Halloween
is not just a time for cornstalks, pumpkins, apples and cute costumes.
There is much, much more. Before deciding to celebrate or not celebrate
any holiday, it is important to understand the history of that holiday.
Halloween’s
roots come from the ancient Celts, a tribe living on the British isles
in northern France from 200 B.C. to about 200 A.D.
They were first described as a fierce, warlike, terrifying people, many
of whom would have strings of human heads tied on their
bridles.Halloween was their main holiday, called Samhain. A festival
that honored Samhain, the Celtic lord of death. The celebration marked
the beginning of the season of cold, darkness, and decay. The Celtics
related this with human death; they believed the Samhain allowed souls
of the dead to return to their earthly homes for that evening. On the
evening of the festival, the Druids, the priest and teachers of the
Celts, ordered the people to put out their hearth fires.
The
Druids built a huge New Year's bonfire of oak branches, which they
considered sacrificed. They burned animals, crops, and even human
beings as sacrifices. Then each family re-lit their hearth fire from
the New Year's fire. The lighted Jack-O-Lanterns used today are symbols
of fires and torches. During the celebration people wore costumes made
of animal heads and skins. They told fortunes by examining the remains
of the sacrifices.
These
pagan Celts believed that evil spirits lurked about as the sun god grew
pale and the Samhain grew stronger. The Celts believed the evil spirits
would come to your house and you treat them or they would trick you.
The Romans conquered the Celts in A.D. 43 and ruled
what is now Great Britain for about 400 years. During this period, two
Roman autumn festivals were combined with the Celtic festival of
Samhain. Both pagan rituals, one of them, called Feraila, was held in
late October to honor the dead. The other festival honored Pomona, the
Roman Goddess of fruit and trees. Apples became associated with
Halloween because of this festival.
Regional Halloween customs developed among various
groups of Celts. In Ireland, for example, people begged for food in a
parade that honored Muck Olla, their sun god. The leader of the parade
wore a white robe and the head of an animal. In England, families sat
by the fire and told stories while they ate treats such as apples and
nuts.
In the United States, many early American settlers
brought with them various customs such as the above. However, because
of Christianity among so many of the settlers, Halloween celebrations
were not celebrated until the 1800s when several immigrants from
Ireland and Scotland introduced their Halloween customs.
All Saints Day, a day the seventh century church set
aside for memory of early Christians who died for their beliefs, was
first celebrated in the month of May. By the year 900 the date was
combined with the pagan rituals to be celebrated November 1. Another
name for All Saints Day was All Hallows. October 31 was known as All
Hallows Eve which was shortened to Halloween. The church made a grave
mistake trying to combine pagan worship with Christianity. This is not
scriptural! Because of that unwise decision, Halloween remains a
holiday in America today.
Scriptures warn us that the sins of the fathers are
visited upon the third and fourth generations. “You shall not bow down
to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and
fourth generations of those who hate Me.”
Exodus 20:5
Those who disregard God’s warning and make contact
with occult spirits risk terrible repercussions in the form of misery,
sickness, insanity and even early death.
Why do people living in this age, especially
Christians, desire to be a part of any pagan worship? This pagan
belief, even celebrated by Christian churches, celebrates the union of
gods and a goddess in the universe that supposedly control the seasons,
bring fertility to crops and animals, and bestow magical powers on
their followers.
What Does God Say About Halloween?
Joshua 24:14
Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
Click to read the rest of the Joshua 24
Halloween is not just a time for cornstalks,
pumpkins, apples and cute costumes. Witches have eight special holidays
during the year. Halloween is their day above all days. Witchcraft is
not child’s play. It is an abomination to the Lord. Johanna Michaleson,
former occultist and author of The Beautiful Side of Evil said,
“For a true Christian to participate in the ancient trappings of
Halloween is as incongruous as for a committed Satanist coming from
blood sacrifices on Christmas Eve to set up a nativity scene in his
living room singing Silent Night, Holy Night with sincere devotion to
baby Jesus!”
Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be imitators of God. Our
Lord Jesus would not go to a party to honor the feast of the Samhain.
Moses did not come down from Mount Sinai and combine the Israelites
Passover holiday with the idol worship that was going on.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with
unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?
And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ
with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what
agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of
the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among
them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore Come
out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what
is unclean, and I will receive you."
The verse says, “come out from among them, says the Lord.”
Does that mean come out from among them--but don’t deprive your
children from all that fun and candy -- celebrate the same pagan ritual
in your church building? The Bible is very clear about Christians being involved in such celebrations. Ephesians 5:8-11 says, “For
you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as
children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness,
righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather expose them.”
One thing Halloween should not be for the Christian
is a time of fear. It should be a time to rejoice in the fact that “The
Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works
of the devil.” 1 John 3:8. This is a time of spiritual warfare. October
31 should be spent in prayer for the community and children; a time of
worship by singing praise to the Lord. This can be a good time to teach
our children to sacrifice by not sharing in the rituals because you
love the Lord. Whatever your family decides to do on this day, ask
yourself, “Does it glorify the Lord?”
“…they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I
do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the
cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's
table and of the table of demons."
Fall Themes
Apples, Leaves, Pumpkins, Thanksgiving
Why do leaves change colors? What's the real story of Thanksgiving?
How many types of apples are there? Check out Heart of Wisdom's
seasonal links to articles, worksheets, coloring pages, videos, audios,
interactive pages, lessons, and more for thematic lessons.
God's Holidays
Read about the Holidays Ordained by God
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