10.31.2021
Why We Don't Celebrate Spooky Season
The other day I posted a mini blurb on Instagram on why we don't celebrate spooky season + hallowen as a family. Upon posting this, I knew that it could rub some people the wrong -- and it did. My follower count dropped by 500 people and it's still going down. I am perfectly okay with this as I promised myself that I would be sharing more of Him on the gram. I knew going in that this was an unpopular opinion, but I felt that the Spirit led me to share, so I drafted and I wanted to do so in a respectful manner + tone.
While there was some pushback, I was surprised at how many people (believers and non-religious) agreed or wanted to share their perspectives on the matter. I was overjoyed when the majority of people commenting did so in a respectful way. I am an avid encourager of civil discourse, so I am thankful to find and meet like-minded people on the web.
So that leads me to what this blog post is meant to be -- I thought I'd write up a blog post with a follow-up addressing the points that came up multiple times in the comments in case anyone wants a cleaner reference point without having to muddle through them.
The Actual Post
First, I want to share the post in its entirety. It was a simple post with a statement of personal convictions + reasonings that we hold. Like I mentioned in the post, we are avid lovers of the autumn season, but because we hold dear His message of life and light, we cannot in good faith celebrate a holiday that invites darkness in.
The Response
I'm just going to dive right into what I ran into when people commented -- inserting a little note here that I'll mostly list questions and rebuttals but am so grateful for those of you who commented in support, that you feel the same, encouraged me with your words and those of you who pitched in on other's people questions and comments. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
The History :: Pagan Roots + All Hallow's Eve
This was a topic that came up a lot. I am pretty well versed in the history of this holiday as I like to read all about history and culture. I'll give a quick run-through of each of these for those of you who would like to know more about the history.
Pagan Roots
Celtic culture has an ancient autumn festival called Samhain. This festival marked the end of summer and the start of the "darker" part of the year -- basically autumn + winter when the weather gets harsh. It's also good to know that October 31st was also the last day of their calendar year and was their new year's eve. The Celtics believed that on the last day of the year, the line between the spiritual realm + earth was blurred.
They believed that ghosts return to earth this day, cause damage to crops and trouble. In addition, they thought that the spirits walking on the earth gave Celtic priests a better capability + accuracy when it came to fortune-telling.
In short, would make large fires, collect the rest of the harvest, and then sacrifice cattle. They would then proceed to take some of the fire from the ceremony home to light their hearth. Some Celtics would dress up as animals and monsters this night to scare + discourage the spirits from kidnapping them.
As history progressed, so did the holiday. People started making food to offer to the spirits and offer their dead visitors updates on what had been happening on earth. Children were not absent from the progression and started to play games to entertain the spirits visiting. Kids would go door to door and sing songs for the dead and they got cakes as payment for it.
All Hallow's Eve
In the 5th century, the pope tried to claim it as a Christian holiday and moved the celebration to May 13th. He dedicated it to celebrating + honoring martyrs and saints. In the 9th century, the pope moved it back to autumn deeming Nov. 1st as all saint's day and Nov. 2nd as all soul's day. It is at this point in history where the justification for why Christians can and should celebrate comes from.
It should be noted that Pope declaring it as a new holiday with a more Christian purpose does not wash clean its pagan roots. Samhain did not stop being celebrated with this announcement either. It actually contained the same pagan practices as giving food + flowers to the dead saints and martyrs.
My Take + Rebuttal
In short, halloween wasn't a thing until people started immigrating from places the Celtics lived and brought their traditions with them in the 19th century.
Before then, people in America had autumn festivals that surrounded around celebrating the bountiful harvest -- something I have no issue with and is something I focus on during the autumn season. I love to tell my kids that October is a prequel to the thanksgiving season and a chance for us to look at how the seasons change, but He remains the same.
However, if we look at modern-day Halloween and what it has become, the pagan practices are still there with a few dark twists. I made a small table to parallel the purpose, what was worn on that day, and what is done on that day.
It seems that the original festival wanted to keep evil at bay and away while we have now opted to embrace the evil and spooky. This fact alone tells me that a believer should not partake in this holiday. If we hold fast to His message of light and life in all seasons, it would make sense that the one holiday that revels in partying in the dark would be a no-go for believers.
As for All Hallow's Eve, I have nothing to say about celebrating that because I am not Catholic or Orthodox. I was raised in a Pentecosal church -- one that was pretty low key and frowned upon theatrics. I grew up without celebrating saints or honoring martyrs on special calendar days. I have always been of the mindset that the only person that deserves our celebration and admiration is Christ alone.
What The Bible Says
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons
Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.
When the Bible tells us that Jesus cast out demons and put on the armor of God to combat these spirits, it is a clear indication that we should not be dressing up as them or partaking in activities where these things are fully embraced and accepted as okay. God reminds us time and time again to be watchful because evil is lurking -- always looking for ways and opportunities to lead us astray.
Why Single Out Halloween when Christmas has Pagan roots?
I come across this statement often when expressing my views on Halloween and it's interesting because the people who tell me to live a little are also the ones wanting me to sit in a corner and not thump my Bible. I mean, really you guys make it make sense.
My Take + Rebuttal
First, let me just say that I know pagans used December 25th to celebrate the winter solstice. I know that the tree was meant to represent the return of life in nature and that the days would soon harbor more light. I know these things and I still celebrate Christmas -- shocker.
Even more of a shocker is that it doesn't make me a hypocrite that I opt into Christmas + opt-out of Halloween and I'll explain why... Jesus embarked in this life to change hearts and give man eternal hope -- even the gentiles and pagans! Because of this, we take His message of life and love to all things and seasons including Christmas. Just like He gave our lives new meaning, we are also allowed to give new meaning to holidays -- this view is complex which is why a more detailed post about this is coming soon!
When it comes to Halloween, we opt out because I cannot give it new meaning as it is fully claimed by darkness. It glorifies death, witches, magic, and evil spirits. It promotes dressing immodestly. It glorifies everything that God tells us is not good and to stay away from. However, I can shine God's light on this day by showing my children that while the world gets ghoulish, we stand firm together and refuse to partake in such activities. We stand firm in our convictions on Halloween by showing our children that is okay to be different from the world.
Do Your Children Feel Left Out + Depriving Them of Fun
I've been told that I deprive my children of a fun time by not choosing to celebrate this dark holiday. I find this funny because I do not need a day to have fun -- we have fun all year long. We play pretend + dress up and we eat candy + treats almost every day, so really halloween does nothing for us. It's really that simple.
Like I said in my original post, we do other things like:
𓍊 learn about God's purpose for bats + spiders
𓍊 pick apples
𓍊 walk through the forest and admire autumn colors
𓍊 seasonal crafts + activities
𓍊 bake fun treats together
𓍊 read stories about harvest
𓍊 go on hayrides
𓍊 visit a corn maze
𓍊 hunt for seasonal treasures like acorns
𓍊 perform skits of woodland animals preparing for winter
𓍊 decorate the home with leaves and multiple gourds, squash and pumpkins
𓍊 read about how the season of the harvest was approached throughout history
𓍊 talk about how seasons change in nature and in life with the emphasis on Him being a constant
𓍊 focus on the blessings
.. honestly, there are so many fun + wonderful things to do this season with your children! You don't need a day or any spookiness involved to have fun.
You Are Teaching Them To Be Fearful + Shelter Them
This one honestly irritates me the most --- because it's rude. I don't have much to say about this question as I find that people who say this are low key shaming me for my beliefs and that's not something I need to be focusing on.
My Take + Rebuttal
Because it is normal that their gut reaction is to be afraid of scary things, I affirm the fact that their initial reaction is valid and assure them that they are secure in Christ -- that they do not need to be afraid because Jesus will always protect them from the scary stuff.
My toddler sons don't want anything to do with Halloween because they know Jesus is good and they have the ability to sense that the spooky + scary things are not. I've noticed that it is often adults who validate this holiday by comforting children with the assurance that it is all in good fun if they're scared.
As for sheltering children, it's my job to ensure that they are happy and healthy, so if that means not letting them go dress up to ask candy from strangers, so be it. People commenting things like this are stating their opinions and they are entitled to them. On the same note, I don't have to bear any weight of those words as my judgment doesn't come from the world and a stranger's opinion. My convictions are what they are and I will stand by them.
Conclusion
In short, stand by your convictions people! You really don't have to explain your reasoning or convictions about not celebrating halloween to anyone if you don't want to. I know some people who oppose this view can be nasty about it and it's a real shame.
Don't be pressed to celebrate it because everyone is doing it or from the fear that your kids are bing left out / missing out on the experience. When I was a kid, I only felt that way at school when kids talked about how much fun they had, but that only lasted a milisecond as I was having fun in my own way all while focusing on the autumn season.
So, there you have it -- my take on spooky season. It's not a popular opinion and I am more than okay with that.
-- marta
↓ FREE GRAPHIC TO POST ON DOOR ON OCTOBER 31st ↓
