Halloween: A little fact, a little not

Posted on October 3, 2012 Updated on October 4, 2012

All Hallows Day was once celebrated by ancient Celtics. It was the celebration of the end of the harvest season (which, I’m sure, was extremely hard work) and stocking up for the winter. It was called Samhain. However, they believed that on the evening between the October 31st and November 1st, dead souls would rise up and destroy any of the crops that had not been harvested or inhabit unsuspecting bodies. So, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare away the ghosts/spirits.

In the eight century, Pope Gregory III wanted to institute a day in which saints and martyrs were celebrated. He chose November 1st as “All Saints Day” and November 2nd as “The Day of the Dead” (convenient right?).

By this time, it was widely believed among Catholics that the dead did not go to heaven or hell but were stuck in a “purgatory” or “limbo” and they’re salvation was not secured. Additionally, it was believed that prayer could influence God’s decision on the eternal outcome of those souls. Participators of the November Holidays would go door-to-door to request cakes/treats in exchange for praying for the household’s dead relatives.

So, should we participate? It is clear that God does not like the occult (Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:10-12); nor do I agree with old Catholic traditions. However, Halloween is now an American cultural tradition. I would strongly discourage dressing up as ghosts, witches, demons etc. as it directly emulates the thing that God says is detestable: but I would allow my children to participate dressed as a princess or Spiderman. Additionally, I discourage children from walking door-to-door to collect candy from strangers (why do we tell them not to take candy from strangers all year round and then encourage it in the name of festivities) and in the dark, nonetheless! There are a lot of family-friendly church programs/alternatives for Halloween that are enjoyable for kids (and the kids still get candy).

As for Jack-O-Lanterns: This comes from an old story where a man named Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree. While the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the tree which made it impossible for the devil to come down. Jack destroyed the cross he’d carved after the devil promised that Jack would not go to hell. Instead, Jack wandered the earth with nothing but a candle in a turnip to light his paths (and hence, the devil tricked Jack just as Jack tricked him). When the tradition was brought to America, the turnip was exchanged for pumpkins.

Personally, I loved carving pumpkins during this season. We never carved them on Halloween nor did I know anything about Jack and his turnip. I think, if you want to participate in the holiday, why not. If you don’t, then don’t. I don’t think you’re sinning if you do and wont judge you if you have personal convictions about it.

Sources:
CARM.org
History.com