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Aristotle
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
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Toledo, OH
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John,
The best Halloween story I've read. Thanks for your message. Here is what I have been sharing:
The Re-Baptism of Halloween
There has been much controversy in the recent years regarding the celebration of Halloween. Yes, it is true the origins of Halloween are based on pagan rituals and, some believe, sacrifices of animals and humans.
However, if we look at where Halloween began and where it has ended up today we can see there is a big difference. Thus, I am exhorting Orthodox Christians to lead the way in transforming Halloween from a pagan holiday to a Christian Holiday.
This is not a novel concept, as it has been done in the past to many of the Christian Holidays we celebrate. Case in point is Christmas. The celebration of Christmas on December 25 was established in 274 A.D. in order to combat the pagan feast of the Un-conquered Sun, which is the winter solstice (December 21, the shortest day of the year).
In short, a celebration that the days were in fact getting longer.
It was sometime before 336 A.D. the church in Rome was unable to stamp out this pagan feast and spiritualize it as the Feast of the Nativity of the Sun Righteousness.
The celebration of Christmas on December 25th was ecognized by various patriarchs; Rome in 336 A.D., Antioch in 375 A.D, Constantinople in 380 A.D., and Alexandria in 430 A.D..
The various traditional customs associated with Christmas also have roots in the pagan holidays. The merry making and the exchanging of presents comes from the Roman pagan Saturnalia festival, which was celebrated December 17-24. Saturnalia was the feast of Saturn marked by wild reveling and licentious behavior.
I mention this bit of history to show that we have in fact transformed a pagan feast into a Christian celebration. Therefore, precedent is set where we can do the same for Halloween.
For example, tradition tells us that the lit carved pumpkins were used to frighten away the evil spirits. Why can’t we transform the lit pumpkin to remind us of Christ’s words, “I am the Light of the world, they who follow me will not walk in darkness, but have the
light of life.” John 8:12. Cannot the candle lit pumpkin remind us of Jesus Christ the Light of the world, Who is guiding our every step we take?
What are some other options that we can use in the transformation of Halloween?
I know an Orthodox teacher who uses Halloween to teach her students about the skeletal system, bats, the scarecrow, the harvest and about the vegetable, the pumpkin.
Also, there are several churches that encourage their children to dress up as their favorite biblical person or their favorite saint.
Our Church teaches balance and moderation. Thus, I believe we as Christian leaders must take the same approach with Halloween. Let us expel the Satanic aspects of the feast and attach ourselves with a Christian message.
Let’s face it, we have an appealing holiday at our doorstep which the majority of our children celebrate, why not, as a church, use it to gather our youth to have a celebration of Christ, the Light of the world who is the conqueror of sin and the devil. What a great evangelistic tool.
I personally feel the more attention we give to the occult aspect of Halloween, the more children with inquiring minds will investigate. Moreover, if you ask any child what Halloween is about, they will unequivocally respond, “candy, being with friends, and
having fun.”
It is amazing that with all the tricker treaters, who came to our house last Halloween, I did not see one witch, a devil or a ghost. What does this tell us? Halloween can be devil free but maybe not fat free!
Scripture reminds us that, “Where two or three are gathered, I am there.” Thus, we can transform Halloween as a celebration that Christ is victorious and is the conqueror of sin and the devil.
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