“and you shall know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free." John 8:32
History of Halloween – Its Origins
Three hundred years before Jesus was born, a civilization of people called the Celtics lived throughout the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Western Europe. They were a common group, controlled by a secret society of priests and pagans called the Druids.
The Druids believed in the immortality of the soul, worshipping and serving the demonic "god of death" - Samhain. These satanic priests literally controlled people's lives through the mechanism of fear, and human sacrifice. Much death, disease and destruction came upon the Celtics as a result of the Druids and their practices.
Each year on October 31st, the Druids celebrated their pagan god, Samhain. The "Festival of Samhain," more accurately called "The Festival of Death," as it was officially known, and is still recognized today by all satanists, occultists, and devil worshipers as the eve of the New Year for witchcraft.
This was a time in which Druidism and Celtic Reconstructionists celebrated. The Druids would build huge sacred bonfires to offer sacrifices to the many Celtic deities that number over five hundred named gods. Before each yearly sacred bonfire, the Celts would extinguish their hearth fires and relight them with embers from the bonfire.
The Celts were a pre-Christian culture that was served by priests and druids. Many trace Halloween's origins to a festival of death, darkness, demons, superstitions, and worshipping the dead, celebrated by the Celtic Druids of England. This group worshipped the sun god and built bonfires. "Bon" means good so these were meant to be "good fires" to appease the sun god so that the sun would come back again. Human sacrifices were made on these "good fires" and were performed at the end of the year when the days began to grow short and the sun began to set earlier.
During his reign, Pope Gregory the Great incorporated the Druid festivals into the church. He decreed that they could no longer sacrifice to the devil but they could kill for food and give thanks to God. October 31st was a festival honouring the sun god or the lord of the dead. It was celebrated with fire and was associated with darkness, death, and demon spirits. November 1st marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
In order to appease the Celts and incorporate them into the Church, Pope Gregory adopted the Celtic calendar in the 700's. He named November 1st as "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows day" with a specific purpose. It was set aside as a time of offering prayers for the dead something that is expressly against biblical truth. The focus was on the "saints" or the martyrs of the church and they were to be prayed for and to be commemorated on that day. October 31st then became "All Hallows Eve" which over time was shortened to "Halloween."
The fact that men have taken pagan customs and given them Christian trappings does not make them biblical. They became part of the traditions and the practices of men and the fact that they take place in church seems to lend legitimacy to them, but nothing could be further from the truth.
October 31st, Halloween, is the eve of the New Year for witchcraft. The World Book Encyclopaedia says it is the beginning of all that is "cold, dark and dead!" When you send your little children out to go "trick-ortreating" you're actually teaching them to celebrate all that is cold, dark, and dead!
Where did trick or treat’ originate? The Druid priests would go from house to house demanding all sorts of strange foods for their own consumption and to offer later to "lord Samhain" at "The Festival of Death." If the village people would not give them the foods demanded they would speak a demonic curse over the home, and legend claims that someone in that family would die within the year. Thus you have "trick-or-treat"!
The Druids would carry with them a large turnip, which they had hollowed out on the inside and carved a face on the front, to represent the demonic spirit they depended upon for their power and knowledge. This spirit is called "a familiar spirit".
Acts 16:16-18 ‘And as we went to prayer, it happened that a certain girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by divining. The same followed Paul and us and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are announcing to us the way of salvation. And she did this many days. But being distressed, and turning to the demonic spirit, Paul said, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out in that hour.’
The turnip, lighted by a candle from within, was used as a lantern for the Druids as they went from house to house at night. Now, it was believed by the Druids that their familiar spirit would inhabit these turnips and assist them in carrying out the spells spoken over the homes and lives of those refusing the Druids' demands.
When this practice came to America in the 18th and 19th centuries, turnips weren't that prominent, but there was a vegetable native to this country that was soon substituted for the turnips. That's right. The pumpkin. The name given to the spirit which inhabited the turnip was "Jock," and upon arriving in America it became "Jack, who lives in the lantern" or Jack-O- Lantern".
As you can clearly see, there is NOTHING Christian about Halloween. It is today what it has always been - a day dedicated to the devil.
What Should Our Position As A Christian Be?
The Bible says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people”. Therefore come out from them and be separate,' says the Lord, 'touch no unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty" 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.
Why should Christians not honour Halloween?
Because it is paying homage to the devil! If we really desire to honour the Lord in our lives and family, then we must teach our children concerning the truth about Halloween.
Keep your family away from the evil aspects of Halloween. Instead, be creative and provide a safe and fun night for your children. Bring light to the darkness by passing out Halloween tracts to the children who come to your door. Along with sweets, you can give them a booklet that shares the light and truth of Jesus.