The Truth Behind Halloween
“Trick or treat, smell my feet give me something good to eat!”
With all of the questions surrounding the recognition and celebration of the day known to most as “Halloween,” I feel compelled to share with you some insights that I have obtained from the Lord as well as other sources over the years about this subject. My prayer is that you will find this article enlightening and informative.
I recall the times growing up as a child when the Halloween season would roll around. Costumes, candy, and bobbing for apples (even though bobbing for apples with multiple people in the same tub now seems a lot more gross than it was back then! Uggh!) always were a favorite of mine. Man, just thinking back to those times makes everything seem like things then were all good. But just because something seems good does not mean that it is good for you.
There is a scripture found within the Word of God (Bible) that emphatically states that “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being priest for me, because you have forgotten the Law of your God, I ALSO WILL FORGET YOUR CHILDREN.” (Hosea 4:6)
Most people at one time or another have heard that scripture, and could possibly even quote it verbatim, but the real truth contained in that scripture is not the fact that people are destroyed due to a lack of knowledge, rather their lives are decimated by the enemy because they reject the knowledge that has been presented to them.
It bewilders me how many Christians reject the teachings of the pastors and ministers that have been sent by God to have care and oversight of their souls. You may be asking, “How do they reject their teachings and instructions?” I’m glad that you asked. This atrocity is committed by hearing the word of the Lord that’s been shared by their leaders and then doing the exact opposite of what they’ve just been taught.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but do you know more than us (spiritually speaking)? Are we not the “professionals” in our fields of expertise? Are we not the ones called of God to have oversight over the welfare and well-being of you and your family’s souls? The Word of God puts it this way:
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17)
I mean think about it for a moment. If you lacked knowledge or understanding in a certain area, wouldn’t you seek out the advice of a competent professional who has undergone many years of thorough study, research and training in that same area where your knowledge is lacking? I would hope so.
Now then, wouldn’t it be foolish after having received that competent and professional advice, for you to then turn around and say “Thanks anyway Mr. or Mrs. Professional for the answer to the question that I didn’t know, but now I’m going to continue to walk in the darkness that made me seek out your advice in the first place.” That would be foolish.
Well, that’s exactly what happens every week in our North American churches. God has already given the answers to the questions of your heart to the pastors and leaders in your lives, but when the information that they share doesn’t align itself with your carnal desires, you flat out reject the knowledge that has been designed for your safety and well-being.
That brings us to today’s discussion on Halloween. If people knew the history behind this demonic holiday I believe that most people would not want to associate themselves with a day that historically has always been connected to satanic worship, demonic fellowship and the occult. With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the origin of Halloween.
HISTORICAL BEGINNINGS OF HALLOWEEN
Halloween has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. Samhain (pronounced sow-wen) is a festival that traditionally was held at the end of the harvest season in Gaelic cultures and historically always had aspects of a festival of that celebrates the dead. Its name (Samhain) came from the name of a month in the ancient Celtic calendar, in particular the first three nights of the month, with the festival marking the end of the summer season and the end of the harvest.
According to Celtic tradition, Samhain is also a time when the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead become thinner, allowing spirits and other supernatural forces to pass between the worlds to socialize with humans. It is the time of the year when ancestors and other departed souls are especially honored. Often a meal will be prepared of favorite foods of the family's and community's beloved dead, a place set for them at the table, and traditional songs, poetry and dances performed to entertain them. A door or window may be opened or a candle or other light left burning in a western window to guide their beloved dead home who have been invited to attend this special celebration in their honor.
Samhain is also known as and celebrated as one of the eight annual festivals of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. It is often referred to as Sabbats and is considered by most Wiccans (which are modern day witches) to be the most important of the four greater Sabbats. Why is this so important? Because the Wiccans believe that it is a time to celebrate the lives of those who have died and have transitioned from this life into eternity. In some rituals that are held to honor the demise of the departed souls of ancestors, family members, friends and even in some cases pets, the spirits of the deceased are invited to attend and participate in these festivities which are being held in their honor. In a nutshell, Samhain/Halloween it is nothing more than a festival of darkness.
HOW THE FESTIVAL OF SAMHAIN BECAME HALLOWEEN
The pagan activities that govern the holiday of Samhain, have crept its way over into modern-day western civilization and has influenced the day (October 31) that is typically “hallowed” (“Hallow”=Holy, like in the Lord’s prayer: “Hallowed be thy name”) out or set aside to observe the secular holiday that we know today as Halloween. The actual term Halloween, (originally spelled Hallowe’en), is shortened from All Hallows' Even – and e'en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of the word evening.
When the Roman government proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of their empire, the conquered people (like the Celts), were “Christianized” and forced into a new way of living conducive with christian teaching.
In hopes of replacing the paganistic festival of Samhain (the Celtic Lord of Death), the Roman Church in the A.D. 800’s (two Catholic Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV), devised a strategy to counterattack the vast amounts of extreme paganism associated with this holiday (Samhain). They tried to supplant All Hallows’ Even celebrations with the Christian holiday (All Saints' Day) by moving it from May 13 to November 1. They attempted to establish November 1 as All Saint’s Day to honor the lives and legacies of departed saints.
The customs of Samhain continued in spite of the efforts of the Roman Church. All Saints Day which was also known as All Hallow’s Day (remember Hallow=Holy), and soon, the day before (October 31) became All Hollow’s Eve.
All Hallows' Day on November 1 was followed by All Souls' Day, on November 2. Over time, the night of October 31 that was traditionally called All Hallow's Eve, gave way to the remnants of the festival dedicated to the dead (Samhain) which remained. Eventually the secular holiday called Samhain morphed into the day that we know today as Halloween.
SYMBOLS & CUSTOMS COMMON TO BOTH SAMHAIN & HALLOWEEN
Listed below you will find information on a lot of the traditional items that are associated with these pagan holidays:
MASKS & COSTUMES: During the celebration of Samhain, the family's ancestral spirits were honored and invited home while harmful spirits were to be warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.
JACK-O’-LANTERNS: On All Hallows’ eve, the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body, containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the "head" of the vegetable to frighten off harmful spirits. The name jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America where pumpkins are both readily available and much larger- making them easier to carve than turnips. Another common practice during Halloween was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.
TRICK-OR-TREATING: Celtic townspeople placed food items such as apples, nuts, and corn on their porches as a “treat” for the roaming spirits of the dead. It was believed that if the spirits found no food, they would cast spells, steal infants, kill farm animals, haunt the living, and cause havoc for all who failed to treat them.
COLORS OF BLACK & ORANGE: While not inherently evil in the sense that God made all things (even colors), some things may be perverted to be used for Satan’s glory. With that being said, Black is a symbol of darkness, death, evil and mourning. Orange is a symbol of fire. Samhain was often called a “fire festival” because of huge bonfires that they had.
WITCHES, BLACK CATS, HARES, ETC.: Witchcraft dates back to pre-Celtic history. When witchcraft swept Europe in the Middle Ages, the established festival of Samhain became an important celebration. October 31 was (and still is) observed as a “sabbath” for their worship of Lucifer, the prince of darkness and lord of the dead. Black cats and hares were thought to be reincarnated witches.
MISCELLANEOUS SYMBOLS: Halloween imagery tends to involve death, evil, the occult, magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include the Devil, the Grim Reaper, ghosts, ghouls, demons, witches, pumpkin-men, goblins, vampires, werewolves, martians, zombies, mummies, pirates, skeletons, black cats, spiders, bats, owls, crows, and vultures.
SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE OR PARTICIPATE IN HALLOWEEN?
NO!! Some things just are not up for discussion. God’s word is very clear that we are to have no dealings with the things of darkness. The scripture teaches that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all;” (1 John 1:5); as it is with Him, so should it be with us.
Believers in Christ should not participate in Halloween related activities, period. We also are under no obligation to offer a “safe” alternative either. I’m dumbfounded as to why we allow our children to dress up as something “cute” or “non-spooky.” What are we trying to prove? Who are we trying to impress? Does the scripture not say “do not love the world or the things in the world?” (1 John 2:15)
Am I against fun fall/harvest related activities, absolutely not. Do I think we should use Halloween to be evangelistically creative in our witness to non-believers, sure. But I don’t feel that Christian parents should feel obligated to give their kids candy and other things on that day just because other kids are receiving goodies, you know what I mean? Do we do these things in an attempt just to pacify them? Are we afraid to just tell them no? Are we trying to fit into this world’s culture or have we been called to change it?
During the Ramadan season for Muslims, do we make our children fast on those days so as to be careful not to offend other Muslim children? Do we dress them in Muslim garb and have them to abstain from worldly things to focus in on their relationship with God? If Halloween like Ramadan is a holiday that Christian believers do not celebrate (and they don’t), then why do we participate in one and not the other?
On the other hand, there are holidays that are a part of our rich Judaic heritage such as Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year),Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) as well as others that most Christians do not only celebrate, but also have no working knowledge about them whatsoever either. My brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be.
There is nothing wrong with mustering up the courage and telling our children NO! No we are not going to go trick or treating, no we are not dressing up as anything spooky or non-spooky, no no no!!! The word of God instructs us to: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)
God has instructed ALL of His children to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them;” (Ephesians 5:11) beloved, that is my intent with this letter. I am not trying to condemn or bash anyone, but to lovingly admonish you to sever any tie that you may still have with worldly systems, practices, and teachings.
The bible says “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) My objective with this letter is to expose the subtle (and not so subtle) lies that the enemy would use to ensnare the people of God. I also want to educate and inform you of ancient occultic practices so that you would be empowered to liberate yourself, your family as well as others in your sphere of influence.
People of God be strong, stand firm on the Word and remember that only what you do for Christ will last!
Telling The Truth is the ministry newsletter from the Truth Institute which is an outreach ministry of Life Changers Ministries. All rights reserved ©
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