I recently read some material from Answers in Genesis that stated that the fact that many cultures celebrate festivals of death at the same time of year raises a possibility. It could be that a festival of death was celebrated at the Tower of Babel in early human history, before God dispersed the people over the earth. I have heard bits and pieces about the origins of Halloween celebrations over the years, but I decided I would like to find more information in order to study the topic more fully. It was not as easy as I thought it would be to find a source that covered the subject in detail, but eventually I discovered a comprehensive book published in 2012. It is entitled Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween and was written by Lisa Morton, a writer of horror books and screenplays. Although it wasn’t written from a Christian perspective, it was well written and obviously very well researched. I will try to pass on enough information to give you a fairly good picture of the trail that led to modern-day “Halloween,” but I will only be skimming the surface of information found in the book. You may find it interesting to read the entire book and know more details about the nature of the celebrations involved. The book has quite a few illustrations to make it colorful. In her introduction, Morton states that Halloween is on the brink of turning into a “global subculture.” After you read the information portion of my article, I hope you will keep reading. I will discuss choices about celebrating Halloween that you may or may not have considered before.The author of Trick or Treat tells us that a British military engineer named Charles Vallancey was sent to Ireland in 1762 to do some surveying. Being a history buff, he became obsessed with the legends of the ancient Celts of Ireland. He wrote many pages of “fact, observation, and speculation” regarding Ireland’s ancient people. His writings contained lots of historical errors that ended up being passed on. He speculated that “Samhain” [standard Irish pronunciation being “sow-in,” with “sow” rhyming with “cow”] was a Celtic deity who was “Lord of the Dead.” Traditional Celtic texts give the correct definition. “Samhain” was a three-day festival of the Celtic New Year that started at sundown on October 31st . A Catholic celebration called “All Saints Day” was held on November 1st . The night before became known as “All Hallows’ [Holy] Eve,” which evolved into “Halloween.” The reason these holy days were set will be discussed later. At one time Historians thought that there was a festival to the Roman goddess of fruit, known as Pomona, at the time of Samhain. However, that notion has been discounted.The Celts engaged in human sacrifice, but the author says they were not as bloodthirsty as some writers have romanticized. The Celts believed in an afterlife. They believed that the doors between this life and the afterlife opened on one night each year—the beginning of Samhain. They believed the dead could cross over to the living on that night, and “fairies” could come out of the “Otherworld” to harass humans. [Apparently fairies were not thought to be the sweet little “Tinkerbell” type of beings or kindly “fairy godmothers” we may think of.]

Samhain was also a time of celebrating the harvest and slaughtering all the livestock, except those left for breeding. There is evidence that drunkenness always took place at Samhain. It was also a day of repayment of debts, trials for crimes, and executions for severe crimes. There is some mythology attached to Samhain.

DEVELOPMENTS AND DIVERSITIES

Morton tells us that the Catholic Church had converted the Celts by the 7th century. The Church discovered that it was better to create a Catholic holiday in place of a pagan holiday instead of trying to just eliminate the pagan holiday. Pope Gregory III moved the “feast of the martyrs” to November 1st at some point in the middle of the 8th century. Sometime around 1,000 A.D. the Catholic Church scheduled a celebration called “All Souls’ Day” on November  2nd . It was It was supposed to be a day to pray for the souls of the dead, particularly those in “Purgatory.” It seems logical that it was created to help replace the three-day Samhain festival.  All Souls’ Day was celebrated by the whole Western [Catholic] Church by the 14th century. Around the late 15th century and early 16th century, some writings referred to celebrations of “halowen.”

In some parts of the world, Halloween became the beginning of the Christmas season. A servant was appointed as “Lord of Misrule.” During that season there was a day of disguises and masks. Lords of Misrule eventually disappeared. One reason was that church leaders believed it came from the pagan Roman December festival, “Saturnalia.”

In the 1300’s the Black Plague killed possibly about 60% of the people in Europe. Images of skeletons became popular because of the Black Plague. They found a natural association with the Halloween festival that was rooted in the Samhain festival because it contained the night when the dead could supposedly cross back over to the world of the living.

At the end of the 1400’s, witch hunts became common. In some of the trials of people accused of being witches, they were also accused of having gatherings on “All Hallows.”

THE ROLE OF BONFIRES

Henry VIII was crowned King of England in 1509. Since he wanted to separate the Church of England from the Catholic Church, he discouraged celebrating the Catholic holiday of All Saints’ Day. In the wee hours of the morning on November 5, 1605, a man by the name of Guy Fawkes and some co-conspirators did something they thought would solve the problem of King James I’s efforts to quash the Catholic Church in England. It was discovered that they had planted 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, in order to kill King James I. Guy Fawkes was executed on
January 31, 1606.

Bonfires were lit to celebrate that the attempt to assassinate the king had failed. The bonfires became a November 5th tradition. The young would go from house to house to ask for items to fuel the bonfires. There were pranks that could sometimes turn into vandalism. In 1647 the English Parliament banned Halloween festivities because of the ties to Catholicism. The Guy Fawkes celebration became the predominant fall celebration in Great Britain.

To add to the confusion, in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar. Britain and Ireland and countries that had moved toward Protestantism because of the Reformation were slow to accept the new calendar established by the Pope. Therefore, some were celebrating All Hallows Eve on November 11th. There was already a celebration on November  11th honoring St. Martin, patron saint of the harvest.

“Bonfire Night” remained the main fall festival in England, but in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales and on the Isle of Man, Halloween was still celebrated with “mystery and revelry.” All the way from the 1500’s to the 1800’s, the Scottish version of Halloween took on a very superstitious nature. The Scottish were very superstitious, believing in fairies and witches. They possessed spell books and felt that charms could cure sickness.

Bonfires have had significance in Halloween through the years, until the end of the 19th century. They had become rowdy and dangerous. Bonfires can be traced back to the Celtic custom of putting out all fires at the New Year’s celebration and then relighting them with an ember provided by the “Druids.” [Wikipedia defines “Druids” as high-ranking professionals in ancient Celtic life. They were the religious leaders who performed Celtic pagan rituals.] When the people in Northern England observed All Souls’ Eve instead of Halloween, they lit bonfires “to light the way for souls out of Purgatory.”

CUSTOMS IN THE BRITISH ISLES

Robert Burns’ poem written in 1785, entitled “Hallowe’en,” revealed the fortune-telling rituals that the Scottish had developed for their celebration. Some of the rituals were devoted to making predictions about whom the person would marry. Some had to do with predicting who would die in the next year. Some had to do with “wraiths,” believed to be spirits separated from living people. Strange Halloween customs sprang up in different areas. In the Shetland Islands off Scotland, a group of young men wore exotic costumes decorated with colored ribbons, high hats, and veils. On Halloween they made unexpected visits to various homes, and they demanded food and liquor. Scotland, Ireland, and Wales had many tales involving fairies. The fairies were believed to be frightening beings, who might kidnap their victims. The Trick or Treat book gives much more detail that you may find to be very eye-opening, if you wish to read the book yourself.

By the end of the 1800’s, Great Britain’s Halloween was celebrated mostly by children and the poor. After dying out in Britain through most of the 20th century, it suddenly became wildly popular to celebrate Halloween in the American way in the 1990’s. Part of the reason is American horror movies and books.

HALLOWEEN IN AMERICA

When potato blight hit Ireland in 1845-1852 and caused starvation in Ireland, many Irish relocated in America. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought Halloween customs involving witches and ghosts and games of fortune-telling. Because of French influence, the area of New Orleans emphasized the celebration of All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ Day is still a legal holiday in Louisiana, as of this writing.

The end of the 19th century brought America’s biggest Halloween symbol—the “jack-o-lantern.” A legend of a blacksmith named “Jack” circulated through Europe and America. According to the legend, Jack outsmarted the Devil. When he died, he could neither go to Heaven or Hell. He had to roam the earth guided by the light of a carved-out turnip holding an ember. The carved turnip lanterns carried by children in Britain and Scotland were replaced by carved pumpkin lanterns in America.

A 1912 article indicates that the colors for decorating for Halloween were brown, yellow, and white. Just a few years later, black and orange had definitely become the colors of Halloween. The harvest colors had been overcome by the colors of the jack-o-lantern and of night and death.

At the onset of the 1900’s, American Halloweens were taking on the prankish character of Irish Halloweens. By the 1920’s the pranks had spawned some serious vandalism. Many local governments considered a ban on Halloween. The YMCA, Boy Scouts, and schools stepped up to help children find other ways to celebrate Halloween. There were parties, parades, costumes, carnivals, contests, poetry, and plays. During the Great Depression [1929 to 1939], celebrations were not very affordable. To keep kids out of trouble on Halloween, parents combined their resources with those of their neighbors and devised “house-to-house parties.” They would do a different activity at each house.

In 1870 the New York City Thanksgiving had become a rowdy celebration comparable to Guy Fawkes Day in England. Records also indicate that children wore costumes and went from home to home begging for food.

THE CUSTOM OF TRICK-OR-TREATING

There was a Christmas custom that appeared in the eastern USA and Canada called “belsnickeling.” It came from a German tradition. Groups of adults in costume went from house to house. In one version, they would do some sort of entertainment in exchange for receiving some food or drink. Sometimes the hosts were asked to identify those in costume and would have to hand over candy to any they couldn’t identify. This action was noted in some records of early Halloween trick-or-treating, which suggests a link between that Christmas custom and the beginning of trick-or-treating. Any similar ancient Halloween traditions  in other countries that had long ago died out probably had nothing to do with the formation of trick-or-treating in America.

In 1927 an Alberta, Canada, newspaper had an article referring to mischief makers going to houses and declaring “trick or treat.” In the 1900’s this practice travelled down to the northern USA. The “trick or treat” tradition spread through the rest of the USA after World War II, when candy was once more in abundant supply. The “trick or treat” custom made Halloween a celebration mostly for children.  The prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933 had put a damper on adult Halloween parties.

In 1964 a New York woman became aggravated over children she felt were too old to go “trick-or-treating.” She gave the children dog biscuits, “ant buttons” for poisoning ants, and steel wool. Legends of razor blades hidden in apples and anything from arsenic to LSD being placed in treats circulated wildly. An 8-year-old boy died from a “Pixie Stix” containing cyanide in 1974. Although it was determined that his murder was by his own father, it added to Halloween fears. In response, hospitals stepped up to x-ray candy, malls gave out treats, zoos put on events, and programs were put in place to educate kids to throw away any treats that weren’t commercially sealed.

THE POPULARITY OF HALLOWEEN

Morton pointed out that the costume emphasis of Halloween has made it an attractive celebration to the gay population because of its ability to mesh with cross-dressers. She states that modern witches, called “Wiccans,” and modern pagans, who worship various gods, think of Halloween as their own festival. Horror films, such as 1979’s Halloween, horror books, and horror attractions, such as haunted houses, have once again made Halloween a big celebration for adults. The big revenue generated by marketing decorations and costumes has added to the Halloween frenzy.

IS HALLOWEEN A GOOD INFLUENCE?

As you can see, Halloween is a constantly-evolving tradition. The rest of Lisa Morton’s book involves how Halloween activities have travelled around the world and how they vary from place to place and from time to time. I will not go into that. You may read the book on your own if you would like to know more. Although Lisa Morton did a great job of researching the subject of Halloween, her book gave me the impression that she doesn’t believe that Satan is a reality or that evangelicals are justified in being concerned about his involvement. It may or may not be true that some evangelicals have exaggerated certain facts about the history of Halloween, but we cannot deny that the Bible clearly teaches that Satan is a real being. I Peter 5:8 characterizes  Satan as an “adversary” who “walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” [WEB]

The Harry Potter series has obviously become a craze in the last decades. In recent years there have been some TV shows that focus on witchcraft. It’s hard not to notice that in the weeks surrounding Halloween we are bombarded with horror movies.  Although not all modern witches, or “Wiccans,” worship Satan, those who don’t worship Satan worship nature or some other god. There is no doubt that the Bible teaches that God is strongly opposed to witchcraft, fortune-telling, etc. Deuteronomy 18:9-12 tells us that God detests sorcery, superstitions, witchcraft, mediums, spiritists, and consulting the dead. (See also Acts 19:18-20.)

DO WE HAVE REASON TO CELEBRATE?

There are basically two main sources of Halloween celebrations. One is Samhain, and the other is All Hallow’s Eve.  Samhain was a festival based upon pagan beliefs of the afterlife. All Hallow’s Eve is associated with praying for the dead who are thought to be in a place called “Purgatory.” Purgatory is a place where the Catholic Church teaches Christians must go before entering Heaven if they have not yet been sufficiently punished for their sins on earth.

I have never been able to be convinced that Purgatory exists, but I decided to check into it further. Several Catholic websites discuss the basis of their belief in Purgatory. One of the main Scriptures used to substantiate belief in Purgatory is II Maccabees 12:46. The books of Maccabees  are a part of a group of books known as the “Apocrypha” that were not accepted into the Protestant canon or the Jewish Bible. According to the carm.org website, there are several reasons for that. One is that they have teachings that disagree with other doctrines of Scripture. Another is that Jesus and the apostles referred to other Old Testament books with phrases indicating their legitimacy, such as, “thus says the Lord,” “as it is written,” or “the Scripture says.” However, they never referred to any of the books of the “Apocrypha” in those ways. These books were not even officially accepted by the Catholic Church until 1546.

Two other main Scriptures used to back up the belief in Purgatory are I Corinthians 3:13-15 and  I Peter 1:6-7. The wording of I Corinthians 3:13-15 indicates to me that it isn’t referring to Christians being punished in flames. It indicates to me that it is their works that are being tested in the flames. I believe it is speaking of determining whether their works merit rewards in Heaven. I Peter 1:6-7 does not appear to me to have any reference to trials suffered in Purgatory. I believe it refers to the trials we suffer on earth—not to punish us, but to make us grow. (Romans 5:3-4 seems to help clarify it.)

GETTING INTO HEAVEN 

Isaiah 53:5, Romans 5:9, Ephesians 2:8 & 9, and I John 1:9 are some of the verses that show that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins. We will not be punished if we genuinely repent and believe. (Romans 2:4-8 speaks about genuine repentance.)  Hebrews 12:6-11 does say that there are times when God chastises Christians on earth if they get entangled in sin. There is no indication that the chastening takes place any place other than on earth. In Luke 23:39-43, the thief on the cross beside Jesus communicated his conviction that his own punishment was deserved and expressed faith in Jesus. Then Jesus told the man that he would be with Him in Paradise that day. There was no time for the thief to do anything to make up for his sins, and there was no mention of going anywhere else before he entered Paradise.

As for praying for the dead in general, the gotquestions.org website provided some relevant Scriptures. Ezekiel 18:20 and Luke 16:19-31 seem to indicate that once you die, your destination has been determined. That could be a disturbing possibility to those who have been trusting in prayer for the dead for many years. For those who have been, it would be worth some careful study to be certain whether your hopes in the effects of praying for the dead are well grounded. One verse has always puzzled me—I Corinthians 15:29. I found an answer at the carm.org website. It explains that what Paul was saying was that “Even the pagans believe in the resurrection, otherwise, why would they baptize for the dead?” He said “they”—not “we.”

THE REASON SOME CELEBRATE ON OCTOBER 31

There is definitely something worthwhile that some have been celebrating on October 31st   (or the Sunday before) for the last 200 years and more. Getting back to the Trick or Treat book for a moment, on page 28 the author briefly mentioned something significant that happened on October 31st. I’d like to talk about that event. Martin Luther is believed to have posted his “Ninety-five Theses” on the door of a church in Wittenburg, Germany on October 31, 1517. I found some information about the Ninety-five Theses on the uncommon-travel-germany.com website. Martin Luther, a Catholic priest at the time, had become angry over the corruption in the Catholic Church. In order to raise large amounts of money for building projects, the leaders of the Catholic Church sold “indulgences.” They led the people to believe that by paying money, they could buy their way or someone else’s way out of Purgatory.

Luther hoped to stimulate discussion by his Ninety-five Theses. Some of his basic contentions were that the Pope had no power to remit sins and that the power of the cross of Christ through genuine repentance and faith is what counts. It was not Luther’s intention to break up the Catholic Church, but that is what happened. The “Protestant” (from the word “protest”) Church was born, and the Reformation was set in motion.  According to the gotquestions.org website, in 1717 October 31st became the official day to celebrate Reformation Day in Germany. From there the celebration spread. Some churches celebrate the Reformation on the Sunday before October 31st. Some churches celebrate it on Halloween.

Luther came dangerously close to being executed for what the Catholic Church was calling heresy. Then Luther began translating the Bible into the German language so that all his countrymen could read it for themselves. The Reformation brought the light of God’s Word to the common people and the good news that we are saved by God’s grace through genuine repentance and faith. The Catholic leaders had held a tight grip on the people because of their exclusive ability to understand Latin, but that grip had been loosened. Even those who stayed in the Catholic Church were eventually blessed by being able to read the Bible for themselves.

CHOICES TO MAKE

So how should we celebrate on October 31st , or should we celebrate at all?  Some believe that we should not have anything to do with celebrations of any kind on Halloween.  They believe we should not honor “Satan’s day.” I personally believe that every day really belongs to God. Satan may have stolen October 31st, but maybe we should take it back. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “. . . and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” [NLT]

Since Halloween and the day before have been known to be a time when there are Satanic hexes and ceremonies, I believe the days just prior are an important time for Christians to spend some time praying for God’s protection of yourself, your family, and your community, in the powerful name of Jesus. I am also convinced that children should not wear costumes associated with witchcraft, evil, or horror.

Some churches hold “harvest festivals” on October 31st. I see nothing wrong with that, but Thanksgiving is also a sort of harvest festival. Now there is another trend called “Trunk or Treat.” People gather their cars in a parking area and decorate their open trunks filled with candy. Then children come by with their bags to collect candy.

In my mind, Reformation Day is a wonderful thing to celebrate on Halloween. The evening of October 31st could be a hallowed (holy) evening, not because of praying for the dead but because of the beginning of the Reformation. The darkness of Halloween night can remind us of the dark void of the lack of first-hand knowledge of what the Bible says that was replaced by the light of the knowledge of God’s Word. Along with passing out candy, we could pass on the light of God’s Word by distributing tracts designed to share the Good News of God’s grace with children. Some of them include fun activities, such as mazes or decoding. The Answers in Genesis website encourages people to use this night as an opportunity for evangelism. I can think of no other time when we have such a great opening to place the Gospel in the hands of American children.

In choosing what to do or to refrain from doing on October 31st , we should be seeking God’s guidance and then following our convictions. We should give each other grace to do what we believe God would have us do. What is right for some may not be right for others.

A SIGNIFICANT SONG

Did you know that the lyrics of the great hymn known as “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” were written by Martin Luther? I found some surprising information on a great website called Christianity.com.  Luther loved music. He could play the lute, and he earned money for student fees by singing on the streets. He wrote a minimum of 35 other songs. This song was inspired by Psalm 46. When Protestants were on their way to exile or execution, they often chose to sing it. It has frequently been called “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation.”

I have a very special memory about that song. While travelling with the choir from the Bible college I attended, we toured a state capitol building. In our repertoire was an arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” that I loved. We were privileged to sing it under the dome in that capitol. I can still sometimes feel chills when I remember that powerful song echoing through the building. Below is a somewhat modernized version of the song, but nevertheless powerful. I hope you will drink in the impact of the lyrics, so appropriate for Halloween.