Part 1: Halloween

“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people… religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin!” — Charles M. Schulz

It’s the spooky season but do you know the history of October 31st? Did you know it has important theological significance to the church and its history? I thought we could look—briefly, don’t worry—at Martin Luther and the history of the Reformation started October 31, 1517. But to better understand why Luther chose that date we should first look at October 31st and a little about how Halloween became what we know today.

So, what is Halloween? Why is it Hallowed? What’s an “een” anyway? Should we, as Christians, partake in Halloween activities? What’s the significance of costumes? And why do we give candy to underage hoodlums who threaten to prank us? Last I checked, we don’t negotiate with terrorists nor do we give in to their demands, no matter how adorable they might be.

Make a Name for Yourself

Let’s start with the name which comes from a different Catholic celebration going back over 1200 years. Around A.D. 609, Pope Boniface IV ordered the Pantheon Temple in Rome to be reconsecrated and renamed to the church of St. Mary and the Martyrs. The idea being to have a specific building dedicated to the veneration of and prayer to the saints. He then established the day—sometime in the spring—as a regional feast day.

About 200 years later, Pope Gregory IV moved the day to November 1st and made the day an official feast for the entire Roman Catholic Church. While there were many days and feasts to various individual saints—seriously, you can find calendars dedicating each day of the year to different individuals—this day was to commemorate all saints and martyrs, whether officially recognized or unknown by the church.

The Saints, You Mean the Football Team?

In Catholic tradition, there are saints—all of us normal people—and there are Saints—individuals venerated and officially elevated by the pope to a position of high importance and intersession in heaven. According to the Roman Catholic Church, Saints are just better and more holy than the rest of us. Jesus is busy in His role as mediator but if you tell the Saints what you need, they, being holier than the average Christian, will take your prayers to Jesus and He’s more likely to listen to your prayers coming from them than your own sinful, dirty lips. In short, according to Roman Catholic dogma, being “Sainted” is both a declaration of holiness and something that opens the door for the Saint to intercede with God for the faithful.

This is a simplistic and very tongue-in-cheek explanation but it’s also fairly accurate. I’m not trying to offend Catholics, and if you think I got it wrong, I’d love to discuss it but there is nothing about venerating the Saints anywhere in the Bible. In fact, I think God is offended by the idea of bringing your prayers to anyone but Him alone. He constantly tells us to bring our needs to Him. (Psalm 55:22; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 7:7-8; John 16:24; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:7)

Anyway, let’s move on. The Vatican says the Saints are holy and should be hallowed. See where this is going? November first is the day for all the hallowed Saints and martyrs to be honored, or All Hallows Day. To hallow is “to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate.” Specifically, in ye olde English, “The Hallows” was a term used to reference the 3-day feast from October 31 to November 2 covering All Hallows Eve, All Hallows Day or All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day where the church was to venerate the Saints and pray for the souls trapped in Purgatory. October 31st is the evening kicking off the feast—e’en being an abbreviation of evening. All Hallows Eve… Hallows Eve… Hallows E’en… Halloween. Simple—he says with a tone implying anything but simplicity.

Accommodation is Not Necessarily a Kindness

That accounts for the name, but what about the darker side of Halloween? How did the day shift from a focus on Saints and martyrs to ghosts and monsters? This is one of those points where the church allowed paganism and worldly culture to infiltrate for the sake of attraction and accommodation.

The Celtic druids celebrated the Feast of Samhain at the beginning of November. Samhain was the Gaelic name for the month of November and was seen as the start of the “darker half” of the year, both physically as the days shortened, and supernaturally. The Feast was considered a time when the veil between the physical and supernatural worlds was thinnest. Nature spirits, faeries, the souls of the dead, and darker things could walk freely through the portals thought to divide the two realms.

It was a time marked by ritual bonfires and sacrifices to appease those darker entities to keep people and cattle safe through the winter months. Most of the documentation we have talks about the sacrifice of cattle, but some depictions show children offered up. There were also acts of witchcraft and divination using nuts and apples. Ever wondered why we bob for apples? It’s distantly connected to old divination rituals.

Loss of Identity

As the church spread through the British Isles, the local church leaders tried to restructure the Feast of Samhain to conform to the Hallows. But instead of one overwriting the other, the two merged and fused. Rather than condemning the practices, church leaders allowed them to continue in less extreme forms to keep people happy and coming back to church.

So, where do costumes come into play? That one is interesting. There are two traditions, unconnected but similar, that eventually merged. The first tradition is one everyone has probably heard some version of. The Celtic pagan festivals involved dressing up as ghouls and specters; first to potentially trick the dark spirits into thinking the humans were supernatural too and didn’t need to be haunted or messed with. And second, there was a practice of going door to door dressed up and receiving food for the feast. This was often a community sanctioned and coordinated event to represent the community’s commitment to appeasing the spirits. Offering food was expected and choosing not to meant misfortune on your house. The local youth would then do mischief to you as punishment for not participating.

Playing Dress Up

The second tradition of costumes is lesser known and associated with Hallows Eve; having nothing to do with Samhain. Italian nobles began hosting Hallows Eve masquerades. They’d dress as either devils or their favorite Saints. It was supposed to represent the battle between good and evil and specifically the role of the Saints in that battle. This tradition eventually spread beyond Italy and of course made it easier for the church in the British Isles to allow the Samhain costume tradition and, unfortunately, all the extras that came with it.

All these traditions together changed and evolved into something close to what we have today. Though, the precursors to our modern Halloween carried far more significance, ritual, and acceptance of spiritism. It may not have involved sacrifice anymore but the activities were still seen as holding back evil spirits in very real and tangible ways. As Irish and Scottish immigrants came to America, their traditions and myths came with them, quickly Americanized, and eventually became the lighthearted corporate holiday we know today.

Drawing Lines in the Sand

But should we as Christians involve ourselves in something with such a blatant pagan background? There’s no easy answer, and chances are, no matter what I say here, you’ve likely already made up your mind one way or the other and picked a side. I will lay out my opinions, but I will say definitively, just because someone takes their children trick-or-treating doesn’t mean they’re not Christian or that we can’t still come together in sweet fellowship and brotherhood/sisterhood.

There are some groups, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, that say if it’s not commanded by God then any man-made celebration is sinful. They won’t even celebrate birthdays because the few birthdays celebrated in scripture are from evil people, like Herod’s birthday celebration which resulted in John the Baptizer’s beheading. Although, I notice that they don’t celebrate the feasts of Exodus and Leviticus exactly as God prescribed, instead incorporating their own manmade traditions. But this post isn’t about Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’ll tackle that subject and other cults in future posts. I’m just saying that none of us honors God exactly as He commands. We’re all fallen and our fallen human understandings and interpretations sneak in.

True North for a Moral Compass is the Bible, Not Our Hearts

I saw a statement online that said, “Jesus knows the difference between a devil worshipper and a two-year-old in a pumpkin costume.” That’s true, but I worry a parent could use it as a catch-all to ignore the argument outright and avoid putting any thought into the whys and the why nots behind their position. We never have permission to shut off our discernment. So, let’s look at it biblically.

Did you know Jesus celebrated manmade holidays? Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that was never commanded by God. John 10:22-23 says Jesus was at the temple at the time of the winter dedication feast. There was no feast commanded by God for the winter. There were 3 for spring—Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits—1 for summer—Feast of Weeks or Pentecost—and 3 for fall—Trumpets, Atonement, and Booths. And the fall feasts were about repentance, forgiveness, and remembering the wilderness wanderings, not dedication. Hanukkah wasn’t ordained by God but was instead instituted by Jewish leadership and was—and still is—heavy with man-made ritual and tradition. But Jesus had no problem participating. And if we know Jesus was there for Hanukkah, it’s safe to think He likely celebrated Purim as well, another man-made feast.

So, the idea that we should avoid Halloween, or any holiday <cough> Christmas/Easter  <cough> because of man-made tradition is on shaky ground. But I think the real argument is one of freedom.

Freedom is Responsibility

Galatians 5:1 says Christ has freed us from bondage and urges us not to return to slavery through legalistic observance. Colossians 2:16-20 instructs us that no one should judge believers regarding feasts or special days. And the big one, Romans 14:1-6 allows believers to regard certain days as special or to consider all days alike without judgment from other believers; everyone being “fully convinced in their own mind.”

However, that last one comes with two big caveats. Romans 14:13-23 says not to rub our freedom in the faces of those who disagree and cause someone else to stumble in their faith or violate their conscience which we also see in 1 Corinthians 8:9. Then, Romans 14:1-6 says that whether we observe a day or not, the practice should be directed toward the Lord. It’s easy enough to see how choosing not to participate in practices of a pagan origin is directed toward and honoring God, but how do we do the opposite? How do we take part in Halloween activities and direct the day toward the Lord?

Actionable Items

Well, first please note I’ve been very careful to say participating, not celebrating. I shouldn’t be singing Halloween praises like it’s Christmas or Easter nor should I be attaching undue importance or remembrance to the day. I can also make sure my kids understand—age-appropriate understanding—the true history of the day, the realities of spiritual warfare, and why we don’t dress in certain costumes or do certain activities. Since much of the day is filled with death themes, it’s also a great time to explain how Jesus overcame death.

Other things I can do to direct the day toward God might be passing out kid-friendly gospel tracts with the candy or decorating with biblical themes instead of horror or occult themes. There are also church functions like harvest festivals and trunk-or-treats. I just feel the need to call churches to step up their game. I can’t remember attending a single church Halloween alternative that did anything different from costumes and candy. It’s nice to have a safe environment but we should be using the opportunity to make the gospel front and center. It’s not just about the physical security of our kids but their spiritual security too.

Sorry, When I say “Brief” It Rarely Is

So, that was my briefish history of Halloween and my opinions on how to participate. The key takeaways are that the arguments for participating in Halloween are more complex than Christmas or Easter. Christians considering any holiday have freedom but should consider whether it promotes false doctrine or immorality, whether they can thank God for it, whether it affects their Christian witness, and whether elements can be uplifted to glorify God. Critics will question what good comes from participating in dark and ghoulish things and whether such participation enhances a child’s faith. These questions are legitimate; think carefully and be ready with real answers, not pithy comebacks. And remember, participation doesn’t disqualify someone from fellowship. Ultimately, it remains a matter of conscience, with the caution that personal freedom shouldn’t become a stumbling block to other believers.

For next week, remember in particular the history of the Hallows—All Hallows Eve, All Hallows Day, and All Souls Day—and their connection with Roman Catholicism and purgatory. As we explore Martin Luther and the Reformation, those connections will shed light on his actions. Until next week my friends.

Final Question: What are your thoughts on Halloween? What are some other things we, as Christians, can do to honor God through reimagining activities?

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:15-17 (ESV)

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