Is Halloween Really Devil Worship? A Christian Parent’s Perspective

A couple of weeks ago my daughter came into my bedroom and abruptly asked me if Halloween was devil worship. Apparently, a new friend had told her that her family did not celebrate Halloween in order to avoid worshiping the devil.

This must have been confusing for my daughter to hear, who has been raised in a Christian home and has always celebrated Halloween. In fact, for the past 2 years she enjoyed celebrating Halloween at the Christian seminary where we lived. Both years we had costumes, games, jack o’ lanterns, and lots of candy, and the children ran around campus joyfully. I remember feeling a similar confusion when I was growing up. The Baptist church I was attending had an “Un-Halloween carnival,” but the Episcopal school that I attended had a “Halloween Carnival.” These carnivals were virtually identical to one another and focused on candy and games.

Although some of the Halloween customs may originate from the Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Celtic holiday was Christianized in the 8th century, when the church moved All Saints Day to November 1. The name Halloween, in fact, means the eve of All Saints’ Day, the day that the church honors all of the saints of the church. On November 2, commonly referred to as All Souls’ Day, we commemorate all the faithful departed.

While there is much I could write about both of these days and how they are observed, the important thing to remember is that Halloween is fundamentally a Christian holiday! We need not be afraid to wear costumes, hand out candy, go trick or treating, and enjoy fall traditions with our family and friends.

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday and that you will join us on November 3, when we will celebrate All Saints Day, one of the principal feasts of the Episcopal church year.

Erica Andersen
Curate