Halloween is right around the corner and with it each year many parents face the uncomfortable decision, “Do we allow our children to trick-or-treat?” Many, probably most, see Halloween as an innocent and fun tradition of dressing up in costumes and being “treated” by family, friends, and neighbors. Others have heard too many stories of the horrendous things that some people do, and are not willing to subject their children to that possibility. Others still, choose to stay away from a holiday that has its roots in pagan rites and superstitions.
The early roots of Halloween can be traced back to the Druids in Britain, France, Germany, and the Celtic countries in the 5th century. The last day of October, the evening before the Celtic new year the observance took place. The onset of dying vegetation must have seemed a fitting time to honor Samhain, the lord of the dead deity, and the spirits of the wicked dead. These spirits were thought to demand appeasement, sacrifices and a “treat,” and if not provided, would dish out a “trick.” People feared the evil spirits, and among other things, set out treats that evening.
On the other hand, the Christian church, as early as the fourth century, honored all saints, and by the seventh and eighth centuries, “All Saints Day” was an annual celebration in May. Eventually it was moved to November 1st, apparently trying to assimilate the pagan Druid observance with one from the church in Rome, and the evening before was called “All-Hallow E’en. You can see why, with these roots, the growth of wiccan and other spirit seeking activities, some people just want to stay away altogether.
An alternative to Halloween that some families and churches have adopted is to celebrate “All Saints Day.” Such celebrations today may include costumes of Christians of the past (rather than ghouls, ghosts, and goblins), and food, games, and treats.
We each must decide in our own families whether we think trick-or-treat is participation in a pagan holiday in some way, or not. Whether we connect, or don’t connect Halloween to a pagan observance, let’s not lose this important historical fact, and participation in it — Christ Jesus has conquered the power of death for all who come to Him. The Apostle Paul, who would die a martyr’s death, wrote, “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54—55, NASB95). The apostle points out that “the sting of death is sin,” in the next verse, because we each stand condemned to eternal separation from God in a place called hell for our sin. He then writes in the next verse after that, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Do you have the victory over the sting of death? If you have you placed your faith in Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice for your sin, the victory is yours.
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Dan Krahenbuhl is pastor of Monroe Bible Church.
