Halloween Night

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Halloween means “a holy evening” because it takes place the day before “All Saints’ Day.” The origins of the day of Halloween are anything but holy though.

 

Halloween has its origins in the religion of the Druids. The Druids were the main religious power in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France and Germany around 1500 B.C. The Druids were a religious sect of male and female priests. They were known for their cruelty and barbarity in the kind of magic they practiced. People were used as sacrifices but first they were flogged, tortured, and sexually molested before being killed. The Druids taught that on Halloween ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. From this Satanic religion came the use of witches, ghosts and cats in the celebration of Halloween.

 

Most of the customs of this holiday are remnants of ancient pagan superstitions connected with the celebrations or autumn festivals of the New Year according to the Druidic calendar. The Druids New Year began on November 1st and October 31st was New Year’s Eve according to their calendar. The Druids believed, as did many religions at that time, that during this season of the New Year, the dead came back to mingle among the living. At this time, the Druid god Samhain would call back all of the wicked souls who had died within the previous 12 months and had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals. Samhain judged the souls and decreed the form in which their existence was to continue, whether as a human or an animal. This particular season was marked with falling leaves and general decay from the onset of winter temperatures. It seemed appropriate to the Druids to celebrate death at this time due to the seasonal changes. The Druids also believed that this was a time to thank the spirits for the past year’s crops, thus many fertility rituals and ceremonies were conducted. The practice of using corn stalks, leaves and pumpkins comes from this Druid festival.

 

The Celts also believed that the sinful souls of those who had died during the year had been transferred to the bodies of animals. Through gifts and sacrifices their sins could be expiated and the souls freed to claim a heavenly reward.

 

When the Romans conquered the lands inhabited by the Druids, the Halloween celebration was combined with the Roman holiday recognizing their sun god. It was a joint festival honoring the sun god and the Druid god Samhain, their “Lord of the Dead.”

 

Some Christians associate the day of Halloween with Christianity because in the 8th century (700 A.D.). Pope Gregory III had the Roman Catholic Church festival honoring the dead moved to November 1st and to have it called “All Saints Day.” As early as the fourth century the Eastern Church celebrated a festival in honor of all the saints. The Catholic Church before this had been in the practice of appointing certain days to honor and revere certain Christian saints. Due to so many of these days, it had become impossible to have a day for each saint, so they decided to have one day in which they would remember all the saints, “All Saints Day.”

 

Originally this celebration was in May, but as mentioned above, Pope Gregory III had it moved to incorporate the pagan holiday into the Catholic “All Saints Day.” This was a common practice of the Roman Catholic Church. Whenever a pagan celebration was well established, the church would continue it and incorporate it into Christian worship. Then in the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV decreed that the day was to be universally observed by the Roman Catholic Church that, at the time, held the greatest influence among Christians because of its unification with the government of Rome. “All Saint’s Day” eventually came to be known as “All Hallow E’en” or “All Hallow’ meaning “All of the Hallowed Ones” or the saints. It is from these two words “Hallow E’en” that we have derived the contraction “Halloween.”

 

While “All Saint’s Day” began as a remembrance of the saints, it progressed to a day of reverence for the saints, and finally, to many Catholics, came to be a day where the saints were prayed to and prayed for (not a correct true Christian practice). Basically since the people did not want to give up their festival time, the church at that time agreed to “Christianize” it to make it acceptable by incorporating it into Christian worship.

 

During the Dark Ages pagan worship in the form of witchcraft and Black magic become prevalent. Throughout the year witches have celebrations called “Witches’ Sabbaths.” One of the highest of the “Witches’ Sabbaths” is called the “High Sabbath,” or “Black Sabbath,” which occurs on October 31st, and is generally a night of feasting and revelry. Much of our Halloween folklore and practices stem from the “High Witches’ Sabbath” of October 31st, celebrated in Europe in the Middle Ages.

 

Worshipers of Satan today, witches and sorcerers, gather on the evening of Halloween and engage in all sorts of perversions, including animal sacrifices and it is suspected, human sacrifices as well.

 

Trick or Treat

 

The modern custom of going door-to-door begging candy while masked or dressed in costumes goes back to the pagan New Year’s feast. The ghosts of the dead were thought to come to the houses of the living where they were greeted with banquet‑laden tables. At the end of the feast, masked and costumed villagers, representing the souls of the dead, paraded to the outskirts of town leading the ghosts away. This was done to avoid any calamities the dead might bring upon them should they not provide for them. If the living did not provide such a feast for the ghosts, the belief was that their lives would be cursed with such situations as their livestock dying, their milk turning sour, their food spoiling or whatever other mischief the evil spirits might devise. The giving of candy today is symbolically replacing this appeasing of the spirits in the return for being blessed or not receiving a “hex” or “spell” on the household. When children go door to door they are re‑enacting this ancient superstition.

 

Jack‑O‑Lanterns

 

The Jack‑O‑Lantern (also known as the will‑o‑the‑wisp, fox fire, faire fire, friar’s lantern, or corpse lantern) was believed to be a wandering soul that could not find refuge in either heaven or hell because of a particularly evil deed committed in its lifetime. Some believed it to be a malignant imp. The Finns believed that it was the soul of a child buried in the forest.

 

According to ancient folklore from many places, a will‑o‑the‑wisp wanders about and entices victims to follow it. Should a person succumb to the temptation, he may become hopelessly lost or led to his death in a bog or pool. Today’s leering pumpkin face is symbolic of the mocking spirit that laughs at one’s calamity.

 

In France where the Druids were prominent, the Jack‑O‑Lantern was used in their sacrificial rituals. The Druids would go to a castle and demand a sacrifice, sometimes human. Upon receiving their demand, they would leave a Jack‑O‑Lantern there as a sign of good luck. If their demands were not met a hexagram (sign of Satan) was left on the door and a curse of death was placed on the house.

 

Bonfires

Another practice associated with Halloween is the bonfire which, unknown to most, is traced back to the Celtic fire festivals that had specific purposes in ancient pagan superstition.

 

In North Wales every family built a bonfire into which each person would throw a stone he had marked with his own identification. The family would recite prayers to their gods while gathered around the fire. Should a stone be missing when they came back to the site the next morning, it was believed that the owner of that particular stone would die within a year’s time. The same belief existed in the Scottish Highlands. This practice of having bonfires at the beginning of the Celtic New Year is associated with predicting the coming events for the year.

 

The Halloween bonfire usually was a community event where the bonfire was consecrated through sacred rites during the fire festival. In order to receive fire for the next year it was necessary to engage in pagan rituals, many of which included human and animal sacrifices to the gods of nature.

 

The Celts held two fire festivals, one of which honored Samhain and is rekindled every Halloween all over the world today. The other was held for Beltane during the Easter season and focused on the Queen of May and the Earth Mother. These goddesses, in turn, were derived from the ancient Chaldean Queen of Heaven, Ishtar from whom Easter gets its name.

 

Witches, Black Cats and Talismans

 

It is a fact that witches (who worship the gods of nature) have living talismans, or symbols through which they derive their power, that are indwelt by evil spirits. Some have dogs, owls, snakes or swine for their talismans, but the most common are cats. The witches invoke the familiar spirits to enter the bodies of their talismans and they keep them around for the exercising of dark powers.

 

The black cat has come to symbolize these familiar spirits because black represents evil, death, and darkness.

 

In California today, witchcraft is a growing problem. In the Sacramento area alone there are over a dozen witch covens or gatherings with somewhere between 500 ‑ 1000 devotees or followers. The influence and power of these groups cannot be ignored. A high priestess and leader of a witch coven sued a Sacramento Christian ministry. The Christian ministry was distributing material that exposed the practices of witchcraft and it was reducing the coven’s membership and income. Praise God that the suit was dismissed in court, but these are powers that have to be dealt with. Unfortunately many witch covens are recognized by the State of California as bonafide religions and have been given tax-exempt status as churches. The coven leaders are given the same position as the pastor of any church.

 

One wizard (male witch) from the Los Angeles area states that Halloween is the biggest sacrificial day of the year for those involved in the occult. Cats, dogs, pigs, and humans are used and their blood is shed on the altars as part of Satan worship. Police departments are aware of increasing numbers of murders where bodies show severe mutilation and torture. It is suspected that Halloween is used by witches and those worshiping Satan to relax people into acceptance of witchcraft and occultic practices.

 

The Dangers of Halloween Night

 

While I have discussed various facts concerning the history of Halloween and the many negative things associated with it, I also need to mention some of the obvious dangers involved with Halloween night.

 

Halloween is usually a night when individuals seeking mischief hurt others and damage property. Whatever your beliefs about Halloween as a holiday, you have to recognize that it is an extremely dangerous night to be out and about. The possibility of being struck by a car, kidnapped, poisoned or injured is very real. For this reason, you need to re‑evaluate how you spend your Halloween night to reduce your risk of injury.

 

Biblical Response to Halloween

 

To be honest, the Bible says nothing about “Halloween” in particular, but it does make many comments about the things that Halloween is associated with.

 

In I Corinthians 10:20‑23, Paul speaks to the Christians at Corinth about the Christian life. The Corinthians are having a particular hard time living up to their Christian calling. They have incorporated many of the heathen practices of their day into their own Christian lifestyle. The effects of this have become apparent in their church and personal Christian lives. Paul says, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” He is saying to them that they cannot associate with the world in the way they are doing and continue to say they are in fellowship with the Lord. He is calling them to choose between the false religions that surround them and the Lord’s Kingdom. They must cease practicing the doctrines of demons.

 

He goes on to say in verse 23, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.” He is trying to impress on them that while they may not be breaking any laws in what they are doing, they are not pursuing the ways of the Lord either. While they are not breaking any particular commandment, they are not at tempting to edify or encourage one another in their Christian lives by how they are behaving.

 

I think Christians should consider how they might apply this verse to the holiday of Halloween. We are not breaking any law or commandment necessarily when we observe Halloween as it is popularly celebrated in the world. But we are adopting and practicing worldly practices that have their origins in things that are contrary to God. Also, while we may be participating innocently, we are not seeking constructive ways to encourage one another in our Christian life together.

 

Furthermore, Ephesians 5:1,3‑4,8 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;…But do not let immorality or any impurity be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks…for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.”

 

Philippians 4:8 also says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Both of these verses are calling us as Christians to make a commitment to seek that which is better for us. They are calling us to not choose the minimum standard, or the questionable possibility, but the highest standard of these things that will bring us the greatest happiness and God the greatest glory.

 

Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and not to be conformed to the practices of the world. Ephesians 6:12 warns us that we are not struggling against flesh and blood, but against powers that are spiritual and invisible in nature. We must not be so naive to think that Halloween is an absolutely innocent holiday.

 

Christians are called to be in the world but not of the world. It is often hard for us to discern how to do this and still remain effective as followers of Christ. There is a balance we must seek between being separated from the practices of the world and being available to people who are of the world. If we have no discernable differences from those who are of the world, why should they seek us out or the God we serve, for answers to their needs? We are called to strive to be holy but also to be sensitive to those around us so we can minister to them. John Weirick has a good comment on how to handle the holiday of Halloween as a follower of Jesus Christ.

 

“The most important question is not whether you will observe Halloween, but how and why you celebrate it. For some, Halloween is an opportunity to make memories doing something fun with their children. For others, it’s a great chance to meet their neighbors, grow a relationship with them, and eventually invite them to church and to meet Jesus. Faith in Jesus doesn’t restrict our options; it allows us to use God’s wisdom in choosing the best option in every situation (1 Corinthians 10:31-33).”

John Weirick

 

May God convict you of what standards need to be set in your life as you face the holiday of Halloween. May God give you the strength and peace to carry out your convictions.