Where did Halloween come from? Can a Christian celebrate it?

by Matt Slick

Halloween is celebrated by millions of people as a fun time for kids--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 see halloween as a harmless time of fun and on the other, a ghastly

and demonically inspired night to 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 on that day? 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--

the end of summer in Northwestern Europe. "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day" was the next

Day, Nov. 1st. Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day.

Apparently, 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 end of summer. This was important

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' and 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 Jack 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, sances, 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 present occultic connections, what is the

Christian to do?

Can the Christian celebrate Halloween?

The answer is simple: Yes and No. Lets 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 Gods 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 each

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.