OPINION: Should Halloween Be Celebrated By Christians?
October 22, 2019
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?
Halle Mckenzie • Oct 24, 2019 at 1:21 pm
Stunning. An absolutely immaculate article.
Robert Butz • Oct 23, 2019 at 8:20 pm
It may have been*
Robert Butz • Oct 23, 2019 at 8:19 pm
Great article Hanner! I believe that Christians should be able to celebrate a holiday like Halloween. I may have been a Satanic holiday 2000 years ago but the 5-year-olds that ring our doorbell and ask me for candy don’t look like they worship demons. Like you said, I think it should be left up to interpretation.
Hannah Palencia • Oct 23, 2019 at 9:33 am
woah, how thought provoking. great job Hanner
Mary Raine Coffey • Oct 23, 2019 at 8:43 am
My thoughts on halloween is that no as christians we shouldnt celebrate the evil and demons about halloween. But, I think that halloween is more about spending time with neighbors and friends. I do not think there is any problem at all with a little girl dressed in a princess costume and getting candy from the neighbors. I think it is all about a mindset. If your mind is set on just spending time with friends and family then I do not think there is any problem at all with that.
Tamyra Otkins • Oct 22, 2019 at 8:54 pm
I am so proud of you Hannah! Very well worded! I agree. we can’t just pick and choose the holidays we want to celebrate as Christians. You either look at them in a new perspective and not follow the pagan traditions attached to the holidays or don’t celebrate them at all. Some holidays have some scary origins and aren’t worth repeating but that doesn’t mean we can’t just not give honor to those traditions and use those days as “hallelujah nights” or have Christmas chapel that honors Christ or just hang out with your friends on those days. Personally, I don’t really celebrate these holidays because of the commercialism and pagan origins of them but that doesn’t stop me from going to Christmas chapel or enjoying the taste of pumpkin around October. It all rides on your perspective and how you choose to spend the holidays after knowing where they come from and as Christians we have to ask “does this in any way honor or dishonor Christ?”
Abbey Long • Oct 22, 2019 at 2:58 pm
Love this article Hannah!!