What matters for us is how our culture celebrates Halloween today. Though how we account for the traditional beliefs and practices associated with Halloween has a great bearing on our view of the Holiday, the question we must ask is not “What was Halloween” but “What is Halloween.” And not just what is Halloween, but if we choose to celebrate it, how do we celebrate Halloween.

Halloween is a holiday that splits the Christian world in two. There are Christians on one side who believe that Halloween—with its ghosts, witches, and walking dead—is essentially demonic and pagan. On the other side are Christians who look at Halloween as mostly harmless. After all, Christ has conquered the forces of evil, and so demons and witches are nothing to fear. Besides, Halloween is a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors, be hospitable, and even share the gospel! Why the radically different views?

The disagreement goes back to the origins of the day we call Halloween. All Saints Day is a Christian holiday dating back to the fourth century A.D. In the year 835, Pope Gregory IV unified church practice by declaring November 1^st to be All Saints Day in the Western Church. And thus, October 31 became All Saints Eve. “Hallow” is the Old English word for “Holy” (“Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name”).  It is synonymous with the word “saint”.  Thus, the name “Halloween” is a contraction of “All Hallows Evening” (much like we have “Christmas Eve”).  On this there is no debate.

The question arises as to the relationship of All Saints Day to pagan holidays, especially the Celtic festival of Samhain. In the British Isles, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and it was celebrated in October. Life slowed down as winter brought darkness, cold, and death. Samhain was seen as the time when the world of the dead and of magic tried to invade the world of the living. Consequently, there arose rituals and practices that tried to hold magical beings and spirits in check.

Neo-pagans and Fundamentalist Christians assert that the various practices associated with Halloween today have their origins in these beliefs and practices on the “day of the dead.” Jack-O-Lanterns are thought to have been a way to keep evil spirits at bay. Wearing disguises and costumes is thought to have been a strategy for keeping spirits from recognizing you and haunting you. It is thought that the Christian church instituted “All Saints Day” as a substitute holiday, a way of providing a “Christian alternative” to the pagan holiday.

However, both Christian and Secular scholars argue that Halloween can be explained as a purely Christian holiday. They argue that All Saints Day arose as a day to honor the saints and martyrs of the Christian church prior to any concern over pagan celebrations. It was a day of remembrance and thanksgiving. It was also associated with Christ’s victory over the powers of darkness, and it served to remind Christians that they had no need to fear Satan, demons, the dead, or magic. It was thus a reminder to cast out superstition. Christian practices arose to do just that: symbolize mocking demons and Satan. In the Middle Ages, All Saints Day became a day to pray for the saints in purgatory. This was why Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses when he did.

Which is true? In some ways, this question is irrelevant. What matters for us is how our culture celebrates Halloween today. Though how we account for the traditional beliefs and practices associated with Halloween has a great bearing on our view of the Holiday, the question we must ask is not “What was Halloween” but “What is Halloween.” And not just what is Halloween, but if we choose to celebrate it, how do we celebrate Halloween.

Our culture is obsessed with death, magic and the undead, even if they are in the realm of fantasy. We must ask if running around in horrifying costumes or watching movies that are gruesome, obscene, and frightening is something glorifying to God. Drunkenness and revelry and destruction of property (tricking rather than treating) are things that Christians should not condone at any time of the year. We must also remember that there really are people who practice voodoo and witchcraft and divination. Satan and demons really do exist.

And yet, “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world,” (1 John 4:4).  These things are nothing for the Christian to fear. Halloween (and All Saints Day) gives us a great opportunity to give thanks to God for Christ’s victory and for the great men and women of God who have paved the way for us today. It is very appropriate for churches to have a Reformation Festival in honor of the men God used to bring His Church back to His Word and His Truth in the Gospel!

Whether or not you and your family celebrate Halloween is a matter of conscience. The day can certainly be used to reflect on biblical truths and church history. The wearing of costumes in itself is harmless and quite fun. And what other day of the year does your neighborhood open its front doors to you and your children? Even if you don’t use it as an “evangelistic opportunity,” it is a great way to build relationships with your neighbors and show them the love of Christ. It is a great opportunity for you, as well, to show Christian generosity to the children of your neighborhood. Everyone likes the house of the man who gives loads of candy!

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:14

Trey Owens is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Minister to Youth and Families at Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New Braunfels, Texas.