Tis the season to bring up a controversial topic. Many Christians have fought this one for years saying Halloween is of the Devil or it is Satanic. I have even read articles saying Halloween has Christian roots and is far from being a Pagan holiday. That today we bring different cultures into the holiday making it more Pagan than Christian and it is our societies fault for the misconception of the famous world wide holiday. So which is it, is it a Pagan holiday with roots of Christianity, a Christian holiday with Pagan roots, just solely a Pagan holiday or a solely Christian holiday?
If you have read my many posts regarding the history of Christianity then it would be no surprise to you for me to say it is a Christian holiday with Pagan roots. However, it is much more complicated than that. Halloween is celebrated on the original Celtic Pagan holiday known as Samhain. Samhain, according to wicca.com, is known as the "Feast of the Dead". In which, those who practiced would leave food out for loved ones, travel the streets in white sheets to fool the dead and even leave apples along trails for those who had no one to care for them. It is also known as the "Third Harvest" and the time the people took their cattle and slaughtered them for preparation for the Winter months ahead. I am sure these slaughterings were practiced with some sort of celebration and or prayer to the Celtic gods that were worshiped. Samhain also encompasses different beliefs about astrology and the moon as well as any other Pagan holiday. (Note for my Pagan readers: Please correct me if I am wrong. I do not want any kind of mislead information under any of the topics I write about.)
On that note, How does Christianity fit in? The idea of Christianizing pagan holidays is highlighted here, where the author talks about Christianizing rituals and not really creating a whole new holiday. This happened all across the world as Christianity clashed with pagan holidays. The same fell true with Samhain. This is where it gets interesting. Because of the Christianizing of Samhain it took on a new name. In which Beliefnet is claiming the fallacy that the original name of the holiday, All Saint's Day evolved into Halloween over time. Though this is true that All Saint's Day evolved into Halloween, All Saint's Day was nothing more than a rename of the original name trying to make it more Christian. Much like Ostara is to Easter or Beltane is to Christmas. Therefore, You are essentially celebrating a Christian holiday. That is very much true. However, it is also very much Pagan.
Rather you choose to celebrate Halloween or not that is your personal conviction. You already know my personal views on religion and how you believe in God should be a personal interaction with God and not based on something based on what somebody says.
If you do choose to celebrate it because of the Christianizing of the holiday and think that it is Biblical that is completely fine. Do not let a preacher tell you anything different. It is not his place to tell you how to interpret the Bible. If you are a Christian and choose not to celebrate it because of the Pagan roots, yet again, that is fine. However, let me just remind you that the practice of Halloween does not actually insinuate the worshiping of Satan. It was portrayed that for years in order to scare the population into repenting and giving money and following the ways of the Church. The practice of the original Samhain involved remembering loved ones who have passed to the other side as well as the many people who have passed and do not have loved ones around to remember them. You practice the same thing every Memorial Day, every Veteran's day and every time you go to the cemetery to visit your grandfather's grave etc.
As for me, I look forward to celebrating Halloween with my future children. There is nothing that gets me more excited than thinking about dressing them up in their costume for the year and taking them trick-or-treating, or sitting with Emily at the house handing candy to all the ghouls, goblins, witches, vampires and the latest costume craze. I just have to remember not to try and scare Emily during this time of year or else my bloody eye will not be makeup.
Happy Halloween/All Saint's Day/ Samhain everyone.
SMIB
AG
