“Trick?” or “Treat?” Unmasking HALLOWEEN

Americans spend $2.5 billion on Halloween each year. It is the second largest holiday, after Christmas. What is the true origin of Halloween? Is it harmless fun—or something much different? How did it become a common practice? Should you observe Halloween? Page  rick or treat! When said by Ireland, Great Britain and Northern began. The Celts wore costumes of ani- children, these three words France. The Celts were pagan nature wor- mal heads and skins, and told each other Tbring back a flood of child- shippers who had many gods, including their fortunes. The next morning, they hood memories to most adults. the sun, which they believed commanded re-lit their cooking fires from the sacred their work and rest times. They believed bonfires, in order to free them from evil Memories of masquerading as the sun maintained the earth and kept it spirits—as well as to help protect them vampires, ghosts, witches, ghouls, beautiful, and caused their crops to grow. during the coming winter season. monsters and fairies. Memories The Celts observed their new year on “In ancient Britain and Ireland, of canvassing the neighborhood, November 1, which marked the end of the Celtic festival of Samhain eve was going door to door, shouting those the harvest and summer (“the season of observed on October 31, at the end of the sun”), as well as the beginning of the summer. (It) was the occasion for one of three little words, and watching cold, dark winter ahead (“the season of the ancient fire festivals when huge bon- their bags fill up with all sorts of darkness and cold”). fires were set on hilltops to frighten away candies, apples, nuts and other From October 31 to November 2, the evil spirits...The souls of the dead were goodies. Memories of parades, Celts celebrated a 48-hour festival, the thought to revisit their homes on this day, parties and playing “tricks,” like Vigil of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). and the autumnal festival acquired sinister They believed that Samhain, the pagan significance, with ghosts, witches, hob- soaping the neighbors’ windows, lord of the dead, assembled the souls of goblins, black cats, fairies, and demons “decorating” their trees with toilet those who had died during the previous of all kinds said to be roaming about. In tissue, or playing “baseball” with year and decided what form they would addition, Halloween was thought to be their roadside mailboxes. take for the next year. The souls would the most favorable time for divinations Yes, hearing the words “trick or either pass on to human bodies or would concerning marriage, luck, health, and be condemned to live within animals (the death” (Encyclopedia Britannica). treat” from little children can cause most evil of the bad souls or spirits would adults to wish they were kids again. take the form of cats). Hoping to coax Who Is the “Lord of the Dead”? “After all,” one might reason, “what’s Samhain into giving lighter sentences, the so wrong with Halloween?” Most believe Celtic worshippers tried to bribe him with Now what about Samhain, the so-called that it is just another harmless childhood gifts and prayers. lord of the dead? God tells us about “… indulgence—much the way they view The Encyclopedia Britannica says the him who had the power of death, that is, Christmas and birthday parties. Many following: “Samhain (Celtic: ‘End of the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Satan the devil was wonder, “What’s so wrong with having a Summer’), one of the most important and lord, or master, of the dead! The ancient little fun?” sinister calendar festivals of the Celtic Celts, who thought they were serving Besides teaching children that it is year. At Samhain, held on November God, were deceived into worshipping the alright to beg for something instead of 1, the world of the gods was believed god of this world, who is the father of lies earning it through work, and also turning to be made visible to mankind, and the and religious deception. We will see that them into extortionists (“trick or treat” gods played many tricks on their mor- this same being stands behind the mod- essentially means “give me a treat or I’ll tal worshippers; it was a time fraught ern-day festival of Samhain (Gal. 4:8; play a trick on you”), Halloween—its with danger, charged with fear, and full Rev. 12:9; II Cor. 4:4; John 8:44). spooky costumes, scary jack-o-lanterns, of supernatural episodes. Sacrifices and We have established that Satan once juvenile tricks and colorful parades—may propitiations of every kind were thought had the power over death—but he does look like clean, innocent fun. But its tradi- to be vital, for without them the Celts not anymore. So who is the lord of the tions, customs and practices are rooted in believed they could not prevail over the dead today? At this point, we need to a past far darker, far more sinister and far perils of the season or counteract the briefly consider several scriptures. more demonic than you may realize. activities of the deities. Samhain was an Notice Matthew 22:31-32, where Jesus Where did Halloween actually come important precursor to Halloween.” answers the Sadducees concerning the from? How did it originate? How did it On the night of October 31, the eve resurrection. “But concerning the resur- get to be so widely observed, especially of the new year, the Celts, after harvest- rection of the dead, have you not read that in the United States? And what does God ing their crops and storing them for the which was spoken to you by God, saying, think about it? Does He view Halloween coming winter, began their festival. First, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God as clean innocent fun? they extinguished the cooking fires in of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is To find the answers, we must look into their homes. Then the Druids (Celtic not the God of the dead, but of the living.” the history of Halloween. We will see that priests) met on hilltops in the dark oak Since the patriarchs are dead and God is it is filled with pagan customs, masquer- forests (they viewed oak trees as sacred), only the God of the living—the dead do ading as Christian traditions! and built huge sacred bonfires to frighten not serve God (Psa. 6:5, 115:17)—then away evil spirits and to honor the sun there must be a resurrection from the dead Halloween’s Pre-history god. Next, the people would burn crop so that they might live and serve Him. and animal sacrifices to their gods, danc- But in order to make the resurrection Let’s begin with the ancient Celts, who ing around the fires as the “season of the possible, “Christ died and rose and lived lived 2,000 years ago, in what is now sun” passed and the “season of darkness” again, that He might be Lord of both the Page  dead and the living” (Rom. 14:9). Christ time in the history of the Roman Empire, from May 13 to November 1—the same became the Lord and Master of the dead the pope, now backed by Roman civil day as Samhain—officially extending the through His resurrection, and gained the authority, had free reign to determine festival to the entire church. All Saints’ keys of the grave and death (Rev. 1:18). what was “Christian”—and what was Day became known as All Hallows Day, Jesus Christ will resurrect the dead back not. while October 31 became All Hallows to life so that they will serve Him and Throughout the early years of the Eve and, eventually, Halloween. God the Father in the soon-coming world Catholic Church, worshippers observed tomorrow. special anniversaries for martyrs who had More Festival Changes As the Encyclopedia Britannica been executed for their beliefs. Soon there states, “[The festival of] Samhain was an weren’t enough days in the calendar year But the white-washing process was important precursor to Halloween.” So to dedicate a specific day for each indi- not finished. In A.D. 988, the Catholic far, Halloween’s origins do not seem so vidual martyr, so the Catholics observed Church instituted another day—All Souls’ innocent. one feast day for all martyrs. Day—to commemorate “all the faithful “In the fourth century, neighboring departed, those baptized Christians who And Then Came the Romans dioceses began to interchange feasts, to are believed to be in purgatory because transfer relics, to divide them, and to join they have died with guilt of lesser sins on During the first century, the Roman in a common feast; as is shown by the their souls. It is celebrated on November Empire invaded Ireland and the British invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (A.D. 2. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that Isles, conquering most of Celtic terri- 397) to the bishops of the province of the prayers of the faithful on earth will tory. The Romans ruled over them for Pontus. Frequently groups of martyrs suf- help cleanse these souls in order to fit hundreds of years, influencing Celtic fered on the same day, which naturally led them for the vision of God in heaven... and Anglo-Saxon customs and traditions. to a joint commemoration...[T]he number The date, which became practically uni- During this time period, two Roman of martyrs became so great that a separate versal before the end of the 13th century, festivals mixed in with the Celts’ festi- day could not be assigned to each. But the was chosen to follow All Saints’ Day. val of Samhain—Feralia and Pomona Church, feeling that every martyr should Having celebrated the feast (All Saints’ Day. Several American cities bear the be venerated, appointed a common day Day) of all the members of the church pagan name Pomona, thereby unwit- for all” (Catholic Encyclopedia). who are believed to be in heaven, the tingly endorsing “Pomona Day.” So the Catholic Church, with the church on earth turns, on the next day, Feralia, which was held on February backing of the government, decided to to commemorate those souls believed to 21, was a Roman holiday designed to “white-wash” a Roman holiday. Tired of be suffering in purgatory” (Encyclopedia honor the dead, but essentially amounted admonishing the Romans for engaging in Britannica). to mass drunkenness and orgies, not drunken revelries as an excuse to honor Now all of the souls of the dead had unlike the other Roman holidays. the dead (and desiring more converts), their own day of worship—saints, mar- Pomona Day, celebrated on November Pope Boniface IV, in A.D. 609, declared tyrs, and even lowly believers who were 1, was a festival held in honor of Pomona, Feralia to be Christian. Instead of honor- not worthy to be declared either saints or the Roman goddess of fruit, trees and fer- ing all of the dead, they were now just to martyrs. tility. Her sacred symbol was the apple. honor dead “saints.” Instead of drunken As with the festival of Samhain, the Over the next three centuries, the revelries, it would be a day of prayer and Catholic believers celebrated with huge customs of the festival of Samhain mixed meditation. Instead of calling it Feralia, bonfires, parades and costumes, masquer- with the practices of Feralia and Pomona he changed it to All Saints’ Day. And he ading as dead saints, angels and demons. Day. That is, until they were “white- moved the date of its observance from Altogether, All Saints’ Eve (October washed” and “cleansed” by another reli- February 21 to May 13. “Boniface IV, 31), All Saints’ Day (November 1), and gious power. [on] 13 May, 609, or 610, consecrated the All Souls’ Day (November 2) combined Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin into Hallowmas—mirroring the Celtic Next Came the Catholic Church and all the martyrs, ordering an anniver- Vigil of Samhain! What was proclaimed sary” (Ibid.). Christian and clean and wholesome orig- During the first, second and third centu- Then, Pope Gregory III, who reigned inated from drunken revelries, pagan ries, all professing Christians—both true 731-741, “consecrated a chapel in the superstitions and false doctrines dating and false—suffered periodic persecution Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and back to the Garden of Eden. from the Roman Empire, which viewed fixed the anniversary for 1 November” The Hallowmas festival—and espe- any form of Christianity as an illegal (Catholic Encyclopedia). He broadened cially Halloween—was so popular that, religion. But in A.D. 313, that changed “the festival [of All Saints’ Day] to in 1517, Martin Luther chose Halloween for some. The Roman Catholic Church— include all saints as well as all martyrs” night to post his ninety-five theses on which began with the sorcerer Simon (Encyclopedia Britannica). the door of the church in Wittenberg, Magus, who is mentioned in chapter Meanwhile, the Celts were still observ- Germany (which effectively started the eight of the Book of Acts—found favor ing the festival of Samhain in one form or Protestant Reformation). He picked this in the eyes of Emperor Constantine. (To another. The Catholic Church took note night because he understood that large learn more, read our book The History and Pope Gregory IV (827-844) attempt- crowds of people would be moving of God’s TRUE CHURCH.) For the first ed to replace it by moving All Saints’ Day through the streets that evening! Page  selves, who exchanged the truth of God die” (Ezek. 18:4). Sin is the breaking Pagan Customs Come to America for the lie, and worshiped and served of God’s Law (I John 3:4). “For the the [creation] rather than the Creator” wages [what you earn] of sin is death” As European immigrants began settling (Rom. 1:21-25, NKJV throughout). (Rom. 6:23), not eternal life, as most in the United States, while it was still They had trusted the sun, as their professing Christians falsely believe. in its infancy, they brought customs, god, to provide them with enough har- Halloween sprang from direct opposi- traditions, superstitions and religious vest crops to get them through the tion to God’s truth. practices, including Halloween, from winter, rejecting God as their Provider. their homelands. “‘…do not worry about your life, what God’s Viewpoint The biggest Halloween influence in you will eat or what you will drink; America came with the millions of Irish nor about your body, what you will Notice what God says about pagan cus- settlers who immigrated to the U.S., put on. Is not life more than food and toms, traditions, practices and beliefs in after fleeing Ireland’s potato famine of the body more than clothing?...do not general: “Learn not the way of the hea- 1846. Soon, Halloween, like Christmas, worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” then, and be not dismayed at the signs of became a secular holiday for all. The or…“What shall we wear?” For after all heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at day’s festivities included parades, par- these things the Gentiles seek. For your them. For the customs of the people are ties, costumes, treats and mischief. heavenly Father knows that you need all vain” (Jer. 10:2-3, KJV). And so today’s Halloween customs these things. But seek first the kingdom God took a nation of slaves, Israel, (black cats, parades, dressing up as of God and His righteousness, and all and freed them from their cruel Egyptian ghouls and witches, parties, bonfires, these things shall be added to you’” masters. Leading them out of Egypt, He tricks and mischievous pranks)—which (Matt. 6:25-33). commanded them, saying, “According most people take for granted—point They had put their trust in “sacred to the doings of the land of Egypt, directly back to the Vigil of Samhain, bonfires” to protect them from evil where you dwelt, you shall not do; the false lord of the dead, pagan Roman spirits, instead of trusting God as their and according to the doings of the land holidays filled with immoral revelries, Protector. “The Lord is my rock and of Canaan, where I am bringing you, and the Catholic Church’s Hallowmas. my fortress and my deliverer; my God, you shall not do; nor shall you walk In light of its historical pagan origin, my strength, in whom I will trust; My in their ordinances” (Lev. 18:3). God can we honestly view Halloween as shield and the horn of my salvation, my ordered the Israelites not to defile them- merely an innocent childhood indul- stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, selves with the practices and customs gence? Is this the kind of tradition we who is worthy to be praised; So shall I of the surrounding nations (vs. 24-29). want to pass on to our children? be saved from my enemies...For by You “Therefore you shall keep My ordi- Human nature will always argue, I can run against a troop, and by my God nance, so that you do not commit any of “Hold on, I don’t worship the sun or I can leap over a wall. As for God, His these abominable customs which were pray to some pagan ‘lord of the dead.’ I way is perfect; the word of the Lord is committed before you, and that you do like Halloween because it’s fun. What’s proven; He is a shield to all who trust in not defile yourselves by them: I am the wrong with that?” Him. For who is God, except the Lord? Lord your God” (vs. 30). What does God think? How does He And who is a rock, except our God?... God gave Israel His laws, statutes view Halloween? It is God who avenges me, and subdues and judgments. He gave them a way the peoples under me; He delivers me of life completely alien to mankind; a Engulfed in False Doctrines from my enemies. You also lift me up way that, if kept diligently and from above those who rise against me; You the heart, will produce peace, joy, and Let’s review. We have established that have delivered me from the violent prosperity—every good thing that He Halloween originated with the Celts, man” (Psa. 18:2-3, 29-31, 47-48). wants to abundantly share with all of who worshipped nature—the creation— The Celts believed in the immortal- humanity (John 10:10). God told the rather than the one true God, who cre- ity of the soul, a false doctrine Satan Israelites that they would be blessed ated nature and everything in it. had taught man in the Garden of Eden beyond human imagination if they care- The apostle Paul wrote, “Because, (Gen. 3:1-5)—and has used to deceive fully kept His laws (Lev. 26:3-13). And although they knew God, they did not the whole world ever since that time that they would be greatly cursed if they glorify Him as God, nor were thank- (Rev. 12:9). rejected Him and replaced His ways ful, but became futile in their thoughts, God says that when you die, you with pagan customs, practices and tradi- and their foolish hearts were darkened. die. Period. No going to heaven (John tions—no matter how innocent or harm- Professing to be wise, they became 3:13; Acts 2:29, 34). No roaming the less they seemed (vs. 14-39). fools, and changed the glory of the earth and haunting houses. No spend- Yet, despite God’s warnings, Israel incorruptible God into an image made ing eternity in Purgatory, or some other would not listen. Even after God had like corruptible man—and birds and humanly-devised place: “For the liv- sent them servant after servant, through- four-footed beasts and creeping things. ing know that they will die; but the out their turbulent history, they still Therefore God also gave them up to dead know nothing, and they have no would not repent and whole-heartedly uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, more reward” (Ecc. 9:5). “Behold, all turn to Him. “And the Lord God of their to dishonor their bodies among them- souls are Mine...the soul who sins shall fathers sent warnings to them by His Page  messengers, rising up early and sending to his lies and deceits (II Cor. 4:4; Rev. deceitful above all things, and desper- them, because He had compassion on 12:9). He even uses false ministers, who ately wicked; who can know it?” (17:9). His people and on His dwelling place. seem to be ministers of light, but are in Even when the Roman Catholic Church But they mocked the messengers of God, reality Satan’s ministers of darkness. attempted to gloss over strange pagan despised His words, and scoffed at His Paul wrote, “And no wonder! For practices of the Celts and Romans, it prophets” (II Chron. 36:15-16). Because Satan himself transforms himself into introduced its own false, Satanic doc- of their spiritual adultery and affinity an angel of light. Therefore it is no great trines, passing them off as Christian. for pagan practices, calling them holy thing if his ministers also transform Halloween is riddled with deceit and when God calls them profane (Ezek. themselves into ministers of righteous- falsehoods. 22:26), God had no choice but to punish ness” (II Cor. 11:14-15). Satan wants us Yet, even after all the historical evi- Israel. And, unfortunately, the modern- to be so wrapped up in the customs and dence and biblical insights are brought day descendants of Israel—the United practices of this world—his world—that to light, there will still be those who States, Canada, Britain, Australia, Israel, when presented with the plain truth continue to view Halloween as just and others—will very soon be severely about Halloween, we will shrug our another harmless childhood practice. punished for failing to discern what is shoulders and say, “I’m just celebrating Nothing will convince them otherwise. holy from what is profane (Jer. 30:4-7; it to have fun—what’s the big deal?” Like a gleaming, white-washed tomb Ezek. 24:13-14). Throughout mankind’s turbulent his- (Matt. 23:27), Halloween may sparkle The one true God—the Creator, tory, Satan has always managed to find on the surface, but in God’s eyes, it is Teacher, Lawgiver and Judge—does not a way to separate man from God (Isa. filled with every spiritually unclean and take pagan practices lightly! 59:1-3) by tempting him into various filthy thing imaginable, a foul stench to sins and false ideas that may seem His nostrils (Isa. 65:5). Satan Blinds the World right—that may seem innocent and No man or religious organization has harmless—but are in direct opposition the power to “white-wash” Halloween Most people do not believe that Satan to God! Jeremiah said, “O Lord, I and declare it to be Christian. God the Devil exists—and that best suits know the way of man is not in himself; unmasks Halloween and sees it for his game plan. His goal is to keep the it is not in man who walks to direct his exactly what it is! people of his world, his society, blind own steps” (10:23), and “The heart is Will you? 

ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN CUSTOMS Below is a list of widely-held customs and their ancient roots:

Mischief-making, playing tricks: Celts believed that the ghosts of fruits, trees, gardens, harvests and fertility. Later used for divination the dead who returned to earth on the night of Oct. 31 caused trouble games. and damaged crops; they also believed that their gods played tricks on them. Apple-bobbing, apple-ducking: May have come from Pomona Day; the Romans viewed the apple as a sacred symbol of their goddess Black cats: Celts believed that bad spirits would take the form of cats Pomona. Apple-ducking was a divination game used to predict future and other animals on the night of Oct. 31. love and marriage; for example, if a girl peeled an apple in front of a mirror in a room lighted by a candle, an apparition of her future Costumes: Celts (and other Europeans) wore masks when they left husband would appear behind her in a mirror. Also, apple-ducking their homes after dark to avoid being recognized by ghosts who might represented soul symbols (apples) in the Cauldron of Regeneration mistake them for fellow spirits. “Guisers” dressed up to impersonate (the water), similar to the lord of the dead gathering dead souls to the returning dead, singing and dancing to keep evil spirits away. regenerate those who had been condemned to inhabit animals for Catholics dressed up as saints, angels and devils during Hallowmas. the past year.

“Trick or treat”: Prior to the Protestant Reformation, women and Parades, parties: The Scots, Celts and Welsh built bonfires for parad- girls went “souling,” visiting houses and begging for “soul cakes.” ing, dancing and merry-making; the Celts did so, wearing costumes Seventeenth-century Irish peasants went door to door asking for made from animal skins and heads. The Scots assembled marriage- donations for a feast to honor St. Columba (whom they believed had minded young people for divination games. Europeans who migrated replaced the Lord of the Dead). Up until the early 1900s, the Irish went to America brought with them “play parties” and public events to cel- about asking for contributions in the name of “Muck Olla,” a legendary, ebrate the harvest, as well as telling ghost stories and pulling pranks. gigantic boar. Jack-o’-lantern: The name may have come from a night watchman. Bonfires: Druids built sacred bonfires to frighten off evil spirits on Oct. In the British Isles, turnips and rutabagas were commonly used; 31, eve of the new year. Worshippers used them to burn animal and pumpkins are the American tradition. In Britain, people hollowed out crop offerings to their sun god; they also rekindled their cooking fires turnips and placed candles inside them to make food offerings to the to protect their homes from evil spirits. The Scots built bonfires, called dead; later on, they were posted just outside homes to keep away evil Samhnagan, not for Samhain, but for Halloween merry-making and as spirits. a defiant welcome to the coming winter. The Catholic Church contin- ued with the bonfire tradition on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2. SOURCES: Encyclopedia Britannica; “History Channel Exhibits: The History of Halloween” (www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/ Fruits, nuts and other goodies: Handing out fruits and nuts may hallowmas.html); “From Samhain to Halloween” (www.auburn.edu/ have originated from Pomona Day, named for the Roman goddess of ~kerrlin/Samhain.html). R003 040927 Copyright © 2002 The Restored Church of God All Rights Reserved Printed in the USA

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