Should we celebrate Halloween?

When the Halloween season comes around, many Christian conservatives cringe. 

But why is that? What is so wrong with a holiday that so many children grow up looking forward to?  The holiday when they can dress up as Red Riding Hood and Ninja Turtles. The real question is, as Christians, should we even celebrate Halloween? 

First, some background information.  The original name for Halloween is Sahween.  It was an old Celtic feast held when the supposed veil between the real world and the spirit world would be pierced and demons, ghosts and other creatures (featured in the latest Halloween movies) would cross over and antagonize humans. 

To appease the spirit dwellers, humans would dress up to blend in with them and offer treats. 

Christians, horrified by this pagan holiday, took action.  They moved All Saint’s Day from May 1 to Nov. 1, and Oct. 31 was named All Hallows Eve, from which we get Halloween.  This was done to send the message that God had power over the Sahween spirits. 

That said, a lot of present-day Christians do not support Halloween because of its pagan roots and the fact that, as Christians, we should not try to dress up something demonic with the Gospel. 

Statements like these are made by people who still feel as though being “in the world but not of the world,” means they should separate themselves completely from anything they deem worldly.

But how are we to reach others if we do not use what they know to bring them to Christ?  Also, if Sahween is the pagan holiday and Halloween is the Christian response to that particular holiday, it is our Christian duty to use this time to spread the good news.  

If you are someone who isn’t  concerned about the background but more so with what the holiday conveys today, there is still nothing wrong with celebrating Halloween. 

The key to celebrating is, first, to be educated about it and, second, to be able to teach others of the true meaning. 

You also have to be able to wean out all of the devils associated with it. Instead of watching  the latest scary movie, carve pumpkins.  It’s a way to celebrate without paying homage to the demons.

While it is definitely okay to celebrate once you understand what you are getting yourself into, continue to remember that, if you do not guard the avenues of the heart, you are sure to fall into a trap–the Sahween trap of appeasing the devil and those from the spirit world by forgetting the reason for the holiday.