Halloween Friday, October 12, 2007

As the world is preparing to celebrate Halloween, it is a good time to remember what this tradition is all about.

Around the same time that Jesus was on the Earth, the Celts dominated what is now known as Ireland, the UK, and Northern France. They celebrated the New Year on November 1st. The Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the line between the living and the dead became blurred. Celtic Priests or “Druids” believed that this particular night allowed them to easily communicate with the dead and look into the future to foretell things to come.

When you see an old witch out here on the street, a fortuneteller, hold out your hands, and, "You are so-and-so." Remember, that witch is impersonating a real true prophet of God. That's right. When you see anything false, it's impersonating; it's... Satan has perverted something and making a false conception of some real thing God has. 56-0815 – Faith

In order to not draw attention to themselves and blend in with the evil spirits that were out in abundance this night, the Druids cloaked themselves in animal skins, skulls, bones, and whatever else they could find that looked like the spirits they wanted to talk to. The priests would burn large bonfires and make animal sacrifices to their Celtic gods.

By around A.D. 43, the Romans ruled the former Celtic lands. The Romans combined two other festivals (celebrating the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees, and a day of commemorating the dead) with the Celtic tradition of fortune telling.

In the 9th century, Pope Boniface the 4th designated "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day." The day before "All Hallows Day" was called "Hallows Eve." This tradition of commemorating the dead and communing with evil spirits has evolved into what we now know as Halloween.

The folklore of the Jack-O-Lantern

The tradition of the Jack-O-Lantern is equally as wicked. As the story goes, there was an ill-famed, villainous Irish man called "Stingy-Jack." Jack had regular conversations with the devil, and one day Jack talked him into climbing a tree to get him an apple. The devil agreed and Jack placed crosses around the tree so the devil couldn’t come down. After a while, Jack and the devil struck a deal. Jack would remove the crosses and let the devil down if he agreed to never take his soul. The devil agreed.

As the legend tells, Jack died a few years later. He was not allowed into heaven because of his deeds on Earth, and the devil would not allow him into hell. The fable explains that Jack was trapped on Earth and he was scared because it was dark. He went to plead with the devil, but all the devil gave him was a small flame to help light his way. Jack took the flame, put it in a turnip, and made a lantern to light his way.

When the Irish and other European settlers came to America, this folklore came with them. They found that a carved-out pumpkin carried light better than a turnip, and the modern day Jack-O-Lantern was created.

…But there is a Devil! Certainly is. And people worship the Devil, don't even know what they're doing… 65-0425 – God's Provided Place Of Worship

It’s amazing how the devil has duped these generations into honoring him. As Christians, we would never want to honor the devil.

As believers, we can take a day that the world uses to honor Satan and use it to honor the prophets and patriarchs of old. Isn’t it more becoming of a Christian to pay tribute to those like Abraham or Sarah than a ghost or goblin? Wouldn’t it be a greater testimony to speak about our Lord Jesus than to try to scare someone by acting like an evil creature? We should never let the enemy have a day, not even one.

The heroes of the Old Testament had faith; they put it in action. You've got them for an example. 55-1003 – Faith

Dressing up young kids like the heroes of the Old Testament would provide the opportunity to talk to them about the characters they are portraying while still giving them an chance to dress up. It would be a lot of fun to memorize Bible verses or phrases pertaining to their characters, or even put on a little drama.

Click on the links below for some ideas for you to use. Feel free to use them or change them as you see fit. Oh, and don’t forget to share your pictures with us!

Costume Patterns
Character Quotes