As the end of October approaches, I’ve heard a variety of opinions on Halloween. They vary from excitement about upcoming parties to dire warnings of demonic possession. Is one right? Is the other wrong? Could both possibly be correct?
Maybe history can shed light on the subject.
It is widely held that the origins of Halloween grew out of the Celtic festival Samhain, which was held on November 1st (I know, everything is Celtic in my stories). This day not only marked the end of harvest, the close of summer, and the beginning of winter, but it also held Druidic importance.
Samhain was believed to have marked a special time when the veil between the physical world and the supernatural realm became very thin. Spirits, both good and bad, were able to cross over for a day. The good spirits were typically relatives or other loved ones who had died, and the bad spirits were all sorts of fairies, angry souls, and other mystical creatures who generally tormented people.
To defend themselves from attack by these dark forces, the Celts attempted to confuse the spirits by masking their appearance. They wore animal skins and skulls or they painted their faces with ash. A day later the veil would be restored, the spirits returned, and they would be safe again.
Because it occurred during the fall festival, it was a great celebration and was widely recognized throughout what is now the United Kingdom.
The large festivals allowed the Catholic Church a tremendous opportunity to share their faith with large groups of people and expand the Kingdom of God. However, the church never aligned with the theology of the Druids. So they constructed a plan to throw even bigger parties, draw in more people, and shift the focus to Christ.
The church had built a calendar of holy days that we now call holidays. They placed them throughout the year as modern-day marker stones to remind us of our faith. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1st to be All Hallowed Day (note that hallowed means holy as in “Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name”). Previously, this had been a lesser holiday recognized earlier in the year.
On this day, holy men and women of faith were celebrated for submitting their lives to God and people prayed to hasten the day when all the world would recognize Christ as king.
The church encouraged large parties. Guests wore the bright costumes of angels and demons as they acted out battles between good and evil. Children were invited to visit their neighbors and request treats such as Soul Cakes (small cakes filled with raisins and marked with a cross burned onto the top).
Beginning to sound familiar?
Over time, festivities generally shifted from November 1st to the night before, and All Hallowed Day was popularly replaced by All Hallowed Eve, or Halloween (-een was an abbreviation for evening).
Halloween was born.
Each year, prayers continued to be offered that praised all the saints and celebrations were thrown by believers whose hearts were full of a joy that could not be contained. They came together with their neighbors to feast, sing, and dance. They invited everyone, hoping to share the source of their overflowing joy.
To the disappointment of the church, Samhain never completely disappeared, and in the popular culture Halloween took on elements of both festivals – celebration of the harvest, prayers, costumes, protection from dark forces, and sugary treats.
Fast forwarding to the present day this is where we still are. Unfortunately, many believers don’t know the history of their church and have lost sight of the Saints as Dark Fairies clouded their eyes.
It is a sad circumstance but not limited to Halloween. As I have detailed in other blogs, many believers have forgotten the cherished roots of other holy-days and conceded them to the non-believing world.
St Patrick is seldom recalled as an inspiration who risked everything for his God then brought a nation to Christ. The holy-day bearing his name has been surrendered to green beer and leprechauns. (Click here for that story).
St Valentine was similarly commemorated as a man who selflessly devoted himself to defending young people in love and led them into marriage even though it cost him his life. Likewise, his holy day has been generally conceded to a cheapened version of true romance – comprised of boxes of chocolate, flowers, and drugstore cards.
It is sad to see Christendom abandon the holy days they established and once held dear. We have failed to teach our children about our predecessors who offered their fleeting lives willingly in exchange for an eternal reward. In the process, we surrendered our celebrations to people who lack our beliefs.
Unless we change course, it is likely that we will one day abandon Christmas in the same way. We have already allowed St Nicholas to be demoted from a generous priest to a toy-making elf. How much longer until we become disappointed with enough secular rituals on this day that we mourn the darkness it brings.
Easter itself would then fall. A resurrected Jesus completely supplanted by a bunny with chocolate eggs.
None of this needs to happen, but it relies on us to change the trajectory.
We need to stop recoiling in horror at the evils that roam the earth, shrinking away to avoid confrontation with the forces of darkness. Instead, we should reflect a Savior that cast out demons and allowed lepers to touch him. He established a new covenant, where something unclean touches something clean, and both become white as snow.
We need to celebrate. Not with boring little parties, but with extravagant events that mirror the generous heart of our Lord. Abandon the puritanic dour faces that judge others harshly and embrace a Jesus who allowed wine to flow freely at a wedding so that the dancing and celebration could continue.
God has sought us out and lavished love on us. We should do the same for the broken people in our community, without regard for the frightening actions that erupt from traumatized hearts. The apostle Paul allowed for early Christians to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols. He wasn’t encouraging them to shop at the markdown counter; he was asking them to break bread with “sinners”.
Maybe the ancient ones were right, and Samhain is a time that darkness is unleashed to roam the earth. Perhaps demons do seek to devour unsuspecting souls.
If that is true, champions are needed. Men and women equipped with the armor of the Almighty God must rise up to drive these devils back behind the veil from which they emerged.
If we are to protect people, we need to be where they are.
Surround yourself with your neighbors. Drag the streets and invite everyone to a decorated home full of music and joy. Make your houses inviting with plates that don’t become empty and cups that never run dry. Shower the children at your door with those great big candy bars that nobody gives away.
Pour blessings over the earth in proportion to what your good Father has shown you. Draw people in, then love and protect them. They need you.
There will be a time to turn off your porch light and hope to be left alone. Now is not that time.
Let them see the nature of God and watch the demons flee. Redeem All Hallowed Eve.
Reclaim your Halloween. It never belonged to them anyway.
