Halloween is not Pagan

It's every few months that the tik-tik pagan experts finally come out of their caves, ready to storm social media with claims and monologues about how every Christian is actually partaking in devil worship. It's that time of the year again, October has rolled in, and Samhain addicts are going rabid with out-of-context and anti-historical claims. Is Halloween pagan? Some say that it is a harmless holiday where kids get to dress up in costumes and collect candy, while others say it's an evil day that came from Celtic pagan rituals and is a mass deception from the satanists, a night where they curse all of the candy and ruin families nationwide through their evil and deceptive tactics. You invite the devil into your house when you take candy and dress up.

They say that Halloween has pagan origins and that we should avoid any celebration on that day, because no matter what your intentions are, you are actually glorifying satan! Many non-believers have used and appropriated the holiday in sinful ways, but that doesn't mean that a Christian cannot dress up and visit family and friends, and take back the original Christian day from secular culture. If Christian's were to partake in demonic or occult activities, then it would be sinful, but do we see every Christian running to the basement to experiment with Ouija boards, sage, tarot cards, and cult traditions? No.

Some people try to support this notion by quoting the founder of the church of satan, Anton LaVey,

 “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year.” 

But this quote does nothing, even if it is real. Christ has power over any imaginary chant that a Reddit incell makes up, and God has always had infinitely more authority than satan, especially when His Holy Spirit dwells above us, within us, and below us. We are immersed in the enjoyment of salvation in Christ, and when we focus our lives on Him, no online babble can break through. But to make matters worse, this quote is fake. There is no reference in any book, speech, recording, writing, anywhere! The church itself, along with several independent groups, has debunked this quote repeatedly. Even if he did say this, we can be sure he is wrong, because satan is a liar, and the father of them (John 8:44).

Of course, that does not mean there aren't occult activities being done on Halloween, nor does it mean you should partake in them as well. In recent centuries, Christians have let this day to honor the saints fall into the hands of the devil, who, through secular culture, has rebranded it as a day of evil. But we can take the day back! Besides, any average Joe would not be leaping for witch guides and sage once October is on his calendar, but many people do, intrigued by the sense of wonder and mystery that contacting "spirits" may offer. But through a Christian worldview, the only "spirit" out there is not anything good, demonic in fact. So, is Halloween pagan, and should Christians partake in the American tradition?

Where Does Halloween Come From?

Let's begin with the name of the day, Halloween. It's a compactification of the holiday All Hallows Eve. Hallow means to honor something as holy, so the name means the evening to honor the holy. It was a day that the early church would remember the saints who died under Roman persecution. But does it come from the Celtic Samahin? Historically speaking, Halloween has no connection to pagan traditions, as many say. The claim that Halloween was actually the Celtic holiday Samhain has many issues. First, there are no Celtic texts that say Samhain celebrated the dead, and our best evidence suggests it was a day to hold feasts for the coming winter. Animals would die during the winter in northern Europe, so it was very common for people to kill all their animals and hold feasts and festivals.

Was Samhain a Celebration of Evil?

British Historian, Ronald Hutton

Historian Ronald Hutton tells us that there is no direct evidence that suggests there were any pagan ceremonies or sacrifices performed on Samahin (pronounced Sow-win). Supernatural encounters were believed to happen on this day, as were many holidays, like seeing fairies. He also says that modern scholarship actually doesn't know the exact date of Samhain, as there is no ancient documentation of a date (Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain, Pgs 360-370). We are told by modern culture that this is an ancient Celtic festival where people wore costumes and left treats outside to ward off spirits, but this is false. Samhain means "Summer's End" and marks the onset of the winter season. The earliest document we have that mentions Samhain is from the 10th century A.D., Serglige Con Culainn (The Sickbed of Cú Chulainn). It says that the men of Ulster would gather together for three days, the end of which was the day of Samhain. They would hold sporting events, set up markets, shows, and plays, and hold feasts in the Plain of Muirthemne in County Louth, Ireland, near modern-day Dundalk

Location of the Plains of Muirthemne

In this document, there are no mentions of evil sacrifices, costumes, or rituals. And this made sense, as mentioned earlier, the winter season was coming up soon. A lot of the time in northern Europe, and even today, many animals would die from the cold temperatures. So, at the end of summer, many ancient people would kill some of their animals and hold feasts before winter came. They would then store the leftovers and unused meat to feed themselves during the winter. Fast forward some 200 years, and you finally get some mentions of supernatural aspects. In the 12th century mythic, Macgnimartha Finn, the belief that the barrier between the human world and the fairie world was thinner at certain times of the year, and people would be able to see them on specific occasions, but none of this connects to Halloween.

“In fact, there is no hard evidence that Samhain was specifically devoted to the dead or to ancestor worship, despite claims to the contrary by some American folklorists, some of whom have presumed that the feast was devoted to Saman, god of the dead.” (Nicholas Rogers, Halloween From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, Pg 19)

Regardless, many still say that Christians moved All Saints Day from May 13th to November 1st to synchronize or "Christianize" the pagan holiday. Wait a second, this makes no sense. Why would someone move their own holiday to another date to please foreign people? It's an absurd idea, but moving on, we have evidence that the Celts celebrated All Saints Day on April 20th. The 9th-century document The Martyrology of Tallaght mentions that the Celtic All Saints Day was celebrated on April 20th, a time of the year not close to that of Samhain.

"There is no evidence that Halloween is simply a direct survival of Samhain or any other pre-Christian festival. It owes more to Christian belief and practice concerning All Saints Day and All Souls Day." (Nicholas Rogers, Halloween From Pagan Ritual to Party Night)

All Saints Day

May 13th was actually a day when those who died under Roman Emperors were remembered. We also know that Syrian churches began celebrating something like All Saints Day during Pascha week (ending on Easter Sunday). This was initially a day meant to honor Saint Paul, Stephen, Peter, John, and other early Church Saints. Greek churches celebrated it on the sunday after Pentecost; Roman churches celebrated it on May 13th; Celts on April 20th; and the English, Germanic, and French churches chose November 1st. All Saints Day is the day that the early church remembered the saints, those who have entered heaven. The day was not set to November 1st until Pope Gregory III sometime between A.D. 731 and 741. This was because, as time went on, more and more people died under persecution, so many saints at many different times of the year. This led them to choose a single day to celebrate all of the saints.

There is no evidence, however, that this change was because of Samhain, because the Celts in Ireland actually celebrated All Saints Day on April 20th (Whitley Stokes, The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee Book, Pg 119). Ronald Hutton says,

"It had not, however, started in Ireland, where the felire of Oengus and the martyrology of Tallaght prove that the early medieval churches celebrated the feast of all saints on 20 April. This makes nonsense of Frazer's notion that the November date was chosen because of 'Celtic' influence; rather. Both 'Celtic' Europe and Rome followed a Germanic idea. The origins of that idea are lost; it may be simply that some northern churchman felt the need of a spectacular feast at the opening of winter, at a time when some form or merriment was badly needed." (Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun, Pg 364)

The thing about Hutton is that he is not a Christian. So somebody cannot say, "Obviously that guy says it's Christian, he's one too!" because the man wasn't led by a Christian bias. He was a British historian and specialist in British folklore and modern paganism. He wanted to find pagan traces in modern holidays, but in his research, he couldn't find any direct evidence of modern Christian holidays with pagan roots. There simply is no evidence that Samhain has any connection to the pre-Christian era, or that any pagan rituals were done during it. Yes, it happened in a similar time period, but that does not mean they are connected. The origin of the date, October 31st, came from Christian Europe as All Hallows Eve, the day before All Saints Day, which was already established. It did not come from the Celts or pagans.

There is no evidence of a celebration on this day until many centuries later, contrary to the Samhain narrative, which requires a pagan celebration from the outset; however, there is no evidence of such. Starting to see the popular "Halloween is pagan" myth yet? Anyhow, later on, All Souls Day was established on November 2nd by Abbot Odilo of Cluny around the year A.D. 1030 to remember those who reside in purgatory. This, in return, sparked folklore about the souls in hell among the common people. Some time in the 11th century, Irish commoners would begin to bang pots and bells on All Hallows Eve to scare the souls in hell, preventing them from causing mischief. (Kristin Norget, Days of Death, Days of Life: Ritual in the Popular Culture of Oaxaca, Pg 193).

So the precursor to modern Halloween began as a day to remember the saints, celebrated on different dates depending on the location. Then in Christian Europe, the day was set for the entire church to November 1st, and early Christians began calling the day before All Hallows Eve, the day before All Saints Day. After a few centuries, the day afterward was named All Souls Day to remember those stuck in purgatory, which caused speculation about souls in hell. Thus, the tradition of Halloween did not begin as pagan, but had its beginnings entirely in Early Church history. So, since we know it did not have pagan origins, where does our modern-day Halloween come into this?

Modern-day Trick-or-Treat

Modern Halloween comes from European folk traditions, not ancient paganism. Fast forward a few hundred years into the 1600s onwards, with the formation of a multi-cultural nation, the United States. The time that changed Halloween began when many different cultures started to blend in American soil. French immigrants brought over their traditions of dressing up for All Souls Day between the 1600s and 1700s. This became a popular tradition in France after the fall of the Bubonic Plague in the 14th century. They called it the Danse Macabre, or "Dance of Death," where Catholics would dress up to remind people of the dead saints and their own mortality. Since America, which was dominantly Protestant and did not celebrate All Souls Day, when the French came over, the Danse Macabre was attached to All Hallows' Eve. Scholars think that when the French began to intermarry with the Irish, the traditions of dressing up and pot banging merged. It was another tradition that mixed with this to create the early version of what we call Halloween today. In England, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated on November 5th. This day was dedicated to the work of a man whom the day is named after, Guy Fawkes.

Guy Fawkes, born on April 13, 1570, died on  January 31, 1606

Guy was part of a Catholic plot to blow up the British Parliament in A.D. 1605, but it failed, and the day of November 5th became a day to remember his failure. On Guy Fawkes Day, people harassed Catholics, demanded beer from them, bullied them, and played pranks on them. Commoners would also have large bonfires and wear masks while they pulled pranks.

Festivities in Windsor Castle by Paul Sandby, 1776. Read more about Guy Fawkes Night here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night.

The Irish had traditions of banging pots, as well as wearing costumes when going out to collect food for the feasts. When the British came over to America, they brought Guy Fawkes Day with them, and as time went on, Guy became less known. Because of this, the traditions stayed alive and moved to All Hallows' Eve, where they fit in quite nicely. As time went on, people would begin to celebrate evil and mischief, leading to the development of Trick-or-Treat. In the early 20th century, Halloween had become known as the night of mischief, where kids would go around playing pranks, making noise, and damaging property. It got so bad that Halloween in 1933 was called the "Year of the Black Halloween" because so much destruction was done. In response to this, many businesses began to change Halloween to prevent children from causing havoc. This is where Halloween parties began, costume contests, and the Halloween decoration market.

Many business owners saw this as an opportunity to make a profit, thus the mass advertisement of everything spooky and scary. Some time in the 1930s, many people would bribe kids with candy and sweets to not cause damage or pranks, which is where the term "Trick-or-Treat" came from. Candy companies saw this opportunity as well and began advertising and selling candy during the days before Halloween, booming the candy market during this holiday. Halloween evolved from a day to remember dead saints and martyrs, to a night where people dress up and give kids candy to prevent them from playing pranks. As the country became more secular through the 20th century, so too did Halloween, becoming the day of celebrating everything spooky, but with no pagan roots.

Goblins, Witches, and Skeletons

As for the modern association with witches, goblins, and skeletons, this is actually a very recent historical development with no continuity to paganism (Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud, A Dictionary of English Folklore, Pg 163). Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day, a day honoring the dead. It would then make perfect sense for the day, over thousands of years, to eventually become associated with the dead. Witches, goblins, and skeletons, all things that we associate with the dead today. Nicholus Rogers tells us in Halloween From Pagan Ritual to Party Night that the modern Trick-or-Treat traditions are only about 100 years old.

"There is no hard evidence that Samhain was ever specifically associated with the dead or that it was the direct ancestor of Halloween. The festival as we know it is entirely Christian in Origin" (Ronald Hutton)

There is evidence that this tradition may trace back to when the rich would offer food to the poor during the Halloween season in exchange for prayers to the dead, a tradition well established by the late 1500s. This is in no way connected to paganism, as this was surely a European Christian tradition.

Is Halloween Sinful?

So, since Halloween has no pagan origins, simply participating in it does not mean you are partaking in demon worship. Even if it did have pagan origins, thinking that where it came from determines whether you celebrate it is fallacious. You can celebrate Halloween without sinning, even if it has pagan origins. Even so, some still say that Halloween is sinful, so what's up with that? Is dressing up demonic? Some say that dressing up in costumes means you put on another image,  you allow the devil to change your identity, and expose your kids to the normalization of occult practices. People curse candy with rituals, and by letting them into your house, you invite demons into your family. This one's wild. Jack-o-lanterns curse your property and invite demons into your house. Are these even remotely true? Does the Bible confirm any of this?

First, how does one unwillingly participate in a pagan or satanic ritual? You have to actively perform a ritual, and have the desire to in order to even do it in the first place. And how does doing something an ancient man might have done make it pagan? Just because some ancient men may have handed out food does not mean that you worship their gods when you hand out food and treats. Just because pagans gave gifts to each other (like every people group does on holidays) does not mean that you are worshipping a demon when you give your children presents on Christmas. And no, dressing up as Master Chief for Halloween does not mean you are wearing the devil's identity.

"Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that 'an idol has no real existence,' and that 'there is no God but one.' For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." (1 Corinthians 8:1–6)

In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul talks about eating meat offered to idols. Some Christians in the Corinthian church were saying that meat bought from the market was probably sacrificed to Zeus; therefore, nobody should eat the "cursed" meat. He says that, simply, since idols do not exist and there is only one true God, Jesus Christ, the idols have zero power or effect on a Christian. So, claiming that candy being "cursed" by satanists somehow destroys your life, maybe read your Bible more often. Candy being "cursed" does not affect a Christian, and that view has a very weak view of Christ. There is also nothing in the Bible that says kids dressing up as Iron Man and collecting candy from neighbors is identifying with satan, or that the devil is intruding on our lives because of it. If we truly have the Holy Spirit within us, then no "curse" or satanic slogan can affect us. It makes no ontological sense.

"He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'" (Luke 10: 18-20)

Jesus Himself has told us that satan has no power over us. He has given us authority over demons and principalities. If Jesus has overcome the enemy, we can overcome them as well through Him.

"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9)

Pauls remind us that we do, in fact, have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. C.S. Lewis elaborates this by saying that the Spirit is not just within us, but above us, and below us. Once you enter into the Christian life, there is nothing you can do to step outside of that worldview. You are, what Lewis called it, in the enjoyment of salvation through Christ.

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2: 14-15)

Jesus overpowers the tactics and deception of satan. The devil has no power over Halloween, and the Church has done a bad job of keeping the original spirit of the day alive. We have, in a sense, failed to uphold this day as a day to honor the saints. Why does satan overpower God one night of the year? It makes no ontological sense.

Within Philosophy, there are three major branches: Metaphysics, the branch that deals with the nature of being and knowledge, things like "do we have free will," and what is real; Epistemology, the branch that deals with rationality and theories of knowledge; and Ethics, which concerns what is good and evil. Within the branch of Metaphysics, there is the smaller branch of Ontology, which deals with the nature of being and its relationships to other beings. So when I say that the devil having power over Christ makes no ontological sense, I mean that it makes no sense for the devil's nature to be "higher" than that of God's. Let me explain. God created the devil; therefore, satan is a created being. Created beings are finite in nature due to their ontological limitations. Existing within creation does not make you infinite like the creator of it. Satan was an angel, so he was not by nature an infinite being; that nature solely belongs to God. So for satan to have power over God, satan would need a nature greater than His. But he doesn't, so to believe satan has power over Christ is to have a very weak ontology of God, contradicting the definition and natures of created beings and the creator. It makes no ontological sense!

If we were to drop everything with pagan origins, we would have to drop a lot of modern institutions. We would have to abandon and change the names of the days of the week and the months, because the days are named after pagan gods, and the Gregorian calendar has Roman pagan roots. The days of the week have Norse origins: Sunday is named after the sun, Monday after the moon, Tuesday is named after the Norse god Tyr, Wednesday after Odin, Thursday after Thor, and Friday after Freya, while months have Roman origins: January is named after the Roman god Janus, for example. The Gregorian calendar itself is a reformed version of the Julian calendar, created by Julius Caesar. Just because something was adopted from pagans doesn't mean that the people who use it are worshipping their gods. Should Christians just not celebrate the holiday? Play it safe and stay away? You surely have the choice to not celebrate Halloween, and that's okay; there are plenty of secular people who do not celebrate holidays. But is this the standard or all? Absolutely not. Jesus called Christians to go into the world, make disciples, and be a light to the darkness.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus also tells us not to abandon the world, but to enter into it and establish the kingdom of heaven by spreading the Gospel message.

"I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." (John 17:15)

He tells us not to remove believers from the world, but to watch over them, care for them, love them, and keep them from the devil. While continuing His prayer the the Father, he says,

"They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth." (John 17: 16-19)

He says that though we are not of this world, but belong to God, we are sanctifying those of the world to the truth of God's word and the Gospel. Just like Jesus was sent into the world to save mankind, we too should enter the world to save those who are lost in it. We shouldn't avoid the world, but show the truth of Christ in it, so this Halloween, spread the Gospel and the true history of this day.

Make It a Holy Halloween

It is perfectly fine to partake in the American Halloween tradition. It is also perfectly fine to honor the roots of this day, and to remember the early Church Christians who sacrificed not just their time dedicated to the development and survival of the Church, but their lives to defend what is true. You can make this clear to your children. The Bible tells us that we are all "the saints" (Romans 8:27, 1Corinthians 6:2, and Colossians 1:25-25). All Hallows Eve can be a day to talk about this with your children, friends, and family. Set them down and talk about the origins of the holiday and the martyrs who were killed for professing the truth. Dressing up in costumes and collecting candy may be a part of that celebration, attending a party, and playing games. You can have a Bible study going over the same scriptures discussed here, and why the popular myths are simply that, "myths". No evil practices need to be promoted; it can be a day to honor the saints, martyrs, and our country's culture and development. Halloween is an American holiday, modernized by Americans, but it ultimately has Christian origins.

We can honor the men and women who came before us, who fought for the faith. You can honor God throughout the day (as we should with every day): participate in a local church's trunk-or-treat, a way to keep the traditions alive, safe, and glorifying Jesus. Talk about the history of the day, and stay away from occult practices if they come up. There is nothing sinful about being near people in creepy costumes; it would be sinful to glorify and worship that. You can stay away from provocative costumes and glorifying evil; although secularists have appropriated the day, it can be restored to its original purpose, while not abandoning the American tradition. 

This year, don't succumb to the satanists, but push back by being a Saintinist. Christians need to stop hiding, we have given the day to satan, and offered the one thing he wants from us, our fear and attention. Secularists have hijacked the day to be provocative and a celebration of evil. If you do not want to celebrate Halloween, that's okay, but don't try to go around calling other people who do wicked sinners; that's a form of legalism. Remember the Saints, use this day to spread the Gospel message. Make this Halloween a Holy Halloween, and may you love mercy, and walk humbly with God this All Hallows Eve.

"To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8)