Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
We are in the middle of what many term “spooky season.” In the weeks leading up to Halloween, we see all manner of creepy decorations and horror movies galore. A lot of individuals enjoy Halloween, but Christians often wonder if they should partake in the celebration that has so many pagan influences.
While the Bible doesn’t explicitly prohibit the celebration of Halloween, there are several biblical principles that Christians should consider before embracing this holiday.
Halloween’s Origins
Many people believe that Halloween originates from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain at the beginning of the Celtic year. The Celts believed the dead could walk among the living during this magical time and the living could visit with the dead. People burned fruits, vegetables, grain, and other things as part of their religious worship of their gods. They would even wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Many scholars believe that the ghosts, food, candy, and fortunetelling that are now part of our Halloween celebration began with these pagan customs more than 2,000 years ago.
During the 8th century, Pope Gregory III named November 1 as All Saints Day to honor the Catholic saints, and about 200 years later All Souls Day was added on November 2 to pray for the dead. People would even leave food and other items out for their dead relatives. It was believed that evil spirits would try and hinder the prayers for the dead. In the 1800s, immigrants from Ireland and Scotland arrived in the United States and brought with them their Halloween traditions. Immigrants from other countries also added their own Halloween traditions such as German witchcraft lore, and Haitian and African native voodoo beliefs about fire, black cats, ghosts, and witchcraft.
While many holidays have ancient origins that differ from their modern-day practice, it’s important to understand that Halloween’s roots are in a pagan religion.
Dark Spiritual Forces Are Real
The most troubling thing about Halloween is that it celebrates the ghoulish, gruesome, and evil. Indeed, some Halloween traditions even revel in occult practices. Many individuals, even Christians, take this lightly and find humor or entertainment in it. However, the Bible is clear that dark spiritual forces are very real and at work in our world. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Dabbling in the occult is condemned in the Bible, and Halloween has desensitized us to the very real evil in the world around us. Christians should have no interest in anything that makes light of evil in any form, or attempts to celebrate or communicate with the existing evil and satanic forces.
Whatever is Pure and Lovely
In Philippians 4:8, Christians are admonished to think about “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.” Ask yourself, do traditional Halloween practices bring honor to God? Are they pure and worthy of praise? This command is not for 364 days a year with a pass to partake in the gruesome and frightful one day a year. As believers in Jesus, with the Holy Spirit within us, we need to take seriously what we fill our minds with, what we allow into our homes, and what we teach our children.
An Alternative Option for Christians
Let’s be honest. Parts of Halloween are a lot of fun! What kid doesn’t like dressing up and getting candy? Christians can enjoy these innocent and fun parts of Halloween without venturing into the darker elements. Instead of making the celebration about Halloween, make it about the changing of the seasons and celebrate fun and family. A lot of churches now offer Fall Fests where kids can enjoy costumes and candy without being exposed to gruesome or gory things.
You can also redeem some Halloween traditions by bringing spiritual truth to them. For example, I love The Pumpkin Patch Parable, which uses pumpkin carving as an illustration of salvation and God making us a new creation. Additionally, giving and receiving candy is a great way to teach kids about generosity and kindness.
At the end of the day, each family must make their own decisions about how they will approach Halloween, but I pray you will remember that He who is within us as Christians is greater than he who is in the world (Satan). We should seek to honor God every day – even on Halloween.