Once again Halloween is upon us. People are carving their Jack O’ Lanterns, selecting scary costumes, and buying candy for the neighborhood kids. But what, exactly, are they celebrating?
Beneath the mask of Halloween lies a dark secret and an even darker purpose.
To understand the dark secret of Halloween it is necessary to trace its origin back to the ancient Celtic peoples and their priests, the Druids. November 1 marks their high festival Samhain, named after the ancient Babylonian Sun God Samas. However, the real purpose of the celebration is death, as the Druids sacrificed humans on that day and kept the people in fear of the vengeful spirits of the dead. The Jack O‘ Lantern, representing a severed head, and the frightful costumes are echoes of these murderous rituals, the dark secret of Halloween.
When Christianity came to the Celts a decision was made to incorporate their holidays into the Church calendar in order to make the pagans feel more at home in the Church.
However, this attempt to put a Christian mask on a pagan holiday backfired, as the pagan celebration was brought into the Church.
So the dark purpose of Halloween, the celebration of death instead of celebrating Christ the Author of Life, continues to this day.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to have fun without celebrating the death day of the Druids. Many churches offer Halloween alternatives, allowing children to enjoy the candy and the costumes without being exposed to the Druid spirits. Children can wear costumes of positive role models, like Biblical figures, heroes, Princesses, or cartoon characters instead of the demonic ghosts, witches or zombies. It is also much safer to stay indoors and not be exposed to bad actions or bad candy.
Some Churches even sponsor “Hell Houses” for teens, who can see the consequences of sin displayed before them. It can be an effective evangelical tool.
If you are staying at home, you might consider handing out Christian trinkets or material along with candy. Please don’t forget the candy!
Remember that Christ came so we could have abundant life. So have some fun and share the life this Halloween.