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The History of Halloween

Halloween - short for "All Hallow Even" or "Holy Evening" is the name applied to the evening (October 31) that precedes the Catholic/Anglican feast of All Saints' Day (November 1), which itself is followed on November 2 by All Soul's Day.

Halloween began as the pagan celebration known as "SamHain," which began at sundown on the last day of the year on the Celtic calendar, October 31 and continued on through the next day, November 1, the Celtic new year.

"SamHain," after whom this celebration is named, was the ancient Celtic horned god of the winter solstice, and was known as the "Lord of Death."

The festival in his honor, which was held on or near the full moon closest to November 1, marked the Celts' transition from their summer goddess and the end of summer, harvest and previous year to their winter god, SamHain, and the beginning of the new year and the season of cold, darkness, and decay.

The Celts, who were descendents of the ancient Galatians (United Kingdom, Ireland, and northern France), believed that on the last day of each year (October 31 on the Celtic calendar - since the heavens and the earth begin to dies at that time each year) the Lord of Death, SamHain, would release upon the earth for one day the spirits of the sinful, lost souls who had died during the previous year, as a respite while they awaited their judgment the following day (November 1 - the Celtic new year's day).

These lost souls (evil spirits) were thought to revisit their earthly homes in the land of the living during SamHain (October 31), so the people presented offerings to them and SamHain on that night.

Druidism, which began in the second century BC and lasted about 4 centuries, was the religion of the Celts.

The priestly, learned class of judges and lawmakers among the Celts were known as Druids.

Druids led religious ceremonies, settled legal disputes, and served as leaders and advisers to the Celts (much as the Pharisees and Sadducees of ancient Israel). According to ancient Christian missionaries, human sacrifices were part of their worship.

Druidism involved the worship of many gods. They regarded mistletoe and oak as sacred. They believed the soul was immortal and entered a new body after death. They killed animals and people as sacrifices. They studied the flights of birds and the remains of sacrificed animals to foretell the future.

The Romans, who conquered much of Europe between about 300 BC and AD 100, tried to stop Druidism, but failed. After the Romans conquered ancient Britain about 55 BC, they added features of two Roman harvest festivals to SamHain.

The first of the two Roman festivals was called Feralia and was held in late October to honor the dead. The other festival honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, and introduced apples (bobbing) to the SamHain festival.

The ancient Christians rejected and detested the idolatrous SamHain festival, and though the religion of Druidism eventually died out after the Celts became Christians in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, the Celts continued in their pagan traditions including the celebration of SamHain.

In the 7th century AD, when the Pantheon in Rome was consecrated as the Church of the Blessed Virgin and All Martyrs, Pope Gregory the Great of the Catholic church decided to incorporate the Druids' SamHain festival into the church by establishing All Saints' Day, in honor of God and all his saints, on November 1 the same day as SamHain.

The purpose, then, of All Saints' Day (which led to praying to saints) was to Christianize the Celtic people's observance of the festival of SamHain, which the Celts, as a people, had celebrated for centuries before becoming Christians.

The Catholic Mass that is said on All Saints' Day is called Allhallowmas.

The evening before All Saints' Day became known as All Hallows' Evening, or All Hallow e'en (Halloween).

The Catholic Church later began to honor the dead (praying them out of purgatory, etc.) on November 2. This day became known as All Souls' Day.

SamHain eventually picked up the name "Halloween" from the celebration of All Hallows Evening, but it has never been a Christian holiday.

However, this attempt to "Christianize," or provide a "Christian Alternative" to (which began as an appeasement to the prevailing culture of the Celts), the SamHain celebration ultimately led to the survival and spread of the observance of SamHain as "Halloween." #Rom 12:2

During the 1600's, the descendants of the Celts became interested in their Druidic and Wiccan heritage and revived the celebration of SamHain in an attempt to take back the festival for Druidism and Wicca who observed the celebration for its necromancy.

Halloween in Modern Times

Today, several groups in Great Britain and Ireland practice what they believe to be ancient Druidism and hold a major Druidic celebration each year at Stonehenge, Salisbury, England, that the ancient Druids are said to have used.

The Old English term "Wicca," which means necromancer (communer with the dead), relates to an ancient, pantheistic (that god is in every living thing) fertility religion.

Wicca celebrates the natural world and the seasonal cycles that are central to farming societies and acknowledge the Goddess as the feminine side of a deity called God.

Wiccan rites are tied to the seasons of the year and the cycles of the moon, which is the symbol of the power of the goddess.

The Symbols, Traditions and Practices of Halloween

"Trick-or-treat" began when families would put out food for the ghosts and demons released on SamHain so they would not harm them.

Jack-o'-lanterns started out as carved images of spirit-beings. Originally, a light was put into a turnip or potato which had an ugly face carved into it. One purpose of the jack-o'-lanterns was probably to frighten the spirits who were thought to invade the earth on Halloween night into going back to the world of the dead.

Bonfires, referring to large fires containing the bones of animal and human sacrifices, were employed to help the sun "survive" the winter and to frighten off evil spirits.

Bobbing for apples began as a technique of divination in the observance of the appended Roman holiday honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees.

Bizarre costumes and ghoulish disguises were used by the Celts to disguise themselves during SamHain so that wandering spirits would mistake them for one of their own and pass by without incident.

Masked villagers representing the souls of the dead also attempted to trick the spirits by forming a parade and leading them to the town limits.

Skeletons, skulls, and corpses naturally belong to Halloween as a festival celebrating death.

Bats and owls were believed by pagan Celts to be able to communicate with the dead.

Goblins, demons, ghosts and ghouls were how the ancient Celts viewed the spirits of lost souls.

Halloween in America

Halloween was not even nationally known and observed in America until the 1840's when the great potato famine in Ireland sent a large wave of Catholic Irish and other European Celtic immigrants to America, bringing with them the ancient traditions and customs of SamHain (by then widely referred to as "Halloween").

During and following the slave trade in the American South, the occult practices of voodoo and Santeria (from the Caribbean islands) influenced common Halloween practices.

Halloween became more and more violent over the years, until in the 1920's community leaders became very concerned about "the Halloween problem."

On Halloween, communities across the country, concerned about Halloween violence and Halloween-related events, such as "Mischief Night" and "Devil's Night," increase police patrols, create special police units to parents about Halloween, distribute pamphlets on the "do's" and "don'ts" of Halloween, and issue warnings to parents regarding poisoned candy, razor blades in apples, etc. ("Keep treats in the bag until children get home. Cut and examine all fruit. Throw away all unwrapped candy. Remember that some hospitals X-ray Halloween candy free), and so on.

Halloween has become truly prominent in America only within the past three generations when, in response to the destructiveness of Halloween pranks, the ancient Halloween custom of trick-or-treating was reintroduced in the 1950s.

Halloween and the Occult

The Occultic lure and harm of Halloween has grown in the last half of the 20th century, prior to which there was little interest in witchcraft in America. However, this is no longer the case, and Halloween is now one of the most important days of the year for witches. Could God be pleased with our joining in a celebration so revered by those who seriously practice witchcraft and sorcery? #Ex 23:24, 33

In a Gallop poll of teenagers ages 13-17, 22% said they believed in ghosts, 29% said they believed in witchcraft, and 50% said they believed in ESP.

Modern witches are deeply devoted to the celebration of Halloween. Some witches are anxious to "reclaim" Halloween as a serious religious holiday devoted to communion with the dead (necromancing) and other Occult practices.

Dabbling in Occultic sin wounds the conscience and breaks down resistance to more serious involvement in the Occult. If a child has fun dressing up as a witch, then why would it not be okay to have fun joining a Wicca coven when she gets to high school? #1Co 8:4-13

Halloween is an important "unholy day" in Satanism. "After one's own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht (May 1st - the day of lust and self-indulgence) and Halloween (or All Hallow's Eve), from The Satanic Bible by Anton Levey page 96, section on Religious Holidays.

Neo-pagans, who sometimes enter occultism through involvement in feminism (which can lead to goddess worship) or environmental activism (which can lead to pantheism) often also consider Halloween one of their two highest holidays.

Serious and well-publicized attempts to contact the dead (spiritism) are held each Halloween.

Halloween is a time when it is easy to introduce children to drug abuse and other harmful practices, and parents should be on the lookout for strangers or drug dealers.

The negative, cumulative influence of "harmlessly" celebrating Halloween year-after-year, like any sinful activity, has a significant impact on our children, whom God has entrusted into our care as their stewards. The first spiritual priority and responsibility of every Christian parent is their children's faith in Christ. Allowing or encouraging children to participate in Halloween can only serve to hinder the ultimate spiritual concern of their salvation. Christian parents must impart their beliefs to their children or someone else will impart theirs. #Deut 6:6-9, 13-17

How Should Christian Families Respond to Halloween?

Christian families should not promote or actively participate in Halloween, but rather should use it as an opportunity to spread the gospel. Stay home with your children, put the lights on and distribute Halloween tracts with candy or coins. This is how Jesus, who dined with and was often in the company of sinners, might have responded in our day. #Mark 2:14-17

Christians are the light of the world, the agency through which God has chosen to reach the lost. We must, therefore, be in the world, but be careful not to be of the world. We have been called out to walk holy and blameless before Him. #Matt 5:14

Keep in mind that as you seek to live by your convictions and lead your family in holiness and righteousness, the world and even some of those within the church will persecute you for protecting your family from being conformed to this world. But do not lose heart. #John 15:18-21, 2Co 4:15-18

#5331 farmakeia pharmakeia far-mak-i'-ah, from 5332; ; n f, AV-sorcery 2, witchcraft 1; 3

1) the use or the administering of drugs
2) poisoning
3) sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
4) metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry

#03785 Pvk kesheph keh'-shef, from 03784; TWOT-1051a; n m, AV-witchcraft 4, sorcery 2; 6

1) sorcery, witchcraft

#03784 Pvk kashaph kaw-shaf', a primitive root; TWOT-1051; v, AV-sorcerers 3, witch 2, witchcraft 1; 6

1) (Piel) to practice witchcraft or sorcery, use witchcraft
1a) sorcerer, sorceress (participle)

#07081 Moq qecem keh'-sem, from 07080, Greek 2973 Kwsam; TWOT-2044a; n m, AV- divination 9, witchcraft 1, divine sentence 1; 11

1) divination, witchcraft
1a) of the nations, Balaam
1b) of false prophets
1c) in a good sense (king's lips as oracles)

#06049 Nne ` anan aw-nan', a primitive root; TWOT-1655,1656; v, AV-observer of times 5, soothsayer 2, bring 1, sorceress 1, enchanter 1, Meonenim 1; 11

1) (Piel) to make appear, produce, bring (clouds)
2) (Poel) to practise soothsaying, conjure
2a) to observe times, practice soothsaying or spiritism or magic or augury or witchcraft
2b) soothsayer, enchanter, sorceress, diviner, fortuneteller, barbarian, Meonenim (participle)

#3096 mageuw mageuo mag-yoo'-o, from 3097; TDNT-4:359,547; v, AV-use sorcery 1; 1,

1) to be a magician, to practise magical arts

#3095 mageia mageia mag-i'-ah, from 3096; TDNT-4:359,547; n f, AV-sorcery 1; 1

1) magic, magic arts, sorceries

#3097 magov magos mag'-os, of foreign origin gm-br, 07248; TDNT-4:356,547; n m, AV-wise man 4, sorcerer 2; 6

1) a magus
1a) the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, physicians, seers
1a2) the name also given to teachers, priests, interpreters of dreams, augers, astrologers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.
1b) a false prophet and sorcerer
1c) the oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered by the rising of a remarkable star that the Messiah had just been born, came to Jerusalem to worship him

#5331 farmakeia pharmakeia far-mak-i'-ah, from 5332; ; n f, AV-sorcery 2, witchcraft 1; 3

1) the use or the administering of drugs
2) poisoning
3) sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
4) metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry

#5332 farmakeuv pharmakeus far-mak-yoos', from pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); ; n m, AV-sorcerer 1; 1

1) one who prepares or uses magical remedies
2) sorcerer

#5333 farmakov pharmakos far-mak-os', the same as 5332; ; adj, AV-sorcerer 1; 1

1) pertaining to magical arts

#02748 Mjrx chartom khar-tome', from the same as 02747; TWOT-738b; n m, AV-magician 11; 11

1) diviner, magician, astrologer
1a) engraver, writer (only in derivative sense of one possessed of occult knowledge)

#02749 Mjrx chartom (Aramaic) khar-tome', the same as 02748; TWOT-2742; n m, AV- magician 5; 5 magician, magician-astrologer

#03049 ynedy yidd@`oniy yid-deh-o-nee', from 03045; TWOT-848d; n m, AV-wizard 11; 11

1) a knower, one who has a familiar spirit
1a) a familiar spirit, soothsayer, necromancer (meton)

#0178 bwa 'owb obe, from the same as 01 (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name); TWOT-37a; n m, AV-familiar spirit(s) 16, bottles 1; 17

1) water skin bottle
2) necromancer
2b) necromancer, one who evokes the dead
2c) ghost, spirit of a dead one
2d) practice of necromancy
3) one that has a familiar spirit

*Sources include: Holy Bible, Church of Lucifer, Church of Satan, Encarta, Encyclopedia Britannica, Microsoft Bookshelf, Satanic Bible and others.