There is often the belief that Halloween has to do with witches, demons and Satan himself; nothing could be further from the truth as Halloween is the remnants of and old Celtic festival called Samhain, which is October’s end and November’s beginning. Halloween is also the end of the third harvest and is the time for reflection, recollection and taking stock of the year before winter finally settles in.
Halloween is also the time to speak with ancestors and to give thanks and offering for the dearly departed. The idea of the infamous Halloween Jack O’ Lantern is to provide a guiding light for the newly departed as they make their journey homewards; in fact the ideas of mask was more to keep away the evil spirits and thus to offer protection to the spirits journeying toward the Light.
Another important point is that the Devil, Satan etc, has nothing to do with pagan ritual or beliefs and is inconsistent with any of the old Celtic festivals. Therefore, to imply that these festivals were designed to worship evil is pure ignorance. So, as a Christian, should one enjoy the practices of Halloween? Well, Christianity took the vast majority of their festivals from pagan festivals and the Bible contains a great deal of astronomical data, so why not enjoy the fun and the festivities of Halloween.
As said before, Halloween can be a wonderful time to reconnect with ancestors and departed friends and family. It is also a great affirmation of the light as one lights candles to guide the spirits to their resting places.
Halloween is also the time to reflect on the year and to start to reap what one has sowed; this is obviously more than just harvesting! We can thus use this time to reap what we have planted emotionally and psychologically. How have we treated each other, how have our plans developed, have we achieved what we set out to achieve?
People are often afraid to look into the dark and thus make up stories of devils and demons to stop people from exploring further. What you ultimately find in the darkest recesses is yourself and perhaps this is why many are afraid to look closer. There is nothing worse than seeing your very own judgments and hypocrisies staring right back at you and yet there is nothing better, for here you can shine the light, eradicate the darkness and make a fresh start for yourself.
Could this be the hidden meaning of Halloween?
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