Fundamentalist Christians and most other evangelical Christians believe that the Bible is free of error (i.e. inerrant). Many also believe that when followers of non-Christian religions worship their Gods and Goddesses, they are in fact worshipping either Satan or some of his demons. This belief is based on clear, unambiguous passages from the Bible.
Many view all non- Christian religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam as well as Neopaganism) as forms of Satanism. By equating Neopagan religions with their view of Satanism as perpetrators of Satanic Ritual Abuse, many fundamentalists naturally assume that Wiccans, Druids, etc. perform the most hideous and obscene criminal acts at Halloween. These beliefs are profoundly hurtful, untrue, and are not often seen among other Christian groups.
Neither Satanists, nor Neopagans nor anyone else in North America engage in religiously motivated human sacrifice. Wiccans have been known to sacrifice a peach or apple, but nothing higher on the evolutionary scale.
Halloween, or Samhain as it is traditionally called, is one of the commonly celebrated holidays in the Wiccan religion. While it has been adapted into the child-friendly holiday of Halloween that centres on costumes and candy, Samhain is actually a time of remembrance and reverence. Here are some suggestions for celebrating Wiccan Halloween.
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honour of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighbourhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess
Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honour Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.
The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favourite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.
The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
The night lengthens and we work with the positive aspects of darkness in the increasing star- and moonlight. Many Craft traditions, following the ancient Celts, consider this the eve of the New Year (as day begins with sundown, so the year begins with the first day of winter). It is one night when the barriers between the worlds of life and death are uncertain, allowing the ancestors to walk among the living, welcomed and feasted by their kin, bestowing the Otherworld's blessings. We may focus within ourselves to look "through the glass darkly", developing our divination and psychic skills.
Since the 800's November 1st is a religious holiday known as All Saints' Day. The Mass that was said on this day was called All Hallowmas. The evening before became known as All Hallow e'en, or Halloween. Like some other American celebrations, its origins lie in both pre-Christian and Christian customs.
Today school dances and neighbourhood parties called "block parties" are popular among young and old alike. More and more adults celebrate Halloween. They dress up as historical or political figures and go to masquerade parties. In larger cities, costumed children and their parents gather at shopping malls early in the evening. Stores and businesses give parties with games and treats for the children. Teenagers enjoy costume dances at their schools and the more outrageous the costume the better! Certain pranks such as soaping car windows and tipping over garbage cans are expected. But partying and pranks are not the only things that Halloweeners enjoy doing. Some collect money to buy food and medicine for needy children around the world.
At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything “frightening” or “grotesque” out of Halloween celebrations. Because of their efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, but community-cantered holiday, with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague Halloween celebrations in many communities during this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young. Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centres’ into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighbourhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday.
Mischief Night
In late 18th century America, Halloween was a night for mischief and pranks. Boys would make "tick-tacks," cutting notches in the ends of a wooden spool and winding string around it. The spool would be placed right up against a window, with a nail serving as an axle. When the string was pulled, it made a loud and rapid "tick-tack" noise. Other noisy and startling practices involved throwing corn and decaying vegetables at houses.
While this was considered innocent fun, some pranksters began to go too far, especially with the move from country life to city life. News stories tell of students being expelled from schools, gangs of youths roaming through town covering people in flour, buildings being blown up, and so on.
Halloween in Other Countries
Halloween is celebrated outside of North America, particularly among American emigrants, but not to the extent that it is in the U.S. and Canada.
In England, some of the customs of Samhain are seen on Guy Fawkes Night each NOV-5. The celebration is also known as Bonfire Night. These are in memory of Guy Fawkes who attempted to blow up the House of Commons in London in 1605 CE. He died a gruesome death, imposed by the courts. One city, Lewes in East Sussex in southern England, still burns the Pope in effigy.
All Hallows Eve
Halloween was commonly referred to as "All Hollows" Eve. It originated from the pagan holiday honouring the dead. The Roman Catholic Church created All Saints Day (also called Hallowmas) on November 1st to honour Saints and All Souls Day on November 2and to honour and pray for the souls of the dead. These holidays were created by the church, in part to downplay the pagan holidays. Needless to say, it did not succeed. Halloween as we know it today has grown from the ancient Druid Holiday. Along the way both fun, frights, and satanic twists have been added to the mix
The dark side of Halloween
For the fanciful child, it's a dream come true to dress up as a favourite literary character or fairy-tale heroine on Halloween. On one day of the year, children are permitted to indulge their fantasies – both costume and candy – and the streets are filled with small Snow Whites, witches and goblins. But why do we celebrate this "child's" holiday called Halloween?
Benign as it may now seem to most Americans, Halloween has its roots in ancient, occult religious practices. Donning costumes, playing "trick-or-treat" and displaying jack-o'-lanterns are all carry-overs of pagan traditions. And though our contemporary society would have us believe it is not so, pagan practices – including darker occult rituals – still occur today.
Halloween is a holy day for pagans. This Celtic "new-year's day," known to druids as "Samhain," is celebrated on Oct. 31. Members of the Wiccan religion – a federally recognized, tax-exempt faith – and Satanists hold the day in the highest regard, performing special, often macabre ceremonies at the midnight hour. According to Paddy Slade's "Encyclopaedia of White Magic: A seasonal guide," "At Samhain the veil between our world and the Otherworld is thinnest, and it is thought to be the best time to attract those who have gone before."
Recognizing the evil behind these pagan "celebrations" of communion with nature and spirits, the Catholic Church moved its All Saints Day from May to Nov. 1. The day was set aside to honour martyred Christians. Protestants soon followed, but the occult symbols and practices of Samhain are still dominant.
In a disturbing yet eye-opening interview included in the video, a former Satanist tells of his experience growing up in a satanic coven. Now a committed Christian, the gentleman recalls a childhood of fear and sexual abuse. At age 11, he participated in a Halloween-night ceremony in which a young girl was sacrificed on an altar and her blood shared by adult participants. As an adult, Halloween and its "symbols of death," he says, bring back memories of abuse and horrible images.
This kind of experience is repeated year after year. As a sergeant at the Baldwin Park Police Department in Southern California and a British Parliament member point out, frightening, murderous Satanic practices take place around the world every Halloween. And yet the public dismisses reports of their occurrence, refusing to believe the holiday is anything more than child's play.
Dr Duncan Light
Associate professor and head
Sciences and social sciences
Another of his research interests focuses on Dracula as a tourist attraction! Romanians do not identify strongly with Dracula: many are unhappy that Western countries tend to associate their country only with Dracula and they are keen to point out that Dracula is an entirely fictional character. At the same time, Dracula is something which can earn much-needed foreign currency for Romania. This issue generates various tensions and conflicts between, on one hand, promoting a myth which clashes with senses of national identity and, on the other hand, maximising the revenue generating potential of this myth. He is currently examining these issues as part of a broader study of Romania’s changing approach to Dracula tourism over the past 40 years and I was able to spend most of 2004 in Romania working on this project. Also interested in the ways in which spooky traditions such as bonfire night and Halloween are seen by tourists.
Bishop challenges supermarkets to lighten up Halloween
18 September 2006
Retailers are helping create a climate of fear, says Bishop, as new book gives guidance on a brighter Halloween.
The Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Revd David Gillett, has today published a letter sent to Britain’s supermarket bosses urging them to rethink the way that their stores promote Halloween.
In the letter, which arrived on the desks of the Chief Executives of the UK’s five biggest supermarkets early last week, the Bishop challenged the retailers to ‘cross-merchandise’ traditional Halloween toys and costumes with goods more suitable for those worried about the darker side of the festival. The bishop also commends a new book published by the Church of England written specifically to help churches and schools arrange events for children and young people that focus on the positive messages of All Saints Day, the day following ‘All Hallows’ Eve’.
“This year, I would like you to offer your customers a choice. Amongst your displays, I would like to see products that enable parents, teachers and children to choose a positive, alternative way to celebrate Halloween,” says the Bishop, suggesting that the supermarkets present a range of alternative products such as bright balloons, hair braids and colorful costumes.
The Bishop shares the view of many Christians that large retailers are increasingly keen to commercialize Halloween celebrations in a way that pressurizes parents to purchase goods that promote the dark, negative side of Halloween and could encourage anti-social behavior.
In recent years many churches have begun to organize alternative events for children on or around Halloween, but this is the first time that the Church has offered practical suggestions for parishes on the subject. Better than Halloween also provides essential information on child protection and the practicalities of organizing such events.
The Bishop insists that those in the Church supporting his move towards a more positive approach to the event are not being killjoys, but are simply reflecting the concerns of many parents and teachers across the land: “We want everyone to be able to have an enjoyable time at Halloween, which is why people need to consider the impact of their behavior on their neighbors. It is why we want supermarkets to take a responsible position in relation to the products they promote for celebrating the event. It’s also why we’ve worked on producing the guidance on creating lively, engaging events for children and young adults that will provide a real alternative to the recently imported ways of celebrating Halloween.”
Better than Halloween, priced £9.99, is available from Christian bookshops including Church House Bookshop, 31 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BN, tel. 020-7898 1300, e-mail bookshop@c-of-e.org.uk, on the web (mail order available) – and who knows, maybe supermarkets too.
Sources/Bibliography
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/CUSTOMS/Halloween.html
http://www.jackolanterns.net/traditions.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_cu.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/northwestwales/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8316000/8316629.stm
http://www.new-age.co.uk/celtic-festivals-samhain.htm
http://www.novareinna.com/festive/hallow.html
http://www.topix.com/religion/pagan-wiccan
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220630/Church-claims-Halloween-trick-treaters-Devil.html
