Kerby Anderson

Today is October 31st. Most people know it as "Halloween" but it also has long been known as The Festival of the Dead. The Celtic tribes and their priests, the Druids, celebrated this day as a marker for the change from life to death. November 1 was the beginning of the New Year, so Halloween or "Samhain," was like New Year's Eve. It was both a time of death and new beginnings. The young would wander the countryside disguised in scary masks, carrying turnips carved into scary jack-o'-lanterns to frighten off ghosts and goblins. The veil between the living and the dead was believed to be the thinnest at this time, and therefore one could most readily communicate with loved ones in spirit. Witches also celebrate Halloween as the "Feast of Samhain" which is the first feast of the witchcraft year. Being a festival of the dead, Halloween is a time when witches attempt to communicate with the dead through various forms of divination. Contrast this with God's command against divination in Deuteronomy 18. The term Halloween is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the evening before "All Hallows' Day" also known as "All Saints' Day." Pope Gregory moved the day from May 13 to November 1. This made Halloween the eve of this celebration. November 1 became "All Hallow Mass," and October 31, became "All Hallow's Eve." Today, Halloween has become one of the more celebrated holidays. We are told that people spend more on decorations at Halloween that any other holiday except Christmas. And often the Halloween celebrations have included more and more occultic activity. Christians have two options: to ignore Halloween or to provide an alternative (like a Fall Fun Festival). I hope you have thought about what you will do today. Don't just go with the flow. Make an informed decision about what you will do on Halloween.