Is Halloween a Pagan Holiday? Origin of Halloween
- Jessica Brodie Award-winning Christian Novelist and Journalist
- Updated Oct 23, 2024
It’s that time of year again, when temporary costume shops start sprouting up in strip malls, huge bags of candy begin lining store shelves, and songs like “Monster Mash” feel like they’re on repeat everywhere you go.
But some Christians, concerned about whether the holiday is pagan in origin, wonder if it’s acceptable to celebrate Halloween at all given the plethora of macabre costumes, fake blood, and witches and ghouls decorating both homes and storefronts.
Many ask: Should we celebrate Halloween in our family, and if so, how can we do it in a way that doesn’t conflict with our faith?
First, let’s address the big question: Is the origin of Halloween rooted in a pagan holiday?
Origin of Halloween
Halloween is a commingled word formed from both “All Hallows” and “Even,” or “E’en,” the Scottish word for evening. Hallow means “to make holy.”
Halloween is meant to refer to the evening before All Holies Day, also known as All Saints Day, a religious holiday in the Roman Catholic and many Protestant denominations of Christianity to honor Christians who have died (also called saints) and gone to heaven.
All Saints Day — also called All Hallows Day, All Holies Day, and Hallowmas — is celebrated November 1, which is why Halloween is celebrated October 31.
The day after All Saints Day, November 2, is called All Souls Day and honors all who have died regardless of their religious beliefs and presumed afterlife destination.
The triple-day festival is, in essence, a Christian observance known as Hallowtide to commemorate the dead.
People would prepare for All Saints Day beginning the evening before (that is, on Halloween) by holding prayer vigils and other honorary events.
Eventually, as with many festivals, the holiday became more celebratory in nature, particularly given the time of year — after the harvest, when food was typically more plentiful.
Is Halloween a Pagan Holiday?
Because Halloween is at the same time of year as Samhain, pronounced saah-win, many people have argued that Halloween has its roots in the pagan holiday.
Samhain is a Gaelic or Celtic festival that translates to “summer’s end” and marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the darker (winter) time of year.
However, most scholars believe that Samhain and true Halloween are two very different occasions for a couple of key reasons:
First, the original All Saints/All Hallows Day was held in May, which is not the time of Samhain.
Secondly, very little was known by the church at that time about Samhain, as the Celtic people did not keep many — if any — written records before Christianity spread to their region.
So, it doesn’t seem likely that a church thousands of miles away, in Rome, would orchestrate a major religious festival simply to tie it to a seasonal celebration marked only by a handful of people in the Northern Celtic region of the world.
Still, while Halloween’s origins are Christian, as with many religious occasions, traditions over the years have commingled, and today’s Halloween seems to celebrate not only the departed saints — and souls — but also other customs, from the medieval to the secular.
Pagan Halloween Activities
While activities like tarot readings, ghost stories, and dressing up in costumes may seem like harmless fun, it’s important to reflect on their origins and consider how they align with our faith. Tarot or oracle readings, for instance, are often used to seek guidance for the future, but these practices stem from divination—a practice that the Bible warns against. Instead of turning to cards or runes for answers, we should seek God’s wisdom through prayer and scripture, trusting in His plan for our lives.
Sharing ghost stories is another common Halloween tradition that raises questions. The focus on spirits and the supernatural during Halloween can blur the line between honoring memory and engaging with the occult. The Bible teaches us to turn to God for comfort and understanding about life after death, rather than to tales that may invite fear or superstition into our hearts.
Similarly, dressing up in costumes and creating masks are traditions that can be traced back to pagan practices intended to disguise oneself from spirits or to embody certain energies. This raises the question of whether participating in such activities aligns with our faith. While dressing up for fun isn’t inherently wrong, we must be mindful of the symbolism behind our costumes and consider whether they reflect our beliefs. As we navigate Halloween, it’s important to remember that our focus should remain on Christ, and we should approach these activities with discernment, ensuring that our actions honor God rather than obscure Him.
Are There Christian Themes Associated with the Way We Celebrate Halloween Today?
Some of the more death — or demon-oriented aspects of Halloween are rooted not in celebrating evil but rather exorcising it.
This might make it more acceptable to Christians who worry that “celebrating” Halloween is, in essence, “celebrating” things of darkness. Instead, they choose to look at it as celebrating the triumph of light over dark and life over death.
That is, by spinning darker themes into the silly — from children masquerading as witches to using cheap, sugary candy “treats” to ward off supernatural “tricks”— it’s a way of making fun of evil, not glorifying it.
As the Apostle Paul writes in his first letter to the early church in Corinth, “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57, NIV).
Jesus destroyed the sting of death, and that is something all Christians can rejoice about.
What Scriptures Can We Use to Help Celebrate Halloween?
Anything that lifts up the awesome power of God over the grave is a good way Christians can honor our faith on Halloween. Here are a few Scriptures. Can you think of more?
- “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9).
- “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
- “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
- “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
How to Talk to Christians Who Celebrate Halloween Differently?
What should we do if a Christian does not want to celebrate Halloween? Or what happens if we do not personally want to engage with the holiday but a fellow believer does? For both of those Christians, I would love to point them to a passage in 1 Corinthians 8. Some people chose to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Others refrained. Neither chose incorrectly.
In more "gray areas", my best suggestions are to read what Scripture says, ask the Holy Spirit for discernment, and act accordingly. God may tell your family not to participate in Halloween this year. He may allow another family to do so in a God-honoring way. No matter what your decision, make sure not to look down upon or scoff at the decisions of other believers. If they choose to honor God with their actions, they have operated within the parameters of Scripture.
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