OPINION: Should Halloween Be Celebrated By Christians?

Carved+pumpkin+at+halloween

Carved pumpkin at halloween

Hanner, Mysterious Reporter

 

It’s spooky season, sweater weather, or whatever you call it, so grab your pumpkin spice and Party City decor and get ready for Hallowe- Fall Fest?

Wait. What’s up with that? There has always been a stigma behind Halloween for a plethora of religions, and here’s why:

Halloween started as a Pagan tradition 2000 years ago, when the Celts celebrated Samhain during the evening of the  31st of October and the 1st of November. It was meant to welcome the harvest and the dark months of the year. October 31st, All Hallows’ Eve, was believed to be the night when spirits and ancestors could temporarily pass through the real world. However, this also meant that evil spirits would cross over as well. To prevent themselves from being killed or kidnapped, the Celts would dress as animals to disguise themselves.

Sounds pretty spooky, right? It would make perfect sense that, as Christians, we would forgo any Halloween type celebrations- wouldn’t it?

I decided to research what some well known Christian speakers thought about it.

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family, believes that Christians should be able to celebrate the holiday, but focus on the happier parts, like lighthearted costumes and candy, as opposed to ghouls and demons and gore. He rationalizes that we are disgusted by murder but a front yard decorated with blood and skeletons is cute and entertaining.

Aside from nationally recognized evangelists opinions, what do we at Northlake think?

Senior Halle McKenzie says, “Why is Christmas left up to interpretation but Halloween can only mean satanic rituals? What if Halloween to me just means having a good time with my friends?”

This lends itself to another important point: why are some holidays “Christian” despite their Pagan origins while others are deemed evil?

Have you ever considered the literal origin of Christmas? You might have been told it is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but that in itself would be incorrect. Jesus was rumored to be born in either April or September. Christmas was another Pagan celebration for the Winter Solstice, a Holy Day for many religions. 

So why do Christians celebrate Christmas and not Halloween? Even these two examples are not the only time a Pagan or other religious holiday were twisted into a more socially appropriate and fun celebration.

What are your thoughts? Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Or only certain parts of it? Or not at all?