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In the wake of influences from the US and eager retailers, Halloween has become a dominant festival over recent years. There are a variety of Christian responses to its rise, mostly centred around concerns about celebrating evil. But is this the only way to understand Halloween? Maybe by learning something of the origins of the festival and its relationship to All Saints Day (1 November) we can reclaim it positively rather than denouncing it.
Was Europe ever really Christian?
Most European Christian festivals have their roots in pre-Christian beliefs. Anton Wessels in his book Europe: Was It Ever Really Christian? explores these beliefs and their relationship with Christianity. He points out that in all places at all times the Christian faith has interacted with culture and the lived experience of people. We think our 'brand' of Christianity is pure, but it isn't and never could be. We all exist in time and culture and cannot separate experience from faith. For example, when the Germanic tribes began to convert to Christianity, a warrior Christ resonated with their beliefs of strong gods and goddesses and the value of heroism. The Heliand, a Saxon saga depicts Christ as warlike, stirring and heroic, triumphing over sin and death.
These threads of paganism are still present in Christianity. The feast of Saint Nicholas, 6 December, was the day of the coming of Wodan, a god who would punish with a beating, or reward by leaving gifts in shoes left outside the door. Even today in Germany children clean their shoes, leave them by the door and wait for Saint Nicholas to come with chocolate or a rod depending on whether they have been good or bad. The goddess Hel resided in an underworld place for the dead, while the goddess Eastre, whose symbols were eggs, gave us our word Easter. The connections continue. Whether it was Graeco-Roman, Germanic or Celt, Europe integrated its paganism with its newfound Christian understanding.
The roots of Halloween
So where are the roots of Halloween to be found? The Celts celebrated their New Year on 1 November with the festival Samhain (pronounced sow-in), Gaelic for 'summer's end'. The beginning of the Celtic day was at dusk so Samhain actually began on 31 October. The Celts saw this as a sacred time when the veil between the worlds of the dead and living was so thin that the dead returned on that night. Some of the rituals and festivities included:
We can see clearly where pumpkin lanterns, the night of misrule, trick or treating and apple bobbing come from, as well as the custom of bonfires at this time of year. As people started to convert to Christianity, they were reluctant to give up the ancient traditions that gave a focus to the seasonal cycles and an opportunity for festivity in the midst of life's struggles. Christianity also recognised the importance of the themes of remembering the dead, family and community that Samhain contained. In 837 CE Pope Gregory IV moved All Saints Day from May to 1 November thus providing a focus for people's celebrations. Around 100 years later in France, All Souls – a day to remember those who had died – was added on 2 November and quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe. The old English word for saint was 'Hallow', so 31 October became All Hallows Eve, then Hallow'en until eventually today's Halloween.
Wessels compares missionaries working during the conversion of pagan Europe. One group sought to abolish all pagan beliefs and ritual, deeming them evil. Another set out to transform such beliefs, taking those that resonated with Christianity and discarding those which were opposed. We can see this process at work in the history of Halloween.
How can we reclaim this ancient festival?
So how do we continue to do this today? There are several themes we can pick up on and explore with adults and all ages. What about giving space to memories of those who have died, perhaps by holding services or having space on a Sunday, using prayers, silence and flowers? Or perhaps we could remember those who have died in tragic or violent ways – from genocide, war, torture, AIDS or famine. If you have a church garden, create a memorial space that could be used by the whole community. Explore the transforming power of darkness rather than equate it with evil. It is often in the most difficult and dark times that we mature and deepen our relationship with God. An event for everyone could focus on the heroes and heroines of the Christian faith, those who have served God in a variety of ways (not just the famous). Perhaps the theme of turning convention upside down, a strong theme in Jesus' ministry, could be explored? Instead of playing tricks on elders, who receive little respect today, why not do something kind for them. Organise a 'treat' day, perhaps with the local primary school. Or as a way of symbolising our common bond as a church community, create a 'bonfire' with the children using painted pine-cones. Then hand them out at a service for the congregation to take home.
Wherever your journey takes you in seeking to transform Halloween into a help rather than a hindrance, remember that there is no need to be afraid because, as Paul says, nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8.35-39).
References
Europe: Was it Ever Really Christian? Anton Wessels, SCM Press, 1994, ISBN 0334025699 (limited availability).
Brewers Concise Dictionary of Phrase & Fable , Betty Kirkpatrick (ed.), Helicon, 1999, ISBN 1859862861.
Introduction
Halloween – what does the word mean to you? Pumpkins, children dressed up in bin liners and masks, or the non-stop ringing of the doorbell by 'trick-or-treaters'? Certainly the event seems to be turning into another excuse for retailers to invent merchandise, as each year the shops fill up with yet more black and orange outfits and accessories. Views on Halloween vary from those who see it as playing into the hands of the Devil to those who see it as harmless fun. So what is Halloween all about? Before embarking on any activity it is useful to understand the background behind today's various traditions.
Background
Originally Halloween was a Celtic festival called Samhain. For the Celts, 1 November marked the beginning of the New Year and the start of winter. They believed that the weather turned cold towards the end of October because Samhain, the ruler of the world of the dead, had captured their sun god. Celts believed that, on 31 October, the souls of the dead – including ghosts, goblins and witches – returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare off these evil spirits, the Celtic leaders would start massive fires, offer sacrifices and food offerings to the gods, and dress up in ugly costumes. The following morning they would give embers of the fires to the people of the village, who in turn went home to light their own fires. In this way, it was believed all the Celtic homes would be kept warm and protected from Samhain.
People also hollowed out turnips and placed lighted candles inside to scare off evil spirits. Later, the Irish had a custom of going from house to house asking for food. These early trick-or-treaters would play tricks on people who had no food for them.
The druids believed cats were sacred. During the Middle Ages people associated black cats with witches who used them as mascots. Witches supposedly consulted familiar spirits they imagined resided in cats. Witches observed Halloween as their special day. Thus witches and black cats are symbols of Halloween.
When the Romans invaded, they brought along their own festival called Pomona Day. This involved bobbing for apples and drinking cider, for Pomona was the Roman goddess of the orchards. Eventually the Samhain festival and Pomona Day got mixed up until no one knew exactly what they were celebrating, and they probably didn't care – the fires were warm and no one was going to turn down an excuse for a party!
In the seventh century, the Pope created a festival called All Hallows' Day (Hallow is an old English word meaning Holy or Saint). This was originally on 13 May and it was the day when all the saints who didn't have a saint's day of their own, could be remembered. In the ninth century, Pope Gregory moved All Hallows' Day to 1 November in an attempt to distract Christians from celebrating Samhain. Just as Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas, so the night before All Hallows' became known as All Hallows' Eve. Eventually the name was shortened to 'Halloween' and so today on 31 October, we see a mixture of these customs being observed: pumpkins are still carved, people still dress up in scary costumes, apples are still bobbed and of course a week later bonfires are lit.
For many churches All Hallows' or All Saints' Day is a celebration of the 'communion of saints' – remembering the ordinary people who have served God faithfully through the ages.
For most children, Halloween is an opportunity to have some fun with a few friends, dress up, collect some sweets or chocolate or even a bit of change. There are of course others who will use the opportunity to cause fear, mischief or damage. Today there is a growing interest in witchcraft, the occult and Satanism, and for these people Halloween is a major festival.
So as Christians, can we observe Halloween even in fun? Halloween as such, with its focus on the dead, witches, and evil spirits, associates it with the very things Scripture warns us against. But equally can we afford to ignore it? Surely we are called to lead children away from the temptation to get involved with the dark side of Halloween? So, I think we have an opportunity for a celebration here, though ensuring that what we offer children is not about observing Halloween. Children will be looking for something exciting and fun to do that night. We can see this as an opportunity by holding an event that does some or all of the following:
Insist that everyone wears bright multi-coloured or sparkly clothes. Invite every child who can, to bring along a torch. Alternatively you could provide 'glow' sticks or 'glow' necklaces. 'Light' themed activities could include:
Focus on Jesus 'Light of the World'. Remind the children that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, the light that the darkness has never put out. (John 1.5).
For younger children
The songs 'Jesus you're the Morning Star' by Mike Burn (on the CD Great Big God), Julia Plaut's 'Jesus, Light of the World' (on the CD God's Wonderful World) or 'Shine Jesus Shine' are all appropriate.
Have a cake with a trick candle that won't blow out to illustrate the message. (Try it out first!)
Young children could make scraper pictures of candles and stars. First colour over a whole sheet of paper with lots of bright colours. Then go over with black wax crayon. Scrape the shapes of stars or candles by scraping off the black with plastic knives so the bright colours show through.
For older children
Doug Horley's song 'Come out of darkness and into the light' on his album We Want to See Jesus Lifted High is great.
Set up a graffiti wall by covering a wall, door or window with lining paper, or by using a flipchart. Give out bright marker pens. Invite the children to write up the names of places or situations that need the light of Christ. Alternatively, let them rip headlines out of newspapers and stick them up on the sheet.
Then take the sheet of paper down and lay it out on the floor. Mark out a large cross on it using votive candles. Sit around the cross on the floor. As a prayer activity each child in turn lights one of the candles. Say the prayer, the words in italics can be said together as a response:
PRAY
Lord of Light,
Shine in the darkness.
For those who live dark lives through poverty or hunger,
Lord of Light,
Shine in the darkness.
Lighten the hearts of those without a glimmer of hope.
Lord of Light,
Shine in the darkness.
Burn like a fire for those who are cold or homeless.
Lord of Light,
Shine in the darkness.
Help us to share your light with others.
Lord of Light,
Shine in the darkness.
Buy a pack of 'glow in the dark' stars and give each child one to take home, to remind them of the evening.
BOLT ON TO BRIGHT AND LIGHT PARTY
For young people aged 11-14
You can use the ideas from the children's session with some of the following adaptations. Obtain an Ultra Violet (UV) or BlackLight fluorescent tube. You will find these for sale in shops where guitars and amplifiers are sold and those selling amplification and disco equipment. You should be able to buy a 5ft tube for about £20. A UV tube can be used in a light fitting bought from a DIY outlet for a few pounds, to make a portable UV light source. If you are not 100% confident about wiring these things up safely ask a qualified electrician. You can use the UV light in these different fun ways.
Take a large piece of paper (flipchart or lining paper) and a security marker pen – the sort that only shows up under UV light (from stationery shops). With this pen write the words 'Jesus loves' in large, bold lettering that fills the sheet. Take time to do this carefully. On the night of the event, pin this sheet up near the entrance and invite everyone coming in to sign the sheet using a highlighter pen (by this time the lettering you previously put on will have dried to invisibility). Later on, as part of a talk about Jesus being the light of the world or similar, turn off the room lights and switch on your UV light near the sheet they signed. Two effects will be obvious. The words 'Jesus loves' will be clearly visible and the highlighter signatures will appear to float off the page with different colours at different depths.
People can make models of themselves using dayglo Fimo clay. You can talk about Jesus being the light of the world and ourselves, his followers, being lights to the world through his power and presence in our lives. Turn off the room lights and switch on the UV tube near the models. They will glow intensely, not of themselves but in a light that is really there even though it cannot easily be seen.
You can buy A4 sheets of glow-in-the-dark paper from stationery retailers. You can cut shapes out of this to decorate a youth room but also you can use a black marker pen to write a Bible verse using 'bubble' writing.. When the paper glows in a dark room it is difficult, initially, to see what is written. But, when you have worked it out it's obvious and it seems strange that the text was so obscure at first.
You can cut shapes out of the paper and decorate black or dark clothing by pinning them on. The room lights can be turned off and the UV tube turned on. The paper will glow brightly.
