To celebrate Halloween or to ignore it?
That is the question Christian families have been asking themselves for decades. Halloween has become almost impossible to completely ignore due to the media and consumer hype behind the princesses, ghosts, and snack-sized Snickers bars.
The origins of Halloween connect back to the Celtic celebration of Samhain-which marked the end of the harvest.
The harvest festival showed traces of celebrating death and Irish mythology. This holiday has pagan origins. Now, Halloween is a real celebration for followers of the Occult and Wicca. It is no doubt that for that culture-Halloween is a chance to celebrate evil spirits and death.
In the seventh century, Pope Gregory III instituted another holiday in substitution of Halloween: All Saints Day (celebrated on November 1st). Designed as a day to pray for the saints who have already passed, this holiday was created to combat the pagan rituals of Halloween.
Throughout the centuries Christians have tried to find alternatives.
Here are five creative ways to celebrate October 31st:
1. Dress as something innocent.
I’ve seen some pretty hilarious costumes-anywhere from Dwight from The Office to two women mid-drop on a rollercoaster (hair raised, seatbelts, and all). Halloween doesn’t have to be a celebration of zombies and witches, but can be a time to celebrate creativity and beauty.
2. Have a fall party.
Celebrate the incoming of a beautiful season. Bob for apples, carve pumpkins into nature scenes, and create homemade wreaths that feature the colors and shapes from autumn.
3. Spend time celebrating God’s triumph over evil.
Read passages of Scripture that declare this fact like Ephesians 2:1-10.
4. Trick-or-Treat for a cause.
You would probably recognize the bright orange cardboard boxes used to collect spare change. UNICEF offers its “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” each year. Children go from door-to-door and instead of pillaging for candy, they ask for a donation. To date, UNICEF has collected $118 million from this program. Grab a few UNICEF boxes, or set up your own Trick-Or-Treat for a cause program within your neighborhood, small group, or school.
5. Make caramel apples with friends.
Gather a group together to create mouth-watering caramel apples. Try covering them with cookie crumbs, various candies, or your favorite nut. Yum!
Halloween cannot be ignored by Christians in our culture. Instead, we should create an uplifting alternative as we celebrate autumn, God’s creation, and God’s dominion over evil. No matter how we decide to celebrate or not celebrate this day, followers of Jesus should choose to live according to a redeemed life-transformed by the renewing of our mind.
