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Other than having a specific Reese’s shaped candy and being big business, does Halloween have anything in common with Christmas and Easter?

Culturally speaking, Christmas is a lot of family, gifts, and Santa Claus. Easter is eggs, pastel colors, and the Easter Bunny. And Halloween, well, who is the mascot for this holiday? And how do we decorate? Honestly, it seems to be growing darker, scarier, more morbid, overly sexualized, and increasingly creepy. I mean, how many skeletons and horror movie characters can somebody have in their front lawn? Christmas and Easter aren’t really dark like that. So do they have anything in common with Halloween? The answer is a big, resounding “Yes.” They all originate as ancient pagan holidays. December 25^th was a celebration of the winter solstice. It was a festival in honor of the victory of the sun god. Easter is literally the name of a pagan goddess associated with spring. When Christianity became the dominate religion in the Roman empire, these pagan holidays and others were, essentially, rebranded as Christian celebrations. Some traditions from the pre-Christian time hung on and over the centuries have been modified and incorporated into modern celebrations.

November 1^st was the Celtic new year. A celebration dating back to the 7^th century focused on the false god Samhain. It included sacrifices and the belief that the souls of the dead could return for this night. The church took this holiday and rebranded it as “All Hallows Mass” or what we now call All Saint’s Day. The day before (think Christ-mass Eve) became known as “All Hallows Eve” and through the evolution of the English language, eventually, Halloween (October 31^st).

So long before these holidays (or holy days) had any Christian emphasis, they were pagan festivals. So, can a Christian celebrate Christmas? Easter? Halloween? Is a Christian then participating in darkness? Demonic activity? Pagan worship? Thankfully in the scripture we have an incredible example of what a Christian should do when surrounded by pagan idolatry.

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul finds himself in Athens, alone and waiting for his friends to arrive. As he observed the city, “he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere” (Acts 17:16, NLT). This pagan idol worship included things like drug use, prostitution, sexual immorality, and depravity of all kinds. Spiritually speaking, it was a very dark place.

What Paul did and did not do in response to what was going on around him is incredibly instructive. Surrounded by this moral madness, he says:

Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, “To the unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. (Acts 17:22-23)

The Athenians had actually built an altar just in case they missed a god or goddess. Paul used this monument to their superstitions as an opportunity to preach the truth. He declared God as Creator, Judge, and Savior. He proclaimed the good news that Jesus had been raised from the dead and that we must repent of our sins and turn to Him. The response was mixed. Some listened and some laughed but the response isn’t the point. Paul’s strategy is a crucial example of how we are to navigate an increasingly pagan world. He observed, found a starting point, and from there preached the gospel.

What is Halloween? It’s a starting point, it’s an altar to an unknown god if you will, from which we can preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether that is participating in an event like Trunk or Treat or walking through your neighborhood during Trick or Treating, our hope is that these become gospel opportunities. It is the light shining in the darkness (Matthew 5:14-16).

The Scripture is clear that we, the light, are not to have fellowship with darkness, the devil, or temples of idols. Don’t participate in séances, fortune telling, ghost tours, spells, or other things that are clearly connected to the occult and demonic power (2 Corinthians 6:14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:20).

Paul’s participation in a conversation in Athens wasn’t an affirmation of the depravity going on around him. In the same way, to pass out candy or dress up and collect candy, is not participating in darkness or approving it. October 31^st, candy, and costumes don’t belong to the realm of darkness. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1, NLT). I believe it’s an opportunity to meet our neighbors, spend time with family, and hopefully a door for the Gospel will open.