The celebration of Halloween dates back to before the time of Christ. The Druids set aside October 31 to honor Samhain, the lord of the dead. The Celts believed that Samhain assembled all the souls of the dead on October 31, freeing them to return to their homes, where their families were to entertain them. If they didn't find an acceptable welcome, the spirits would cast spells or cause other problems for the living. This was the first form of trick or treat.
To counter pagan rituals, Pope Boniface IV in 834 A.D. moved the church feast of All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows' Day) from May to November 1. October 31 was called All Hallows' Evening, and was eventually abbreviated and became Halloween. In medieval times, satanic witches took Halloween as an opportunity to mock the saints of the church commemorated on All Saints' Day. In the early 1800's, immigrants of Celtic origin brought their Halloween celebrations to America, which included bonfires, death-related symbolism, and door-to-door trick or treating.
In our society today, Halloween celebrations are promoted through such things as the media and school parties. Dressing in costumes of ghosts, skeletons and witches is not only accepted, it is encouraged.
What should Christian parents do regarding this pagan celebration? I'll address that question in my next blog.
1 comments:
I'm glad you're addressing this, Eddy. So many think there is nothing wrong with celebrating Halloween, cause it's "just fun for the kids."
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