How Christians Should Handle Halloween

I didn’t grow up celebrating Halloween. We didn’t do trick or treat or dress up in costumes for school. Instead, we had a party where all of our church friends and family got together for a bonfire, games, and food. As a kid, it eventually began to feel like it was the end of the world that we couldn’t partake in the same activities as others. Why could they get bags of candy when we got only one and had to stay at our house?

Ultimately, I realized that it was not that big of a deal and that others cared more than me. It was even one of those “fun facts” you give to someone when they’re trying to get to know you, and watching their face was priceless. Fast forwarding to the future, I hadn’t thought about it much, and figured that I would let my kids do what they want on Halloween so long as they didn’t dress up as anything demonic or gory. But last Halloween, I found myself scrolling on social media and came across a post of an old college friend. She shared that Christians should not celebrate Halloween because of its demonic origins, just as my family had taught. But a line in her post really stuck with me:

“Atheists and satanists don't come to Good Friday or any of our holidays. We shouldn't partake in theirs. If you think it's not a big deal look into the history. Look into where and how it started.”

I couldn’t help but value her opinion. Just like we wouldn’t pressure a non-Christian to pray to Jesus on Christmas, maybe we shouldn’t be throwing ourselves into a tradition that is rooted in ancient pagan practices. For if you do look into the history of Halloween, the holiday has origins in many countries and cultures, all centered around evil spirits. People would call out to demons around a fire, wear masks to protect themselves, and children would even carry Jack-O-Lanterns as a hindrance from these spiritual forces. That’s just a few examples – the more cultures you look into, the more variations you will find, but most center around the dead or demonic activity.

So is there anything about the holiday that can be redeemed? After all, it is the eve of All Saints Day, which is a Christian celebration that the church began to practice in light of the complicated history of October 31st. I’m not sure what the answer is for you, but I pray you will consider that it is more than a day for 3-year-olds to dress up like Batman. It is one of the oldest holidays and it does have roots in some shady rituals. But like many things in the church, it should not be something used to divide or to compare levels of faith. It is not a primary issue when it comes to belief in God. Do your own research, pray wisely, and make an intentional decision that you believe will honor God and your family.