Why Our Family No Longer Celebrates Halloween

Autumn was in the air and so was a relaxing mom break. I stepped into a new-to-me salon for a haircut and nestled into a cushioned black chair. As dark locks of hair fell to the ground, the young hair stylist and I exchanged casual conversation and I made mention that I was a mom.

It wasn’t long before she asked the dreaded question.

“Is your son excited for Halloween?! What’s he going to be?”

No longer relaxed, I replied, “Oh, we don’t celebrate Halloween.”

Baffled, she responded, “What?! You don’t celebrate Halloween? Why”

My firstborn son was around five or six at the time and our family had recently stopped celebrating Halloween. I had yet to formulate an eloquent response to the question I preferred to avoid, but I realized in that moment that I couldn’t escape the awkwardness.

I started regretting my decision to come to that hair salon and wished I could sneak out. But I mustered up a response that sounded a little something like:

“I just don’t like all the scary stuff. And I’m a Christian.”

While I was ready to move onto to talking about something else, she kept asking questions.

“What kind of church do you go to? Do you at least celebrate Christmas or Easter?”

“Oh yeah, we celebrate Christmas and Easter. I love Christmas,” I replied in a happier tone.

A smile returned to her face, but a hint of confusion remained. She couldn’t quite figure me out and I wasn’t interested in a long Halloween conversation. It was hard for me to talk about because I was still processing the change.

Some of her last words in my memory are:

“Well, I still can’t believe you don’t celebrate Halloween.”

Why Our Family Stopped Celebrating Halloween

Halloween was never my favorite holiday, but I grew up trick-or-treating and dressing up in non-scary costumes.

One of my last memories of trick-or-treating was when a woman dressed as a witch answered the door. The inside of her home was dark with a glow of purple and green, and on a table sat a black bowl of candy or something else. In a creepy, witchy voice she invited us to come inside and pick out candy. I don’t remember who I was with, but thankfully we had enough discernment to say no.

Dressing up and going door-to-door to get candy may appear to be innocent fun, but we are in a spiritual battle and the enemy is crafty. The Bible tells us:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Motherhood caused me to take a deeper look at Halloween because I was responsible for my very own child. At first, my husband and I handled it much of the same way as we experienced it. Cute costumes, nothing scary, and nothing wrong with a little extra candy. We attended a few church Halloween alternatives that involved their own versions of candy and trick-or-treating, and I even took our son trick-or-treating in the neighborhood one year…

But none of it felt right.

I felt the spiritual heaviness of the holiday.

And I began learning its history which I previously knew nothing about.

Eventually, I was convicted about our participation in a holiday that clearly glorifies death and darkness—even if that’s not what our family was celebrating. So, my husband and I discussed it and prayed for wisdom, coming to the decision to stop celebrating Halloween about eight years ago.

It wasn’t difficult to surrender a holiday that made me uneasy, but it felt lonely to go against the grain of culture and uncomfortable dealing with awkward conversations like the one at the hair salon. In all transparency, I was also concerned that people would perceive me as a self-righteous, legalistic Christian.

Yes, I’ve struggled with people pleasing.

What I began to realize was that the main reason I held onto Halloween for a good portion of my life was because I was ignorant about its true meaning—and I wanted to fit in.

Why did I feel obligated as a Christian to participate in a holiday the celebrates the very thing Jesus went to the cross to defeat? Why would I fellowship with darkness when Jesus rescued me from it to give me eternal life? Why didn’t I realize sooner that the uneasy feeling inside me was there for a reason?

Pagan Worship in the Bible

There are different perspectives about the origins of Halloween, and I have spent years trying to come to my own conclusions.

Does it have pagan roots? Is it connected to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain? Does it have “Christian” roots because of the Catholic Church’s attempt to make it less pagan? Or is it just a modern-day commercialized holiday?

First, regardless of origins, I believe an argument can be made with the Bible alone as to why Halloween doesn’t have a place in my life as a Christian. Furthermore, the Bible is history, and it shows that unholy and demonic practices have existed since the Fall in Genesis chapter 3. Sin opened a doorway for death and decay to pollute the world. From the beginning, the enemy has used deception to lead people astray and fulfill his agenda to kill, steal, and destroy.

In the Old Testament, the Canaanites worshipped false gods such as Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech. They sometimes made sacrifices to appease their gods, and as grotesque as it sounds, people even burned their children alive as an offering to the god, Molech. When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God clearly instructed them not to mix with the pagan worship of the Canaanites, but sadly they got swept up in the trap of idolatry.  

In the New Testament, forms of witchcraft also existed. For example, the practice of magic was common in Ephesus and due to the Apostle Paul’s ministry, many of the Ephesian sorcerers renounced their magic practices and converted to Christianity. They even had a public burning of their occult books which were valued at a total of 50,000 pieces of silver. See Acts 19.

With the history of the Bible, it is not far-fetched for me to believe that ancient pagan practices ultimately influenced Halloween as we know it today. While I’m aware that some deny the ancient origins and it’s not where I want to stay parked for too long, I think it’s worth examining.

Fishing through the origins is a bit sketchy because sources vary in their explanations, but I’ve done my best to be as accurate as I can, given I’m a busy mom who doesn’t have time to endlessly research.

The Origins of Halloween

Halloween’s roots reach back about 2,000 years to a pagan Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “saw-wen” or “sow-win”), which was observed in Britain and Ireland on November 1. Samhain was their New Year which marked the close of the harvest season and beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on the eve of the New Year (October 31), the veil between the worlds of the living and dead was thinnest, and the dead could come back and visit the living. Some sources mention that these spirits could cause damage to crops and play tricks on the living. To appease these evil spirits, food and animal sacrifices were lit in bonfires as offerings and people disguised themselves in masks and costumes.

According to an article from Answers in Genesis, “Although no original written accounts of this festival exist today from the ancient Celts, there is some reference to it in Roman records from when the Romans conquered Celtic lands around AD 43.” Under Roman rule, Samhain was blended with the Roman festivals of Pomona and Feralia, both which were festivals of the dead celebrated at the end of October.

In the 7^th century, Pope Boniface IV established All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day) on May 13 to honor the saints, and in the 8^th century Pope Gregory III moved it to November 1, possibly to coincide with Samhain. While this was perhaps an attempt to Christianize a pagan festival, they kept some of its traditions by having bonfires and dressing up as angels, devils, and saints. The night before (October 31) became All Hallows’ Eve, which is where we get the name Halloween. And eventually, November 2 became All Souls’ Day, a day to remember and pray for dead loved ones.

During this three-day period referred to as Allhallowtide, it is also believed that poor people went door to door and collected baked goods called “soul cakes” from the wealthy in exchange for promising to pray for their dead relatives.  In essence, this was a time with an emphasis on remembering and praying for the dead. And rather than the focus being on roaming spirits like with Samhain, the focus was on remembering saints and martyrs.

On a side note…As a Protestant Christian who isn’t Catholic and doesn’t believe in purgatory, praying to saints, or praying for the dead—I don’t consider Halloween to have roots in my Christian faith. While there is nothing wrong with remembering those who have done good things, Allhallowtide is a man-made tradition of the Catholic Church.

Back to the history…

Over the centuries, these traditions continued to evolve until eventually they came to America. When the puritans came over to America from England in the 1600s, they wanted nothing to do with Halloween because of its ties to the occult. In the 1800s there was a potato famine in Europe and a wave of Irish Catholic immigrants came to the United States, bringing with them the Halloween customs of Europe. It wasn’t until the 1900s when Halloween really started to take off in the United States, eventually becoming the modern-day commercialized version that it is today.

Modern-Day Halloween

While the origins offer some perspective, it’s important to look at how it’s being celebrated in this modern-day moment. Before summer is officially over, spooky decorations furnish isles at the store. Front yards are decorated with skeletons, tombstones, monsters, ghosts, and gore—all things meant to evoke fear and glorify death.

Jesus went to the cross to defeat death and give us eternal life, and in Christ we are new creations called to live set apart and be different from the world.

I love what James 1:27 offers us:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

We are to care for the poor and needy and at the same time we are to live holy lives. They go together, not one without the other. Our witness to the broken world is greater when we live in a way that unashamedly glorifies God. More is done for the Kingdom of God when we live set apart from the ways of our decaying world.

Halloween is a demonic holiday about death. It doesn’t matter how many ways it’s repackaged; its core is evil.

The Dangers of Halloween

Let me be abundantly clear that I’m not afraid of Halloween nor do I think Satan has more power than God, but rather I have no desire to take part in a holiday that brings glory to Satan. The enemy tried to keep me from discovering the true love of the Father and has thrown arrows my way, attempting to rob me of life and freedom in Christ. BUT praise God that Jesus rescued me out the darkness and ushered me into the light, and I now walk as a child of light.

When you have been rescued from much, you have much to tell of His amazing grace and redeeming love. And that just doesn’t fit with the death and darkness of a holiday like Halloween that has nothing to do with Jesus.

Halloween is now repulsive to me. My Savior had victory over death and the grave, giving me the promise of a beautiful future in His presence forevermore—and that’s what I celebrate!

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

-Colossians 3:1-3

With all that said…

I have listened to many testimonies of (now) Christians who have come out of witchcraft and the occult—and there is a common thread among their voices of saying not to celebrate Halloween. They have seen firsthand the significance of this holiday, the disturbing rituals done on this day, and the dangers that it presents.

For most of my life, I thought that dressing up in “innocent” costumes and getting a little extra candy was fine. So long as I removed the notably evil things, it was harmless.

And let me just say, if that’s where you’re at…I understand and don’t judge you.

But for me, as the Lord started to open my eyes around eight years ago, I no longer could look at it in the same way.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Ephesians 5:11

When we participate in Halloween we come into agreement with the holiday, even if our kids are simply dressed as a harmless butterfly. The enemy is looking for ways into our lives and he will take every inch we will give. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:14 that “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” He wants to mess up our lives and our kids’ lives, and we need to be awake to his schemes and resist him.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:7

Satan doesn’t want us to know the truth because his agenda is to destroy our lives. He’s in direct opposition to the things of God, and he targets the Body of Believers because we’re the ones who are supposed to be resisting the devil and standing for the things of God.

We need to understand that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood, but we’re in a spiritual battle that requires putting on the full amor of God.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

– Ephesians 6:12

Conclusions I Have Come To

• We are free in Christ to live set apart and be different from the world and its practices. Taking a stand against Halloween and choosing not to participate in it isn’t being legalistic. In fact, even though the Bible doesn’t directly talk about Halloween, it is full of verses in both the Old Testament and New Testament that are clear about God’s views on sorcery, the occult, witchcraft, divination, necromancy, and any forms of pagan worship and idolatry.

• Celebrating Halloween isn’t a salvation issue, but it’s good to seek the Lord in prayer and ask Him what He wants our response to be to this holiday. As my husband and I did this, He made it clear to us that this wasn’t a holiday for our family, and over the years we’ve become even more unified in that decision. I have a deep conviction about this holiday, but realize that not everyone does. There are people whom I love dearly who celebrate this holiday and we still have a peaceful relationship.

• Our kids aren’t missing out if they don’t trick-or-treat. My oldest experienced Halloween for a few years, but Halloween has never been a part of my youngest’s life. Neither of my boys ask to trick-or-treat and we have ongoing conversations with them about why we don’t celebrate Halloween. Kids playing dress up on a normal day isn’t an issue from my perspective, but it’s not something we do on Halloween for reasons I’ve already stated. My boys have also had their share of candy, they just don’t trick-or-treat.

• There are ways to evangelize without using the traditions of Halloween. I can’t tell you what this means for you or your family, but it’s something to pray about and listen to the Lord’s leading. And it’s not limited to one day of the year just because strangers come knocking on doors. Sharing Jesus should be a way of life for the believer. We personally don’t hand out candy and while I wrestled with this in the beginning, I’ve learned that it’s okay to sit out on some things and that doesn’t make me a cold Christian.

• It’s okay to treat Halloween as another day. While I don’t feel the need for an alternative, I think there are still ways to make it a meaningful day and to be intentional about worshipping God that day. Some things we’ve done are: watched a movie and enjoyed special snacks, spent time in prayer and reading the Bible, packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, learned about the Protestant Reformation, enjoyed a pizza and game night with family, and last year we prayed for every single hostage in Israel by name in relation to the October 7^th massacre.

• This is a spiritual battle and prayer is powerful. Pray fervently. Pray for those in the occult to be set free. Pray for eyes to be opened. Pray for Christ’s Church to be attentive and awake. Pray for opportunities to share Jesus. Pray for the courage to do what is right.

• As Christians, we may come to some different conclusions about how to respond to this holiday, but we can still choose to engage with each other in a manner of humility and grace.

Closing Thoughts

When we first stopped celebrating Halloween, I knew it was the right thing to do, but to be honest all I wanted to do was hide under a pillow and not talk about it. I needed time process. To dig into Scripture more. To pray. To cry. To surrender my ways. To heal from past hurts. To understand that my conviction was for a reason. And to see that eventually, God could bring beauty from it.

If you don’t share my conviction that’s okay. But if you do and maybe you feel isolated because it’s the different way, I want to encourage you that it gets better.

For the first time in the month of October, I have truly experienced a peace that passes my understanding. It’s better than any physical gift I could ever receive. It’s the peace that comes from Jesus.

Yes, I still feel the heaviness of Halloween around me, but now when I pass a home in our neighborhood riddled with grotesque images, my heart is soft to pray for those people that they too could know the peace and freedom found in Christ.

From that uncomfortable hair salon conversation to now, God has given me confidence to simply say that I don’t celebrate Halloween. It’s not the popular way, but it’s the way the Lord in His perfect love has led me and my family.

I only wish I would’ve told that hair stylist more about Jesus.

About the One who ushered me out the darkness and into His marvelous light.

About the One who died an undeserved death to rescue us from eternal death.

I think the way we push back the darkness,  

Is to tell people about the One who conquered it.

Rejoicing in Hope,

Hannah

*I prayed a lot over my decision to share this. It’s written from a place of love and not condemnation. I know that some people won’t agree with me and that’s okay. I also couldn’t possibly go into every detail without this becoming a book, so while there’s a lot more I could say, as a busy mom this is most I could do. I know what’s it’s like to feel lonely and isolated and different on this day—and I hope that by sharing where God has led our family over time, that you can find some encouragement and know that you’re not alone.

* A note about sources: I used a variety of sources to compile my findings about the origins of Halloween, but it’s not a cut and dry matter because information varies from source to source. Some of the sites I referenced are History.com, Wikipedia, Answers In Genesis, Encyclopedia Britannica, The Library of Congress, and several others.