Should Christians celebrate it?
Halloween Should we celebrate it and call it a Light Party or Avoid it - Dress Up for it - Give out Sweets and Receive Sweets - Shout out Trick or Treat to people, decorate Pumpkins?
Let us look at some of its origins.
The word Halloween celebrated on the 31st October literally means the evening before (All Saints day which is on 1st November) also known as All Hallows’ Evening. The history of Halloween is linked to Samhain a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. On the 2nd November (All souls day) for instance the Celtic druids revered it as the biggest holiday of the year and emphasized that day as the time when the souls of the dead supposedly could mingle with the living. Hence the dressing up wearing costumes and disguising your face with a mask to mix with the dead, so they did not hurt you or plague you and scare you. The three days have all mingled together.
When Christianity came and the people began to convert to Christianity and Halloween became “less” popular. The Church instead of getting rid of the pagan practices of Samhain altogether, used these holidays so the people would find it easier to convert to the state religion.
Over the years Halloween has built up to become in England extremely popular with the carving out of pumpkins, dressing up as witches, ghosts, and everything in between which embraces darkness.
Have you noticed how the Children’s and Adults Costumes recently have become more ghoulish and evil looking with masks to match, painted faces with black eyes and red paint to represent blood pouring out of the mouth and eyes? Doors then knocked on with the shout of Trick or Treat and then rewarded with sweets.
So, do we see God in this celebration, does He see it as a bit of fun because it is good for children to have fun and be overindulged with sweets.
What does God say in his word the Bible in Ephesians 5:11, it says “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” This text is calling us to not only have no association with any type of dark activity but for us to be His Light in a world because we have the light in us JESUS, in the power of the Holy Spirit
Amen
Guest blogger Jacky Wilson