Thoughts on Halloween

"We don't observe Halloween. That's the devil's day."
"We don't want to accidentally invite evil into our lives."
"Dressing up like something wicked gives that wicked thing credence or power."

Statements like these resound from the years of my own childhood and are repeated through many evangelical conversations. Christians don't observe Halloween. This is a familiar and common sentiment, and one that I'm aware many who read this may still espouse. Let me say at the onset that I absolutely understand the heart and intention behind the idea that Christians should seek shelter during this day. We don't want to participate in evil or give the appearance of any such thing. That's absolutely true!

But run this thought experiment with me: what if Halloween was not owned by the pagans, but actually the Christians? What if this day was part of a centuries-old celebration, created by the church, with only good and biblical intentions? Would that make any difference in how we think about the day? Let me ask it this way: what if there was a historically-based, purely Christian way to observe Halloween? Would you want to hear about it?

That's the simple purpose of this blog post. If you finish reading this and still want nothing to do with the day, that's ok. We all have that freedom of conscience (Rom. 14:5-9). I do hope, though, that what is said here would at least cause us all to think, not just about Halloween, but about what it means to be a Christian and to take every opportunity to proclaim what is true in this dark world. That is, after all, what Halloween is all about.

Let me start with a brief history. The term "Halloween" is a modernized version of the Christian holiday All Hallows Eve. The word "eve" always denotes itself as a precursor to something else, and in this case, the reference is to November 1st, which is All Saints Day. Following, on November 2, is All Souls Day. These three days, collectively referred to as "All Hallowtide," were developed and formalized in the early medieval period as days to honor Christian martyrs and to pray for those who face violent deaths for their faith. All Hallows Eve (now Halloween) is a Christian holiday.

(But what about the candy and costumes? How does that fit in?)
Now, this is where things get interesting. The dates for these three holidays were chosen by the church for where they landed in the year. The harvest was over, so people had time to celebrate and travel. The imagery of "harvest" also greatly reflected the notion of saints having finished their lives and being harvested up to heaven. Very pertinent to this topic is the fact that the dates also happened to coincide with an ancient, Celtic observance called "Samhain" (pronounced Sow-when).
 
Now, stay with me here. Explanation is required.

Samhain was a pagan observance of the changing of the seasons from summer to winter. Summer was seen as the time when food was plenty, crops were growing, days were warm, and the sun shined bright. Conversely, winter was the time where cold, death, and immobility were welcomed in. Here's a detail we can't miss: the pagans who observed Samhain believed that, during this transition from summer to winter, from light to darkness, and from life to death, that the line between the seen and unseen worlds was blurred. The dead could walk the earth. Spirits could mingle with humans. Some of these spirits, they believed, were malevolent, and so this was no joyous feast for the pagans. It was a time of caution and endurance. There was a real fear of the grave and what existed beyond it.

To mitigate against the unwelcome influences of the dead and evil spirits, the celts included practices like lighting large bonfires, symbolizing the enduring warmth of the sun. More than that, people would leave gift baskets outside their homes for the spirits; offerings given with the hope to appease them and sway them away from tormenting the living. Rugged and thrown-together costumes and masks were worn, the thought being that the spirits could be "tricked" by the disguises, not able to differentiate between the living and the dead.

The bottom line is this: the ancient, pagan time of Samhain was characterized by fear and a desire to appease wicked spirits, hoping beyond hope to keep them at bay for another year.

Now, back to the Christian introduction of All Hallows Eve. This day, by the plans of the church (and God's providence) landed on the exact same day as the pagan Samhain. Rather than disregard the widespread , pagan practice altogether, the church took the approach of redeeming something salvageable. 

While the purpose of Samhain was to fearfully hide from and appease spiritual entities, the intent of All Hallows Eve was the opposite. Christ had come. He had conquered. He had made short work of death and of every lesser power and authority, both seen and unseen.
This holiday pointed people toward the victory of Jesus and his rule and reign over all things, even the realm of death itself.

While the heart of Samhain was thrown out (and rightfully so), some of the practices were kept and baptized into Christianity, so to speak. For example, young children would go "souling." They would walk from door to door in the village, offering to pray for the souls of the residents of each house. In exchange for their prayers, the people in the house would give them small, tasty cakes. This is the origin of what we call "trick or treating."

Here's another example. The practice of wearing costumes was kept, not in an attempt to blend in with evil spirits, but as a method to mock them. Wearing costumes associated with evil powers (a cartoonish devil, for example) and death itself (perhaps a skeleton), became used as a "victory lap," of sorts, shouting Christ's victory over these powers. People would don the costumes and play out dramatic performances in the town square or in front of homes. In these dramas, death was always defeated, and evil was always vanquished.

In a day in age in which death was always at the door (plagues, famines, high mortality rates, etc.), it was a common Christian practice to be reminded of the brevity of life and the certainty of death. Death was much less taboo to talk about and consider than it is today, and incorporating elements of death and the Christian promise of glorious life beyond it were seen as entirely appropriate elements to embrace and celebrate.
CS Lewis stated,  “Above all else, the devil can not stand to be mocked.”

Viewed through this historic, Christian lens, we see that All Hallows Eve was an opportunity to keep the tradition of Elijah alive. Just like the scene atop Mount Carmel, Christians are free to mock the defeated, powerless gods of the world and celebrate the true reign and eternal power of the one, true, God.

I know there are objections. Again, my purpose here is not to bind anyone's conscience, but simply to provide a perspective on All Hallows Eve you may not have heard before and, if nothing else, to disarm Christians who may be a bit too adamant about how the day should be observed (if at all).

Isn't it true that very few Christians view Halloween in this historic way?
This is likely true, and is precisely the reason we need to spread the word! Wouldn't it be great for Christians all over the western world to reclaim and reboot what our Christian forefathers started?

But isn't dressing as nasty things a way to give them power? 
Not necessarily. Intent matters, and we can't fall for the fallacy that depiction equals endorsement. Think of Lewis' book, The Screwtape Letters. The book is about demons, but it is in no way endorsing them or approving their actions. It is simply a depiction. The same goes for art and fictional works, like Paradise Lost. On Halloween, we can depict evil beings, not to endorse them, but to display their downfall.

But don't cults and pagans practice ritual sacrifice and other satanic practices on Halloween?
Probably. And they should stop. Even so, the fact that rebellious, pagan people are co-opting a Christian holiday is not a reason to give it up or concede ground. Rather, we ought to be spurred to plant our flag deeper, celebrate harder, and denounce the devil and his works with even more clarity.

There may be lingering sentiment against Halloween, even at this point in the blog. Maybe I've not convinced you. Again, that's ok. But let me come to a close with this.

Christians are meant to be about the business of contending for the crown rights of King Jesus throughout the world and its systems whenever and wherever we have opportunity.

This is not just limited to squeezing confessions of faith out of individuals, but also working to redeem whatever in the world is redeemable. This means systems. This means city halls. This means festivals and holidays. Now, to be sure, some systems, days, and institutions need to be thrown out entirely. October 31st is not one of them. Rather, why not take a pagan fear of death and turn it into a Christian celebration over death? That's what All Hallows Eve is meant to be. 

You don't have to observe All Hallows Eve. You don't even have to set out the bowl of candy on the porch. But I do think that, if you do observe the day, you can do so with a clear conscience and in an expressly Christian way. There is a lot of pop culture baggage pertaining to the modern holiday that is not helpful. I'm aware of that, and I'm not encouraging anyone toward sin. But here's what you can do: you can teach your family and yourself how to take a joyful victory lap around the institution of death and the defeated spiritual powers that lay powerless in the background of Jesus' empty tomb. You can use the day to let your mind and heart be projected into eternity, where death will be a distant memory and every enemy of Christ will be fully vanquished. This is the Halloween for which I contend.