Is Halloween just a fun day to play dress up, or does it have deeper connotations?

Halloween, which falls on October 31st, has its roots in the Celts' annual festival of Samhain, which involved sacrifices to their gods.

Halloween stems from the fact that it happens on the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day.

The origin of Halloween

The Celts believed that Samhain, the "god of death," could use tricks to scatter evil spirits to attack humans, so they wore masks and costumes to avoid being recognised.

Druids and the occult shared this tradition, which believed in the separation of the dead and undead and the possibility of spirits entering the world.

They used costumes and masks to avoid recognition. In England, people exchange prayers for deceased family members for pastries on All Souls' Day, which is very similar to the trick-or-treat culture where children collect candy.

Orange and black are the colours of Halloween. Black represents the end of summer, and orange represents harvests.

Those pumpkin carvings known as Jack O'Lanterns were created to ward off evil spirits by carving frightful faces into turnips and potatoes.

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Why Christians should avoid celebrating Halloween

1. Pagan origins

According to Exodus 20:3. The bible says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Christians cannot mix Christianity with pagan religions.

Halloween has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which involved rituals related to the dead and the supernatural. So, participating in these traditions contradicts their faith and values.

2. Dark imagery and symbolism

The theme of Halloween is mythology; witches, wizards, vampires, ghosts, and zombies are emphasised and exalted.

All of them are connected to occult. The Bible says Christians should "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness," (Ephesians 5:11).

3. Spiritual influence

Some Christians believe that Halloween can open the door to harmful spiritual influences by celebrating death, darkness, and the occult.

They should rather focus on activities and celebrations that promote their faith.

Although Halloween isn’t as popular in Nigeria, many event promoters may organize Halloween and costume parties toward the end of October.

This raises the question: should Christians participate, given the reasons mentioned above?