For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
Ephesians 5:8
It’s close to midnight, and something evil’s lurking in the dark
Thriller by Michael Jackson
Yes, the foul stench of Halloween.
When we look at many of the traditions, holidays, rituals, and practices today, it’s clear to see why we shouldn’t be of this world, but we still cling to worldly traditions especially where it concerns holidays: we pick which one/s we want to celebrate and try to justify it. Have we ever sat down and think for ourselves why holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Halloween get pushed on us when there is nothing of the sort in the Bible? Are they Godly-appointed festivals? And why are they always marketed as fun and harmless?
A celebration of darkness
No matter how much this holiday is commercialized, Halloween has its roots in pagan origins. This day celebrates darkness, evil, death, and witchcraft annually on October 31st. But how did this holiday come about? The origin of Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in) when the Celts celebrated their new year on November 01st. They believed that on the night before the new year, ghosts of the dead returned to earth so on October 31st, they celebrated Samhain when the boundary between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest.
The Celts believed that on this night it was made easier for the Druids or Celtic priests to make predictions about the future due to the presence of the otherworldly spirits. They built bonfires and the people burned crops and offered animals and human beings (especially firstborn children) as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. It was during this event that the Celts wore costumes in an attempt to blend in with the evil spirits. They even attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.
The Celts also celebrated many holidays including spring fertility rites (it became Easter later on) and the winter solstice (later transformed into Christmas). They worshipped Bel or Baal (sun god) and Baal is also a synonym for the devil hence why Halloween glorifies death.
Customs and practices associated with Halloween
Trick or treating: It was believed that the wandering spirits will get hungry and so, the people set out “treats” for the spirits to appease them from playing tricks on the living.
Bobbing for apples: This was a form of divination (fortune-telling) to learn of future marriages. The first person to bite an apple was predicted to be the first to marry in the coming year.
Jack-o’-lantern: The original Jack-o’-lantern was not a carved spooky pumpkin, but a severed human head.
The costumes: The living feared the wandering spirits so much that they came up with a brilliant idea to dress up in ghostly or ghoulish costumes. In this way, they thought that the wandering spirits might mistake them for one of their own and leave them alone.
Halloween has always been a celebration of death. It promotes every wicked and imaginable evil under the sun.
Although modern celebrations of Halloween may appear to be harmless on the surface, it doesn’t change the meaning of this celebration. Ouija boards, fortune-telling, grotesque horror movies, and black magic are related to the occult that is Halloween.
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.
Revelation 18:4
Should Christians celebrate the holiday of darkness?
Halloween is a culturally encouraged tradition that Christians shouldn’t even think of celebrating. You cannot have one foot in the world and the other in eternal life. Why do we know about the worldly holidays, but not God’s feast and holy days?
The devil is the father of lies (2 Corinthians 11:14) and as Christians, we can’t lead people to Christ if we look like the world for we’re not supposed to be imitating what is evil despite the attraction (3 John 1:11). However, with our freedom as Christians, we have to decide how to act. We can’t continue to provoke the Father to jealousy and to grieve the Spirit.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Ephesians 5:11
Does it matter to God?
God has set us apart for Himself hence the reason why He warns us not to have nothing to do with the world (1 John 2:15). Halloween is not of God regardless of how man twists it. When it comes to this dark holiday, I think of these things:
* God is a God of life, not death. Should I celebrate a holiday that glamorizes death? A holiday that emphasizes the macabre and the morbid? (Isaiah 8:19).
* We’re to avoid practices that pertain to evil spirits for witchcraft is detestable to God (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Why would I want to dress up as a witch and glorify witchcraft when it should be detestable to me as well? After all, we’re supposed to be putting away all deeds of darkness (Romans 13:12). We cannot claim to be of the light and walk in the dark at the same time for they have NOTHING in common (2 Corinthians 6:14).
* Does Halloween bring glory to God? Nothing about this dark holiday glorifies the God of Light and Truth.
What do witches, tombstones, magic, dressing up in scary or pretty costumes have to do with Jesus or Christians? Nothing. The scriptures tell us to keep the Passover and consider all of God’s feasts, but 95% of Christians today don’t have a clue about what they are and what they mean, but they’ll gladly tell you all about the man-made holiday and tradition and claim to be doing it for Christ.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.
1 Corinthians 10:21
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