Halloween
Did you know that Halloween is a Christian holiday? The frightening aspect of the holiday was never meant to be directed towards us. As the tradition goes… we are supposed to be scaring away the evil spirits in order to prepare us to commemorate the dead in the days that follow. Today, people walk through haunted houses and pay lots of money to be intentionally scared, which I will never understand.
The word “Halloween” comes from shortening “Hallow’s Eve.” And the word “hallow” simply means holy. In the Church, a holy person is referred to as a saint. So, Halloween is the eve before All Saints’ Day. The day after All Saints Day, we honor the departed saints, which is referred to as All Souls Day. It’s a little confusing, so let’s recap…
October 31 is All Hallows’ (Saints) Eve, November 1 is All Saints’ Day, and November 2 is All Souls’ Day.
Over the years, these three days have gotten discombobulated. Now, we have some Christians believing that Halloween is about celebrating evil spirits. It’s fascinating how traditions get misconstrued and passed down incorrectly from one generation to the next generation. It’s like we’re playing a massive game of telephone with our traditions as they get more and more warped over time.
Generally, October marks the end of the harvest season. During this time, the boundary between the dead and the living was thought to be thinned. If the dead were not scared away, they would wreak havoc. So, on October 31, people would don costumes, light bonfires, and imitate sorcery practices in order to ward off evil spirits. It was a ruse. Hence the phrase, “trick or treat.” Halloween is a trick.
I often wonder, is the original intention of the tradition so lost that is it is not worth continuing? I have this thought often about many things in the Church. And even if we do understand the original intention, it’s still nonsensical to believe that evil spirits need frightening off to begin with. No one likes a party-pooper, so I won’t be going on a crusade to end Halloween. Nor do I believe that it is a wise strategy for the Church to suck the fun out of everything. Instead, I will do two things…
First, I will honor the saints who have gone before us in the faith, which is the whole point. On Sunday, we will celebrate the work God has done in and through saints by remembering them in Worship. We will be sure to remember that neither their stories or our stories will end in the grave. Through Christ, we are given a new life. The life in Christ is not fiery or frightening, but it is beautiful and joyous.
Second, I will enjoy some candy!
Pastor Lucas
Photo by Mark Duffel