it hardly matters whether the Christian and pagan holidays were originally related to one another; the two have been intermingled in the popular imagination for a long time. Coming to America The modern observances of Halloween are more recent than one might expect. The holiday had a rebirth in North America between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, probably through an influx of Irish immigrants. They brought with them traditions that combined features of the Celtic and Christian holidays, and celebrated with feasting, divinations, and mischief making. Jack-o'-lanterns and trick-or-treating in costume both became Halloween fixtures in North America, and have since been exported back to Europe. For more on modern Halloween observances, see Halloween Traditions . Backlash There has been a backlash against Halloween by several groups in recent years.

Some Christians object to its allegedly pagan origins, or to what they see as its celebration of witches and other "evil powers." Some neo-pagans object to the alleged Christian takeover of their holiday, or to what they see as a distorted, negative view of witches and magic. And some simply don't think it's safe for children to go out after dark taking candy from strangers. (The last of those groups often proposes safer celebrations.) Still, as long as there are cold autumn nights, a steady supply of candy corn, and radio stations to play "The Monster Mash," there seems no danger of Halloween going away. More Halloween Tricks and Treats Did you know? Surprise: Halloween's Not a Pagan Festival After All - Beliefnet Beliefnet Sign up for our free newsletters and special offers! Just enter your email below. Inspiration Delivering you the best in inspirational articles, life stories, quotes and more. Bible Reading Receive a Daily Measure of God's Word and guidance straight to your inbox. Angel Wisdom Let angels be your guide with help from this inspiring and thought-provoking newsletter. Entertainment Surprise: Halloween's Not a Pagan Festival<br>After All The holiday and its customs are completely Christian, and some are uniquely American.

Excerpted from Catholic Parent magazine in 2000. We’ve all heard the allegations: Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids that escaped church suppression. Even today modern pagans and witches continue to celebrate this ancient festival. If you let your kids go trick-or-treating, they will be worshiping the devil and pagan gods. Nothing could be further from the truth. The origins of Halloween are, in fact, very Christian and rather American. Halloween falls on October 31 because of a pope, and its observances are the result of medieval Catholic piety. It’s true that the ancient Celts of Ireland and Britain celebrated a minor festival on October 31--as they did on the last day of most other months of the year. However, Halloween falls on the last day of October because the Feast of All Saints, or "All Hallows," falls on November 1. The feast in honor of all the saints in heaven used to be celebrated on May 13, but Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved it to November 1, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome.

Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV commanded that All Saints be observed everywhere. And so the holy day spread to Ireland. The day before was the feast’s evening vigil, "All Hallows Even," or "Hallowe’en." In those days Halloween didn’t have any special significance for Christians or for long-dead Celtic pagans. In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in southern France, added a celebration on November 2. This was a day of prayer for the souls of all the faithful departed. This feast, called All Souls Day, spread from France to the rest of Europe. So now the Church had feasts for all those in heaven and all those in purgatory. What about those in the other place? It seems Irish Catholic peasants wondered about the unfortunate souls in hell. After all, if the souls in hell are left out when we celebrate those in heaven and purgatory, they might be unhappy enough to cause trouble. So it became customary to bang pots and pans on All Hallows Even to let the damned know they were not forgotten.

Thus, in Ireland at least, all the dead came to be remembered--even if the clergy were not terribly sympathetic to Halloween and never allowed All Damned Day into the church calendar. But that still isn’t our celebration of Halloween. Our traditions on this holiday center on dressing up in fanciful costumes, which isn’t Irish at all. Rather, this custom arose in France during the 14th and 15th centuries. Late medieval Europe was hit by repeated outbreaks of the bubonic plague--the Black Death--and it lost about half its population. It is not surprising that Catholics became more concerned about the afterlife.More Masses were said on All Souls Day, and artistic representations were devised to remind everyone of their own mortality. We know these representations as the danse macabre, or "dance of death," which was commonly painted on the walls of cemeteries and shows the devil leading a daisy chain of people--popes, kings, ladies, knights, monks, peasants, lepers, etc.--into the tomb. Sometimes the dance was presented on All Souls Day itself as a living tableau with people dressed up in the garb of various states of life.

But the French dressed up on All Souls, not Halloween; and the Irish, who had Halloween, did not dress up. How the two became mingled probably happened first in the British colonies of North America during the 1700s, when Irish and French Catholics began to intermarry. The Irish focus on hell gave the French masquerades an even more macabre twist. But as every young ghoul knows, dressing up isn’t the point; the point is getting as many goodies as possible. Where on earth did "trick or treat" come in? "Treat or treat" is perhaps the oddest and most American addition to Halloween and is the unwilling contribution of English Catholics. During the penal period of the 1500s to the 1700s in England, Catholics had no legal rights. They could not hold office and were subject to fines, jail and heavy taxes. It was a capital offense to say Mass, and hundreds of priests were martyred. Occasionally, English Catholics resisted, sometimes foolishly. One of the most foolish acts of resistance was a plot to blow up the Protestant King James I and his Parliament with gunpowder. This was supposed to trigger a Catholic uprising against the oppressors.

The ill-conceived Gunpowder Plot was foiled on November 5, 1605, when the man guarding the gunpowder, a reckless convert named Guy Fawkes, was captured and arrested. He was hanged; the plot fizzled. November 5, Guy Fawkes Day, became a great celebration in England, and so it remains. During the penal periods, bands of revelers would put on masks and visit local Catholics in the dead of night, demanding beer and cakes for their celebration: trick or treat! The Pagan Roots of Halloween | CBN.com The Pagan Roots of Halloween By John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Dillon Burroughs Guest Writers CBN.com  (Excerpt from The Facts on Halloween by Harvest House Publishers) Are the specific customs of Halloween related to pagan beliefs? 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 favorable 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 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 twentieth century. Initially, it was practiced 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, our 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.

Irish Holiday Ireland is the only place in the world where Halloween is actually a national holiday (celebrated with fireworks); children are even released from school for the week. Among the modern customs and practices of Halloween, we can note numerous probable or possible influences, some of which follow. 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 popularization 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 symbolize 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 recognized 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 recognized 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. As we will see later, 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 honor 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 realized that a mischievous sense of humor, 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 centerpieces, 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. Is Halloween Pagan and Evil? Crosswalk.com aims to offer the most compelling biblically-based content to Christians on their walk with Jesus . Crosswalk.com is your online destination for all areas of Christian Living – faith, family, fun, and community. Each category is further divided into areas important to you and your Christian faith including Bible study , daily devotions , marriage , parenting , movie reviews , music, news, and more. Intersection of Life and Faith Is Halloween Pagan and Evil? In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley Encouragement for Today Daily Hope with Rick Warren SEE ALL DEVOTIONALS Is Halloween Pagan and Evil? Angie Mosteller CelebratingHolidays.com Tweet Many Christians struggle to decide how (or if) to celebrate Halloween. After all, it is a holiday that seems to emphasize darkness, superstition and fear. Furthermore, there is the claim that the holiday is pagan and evil in origin – an assertion that simply is not true.

The name Halloween is a blending of the words All Hallows’ and Even or E’en (referring to the evening before All Holies Day, or All Saints’ Day, which is November 1). The term hallow means “holy” – you may recall reciting it in the Lord’s Prayer , “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” ( Matthew 6:9 ). Early in church history, Christians began to celebrate the “saints” (heroes of the faith ),* and by the 7th century, All Saints’ Day was celebrated annually throughout the Christian world – Orthodox churches celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost, and Roman Catholic churches celebrated on May 13th. Without a doubt, the origin of All Saints’ Day and its Eve (Halloween) was entirely Christian. The supposed connection to paganism comes with the fact that the Roman Catholic Church moved the celebration of All Saints’ Day to November 1st in the 8th century. Many scholars claim that Christian leaders were attempting to Christianize a pagan holiday called Samhain (pronounced sow-in; “sow” rhymes with “cow”) which was celebrated on the same day.

However, there are several reasons to dispute this claim. First, it should be noted that nothing is known about Samhain with any certainty. It seems to have been a celebration limited to the Northern Celtic people (particularly in Ireland and Scotland) who, prior to their Christianization, had no written records. Regardless, scholars have made wild, though totally unsubstantiated, claims about Samhain as a day dedicated to the dead on which human sacrifices and other dark rituals were practiced. In reality, all we really know about Samhain is that it marked a change of season. In fact, the name Samhain is derived from an Old Irish word that roughly means “summer’s end.”1 SEE ALSO: Halloween and the 95 Points that Changed the World Second, by the time that All Saints’ Day came to be associated with November 1st, Christianity had been well established in the Northern Celtic region for at least 300 years. There is no indication that pagan practices persisted on Samhain in a way that concerned Rome (which was 1500 miles away across land and sea) enough to change the date of a holiday. Third, Irish Christians originally celebrated the saints on April 20th.

So, it is more likely that they remembered the dead in April than during Samhain on November 1st. When All Saints’ Day was transferred to November 1st among Roman Catholic churches, the focus on the dead shifted with it. Lastly, as one scholar suggests, November 1st may have been chosen simply so that the many pilgrims who traveled to Rome to commemorate the saints “could be fed more easily after the harvest than in the spring.”2 So why do so many scholars draw the connection between Halloween and Samhain? In the nineteenth century, cultural anthropologist Sir James Frazer studied the practices of the Northern Celtic people on Hallowmas (a term that has come to describe the three day period of October 31st, Halloween, November 1st, All Saints’ Day, and November 2nd, All Souls’ Day). He asserted that the traditions of Hallowmas were rooted in Samhain, and he claimed that the ancient pagan festival had been a day to honor the dead. Though Christianity probably brought the focus on the dead to Samhain, Frazer claimed the reverse. It seems that every cultural anthropologist after Frazer, has repeated, and even exaggerated his claim.

SEE ALSO: Thank God for Halloween Frazer believed that Christianity was rooted in paganism, and he often tried to make connections between the two in his writing. This makes it all the more peculiar that evangelical Christians have embraced his claims and have suggested that we abandon the celebration of Halloween because of its supposed connection to a pagan holiday. The reality is that Halloween is Christian in origin and the selection of its date probably had nothing to do with Samhain. Unfortunately, it must be conceded that modern Halloween celebrations (at least in the U.S.) seem to have lost their Christian heritage altogether. But it should come as no surprise that a holiday celebrating death would develop a dark and superstitious character among non-believers. After all, death is mysterious and terrifying to those who don’t know the gospel. However, as Christians, we can celebrate the lives of those who have died in Christ, because we know that “death has been swallowed up in victory” ( 1 Corinthians 15:54 ); it is nothing to fear.

Though our bodies will die, our spirit will dwell with Christ ( Philippians 1:21 ) until He returns to earth to make all things new ( 2 Peter 3:13 ) and to clothe us with new glorious bodies ( Philippians 3:20-21 ). Halloween affords the perfect opportunity to contrast the Christian and the non-Christian views of death and to share the hope that we have in Christ. Rather than abandoning Halloween to the lost, let us reclaim it for God’s glory. May He help us to be light in the darkness and to find ways to creatively bring the “hallowed” back into Halloween. *It should be noted that the New Testament repeatedly uses the word saints to refer to all believers. When the term refers specifically to heroes of the faith, it is used in quotes. 1 Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 11. 2 Weiser, Francis. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. Deus Books, 1963 (original 1952), p. 188.

The content of this article is drawn from a Rose Publishing pamphlet titled Christian Origins of Halloween , © 2012. Used with permission. Angie Mosteller is founder of Celebrating Holidays , an educational company dedicated to teaching the Christian roots of American holidays. For more information on the history and symbols of Halloween, as well as creative ideas, visit .

Question: What Christian holiday comes the day after Halloween?
Answer: All Saints' Day