My view on Halloween

I grew up my entire life celebrating Halloween. To our family it was just a fun day to dress up in costumes and get some yummy candy. Brian grew up without celebrating Halloween, and while we were engaged he shared with me that he felt strongly about not celebrating Halloween with our children. At that point I was indifferent about it, but I chose to respect his decision because I believed he had a higher standard then me. Since then, God has completely changed my heart about this holiday and I have been convicted about celebrating the traditions of Halloween. Here are the reasons why I don't celebrate Halloween and what some of the rituals mean.

1. Where it originated: It started with the Celts In Ireland. They celebrated their new year on November 1, which marked the end of summer and the harvest. It also marked the beginning of winter, which the Celts associated with death. They believed that on the night before the new year, October 31, the distinction between the worlds of the living and the dead were at their weakest. This was the night they celebrated Samhain when they believed the ghosts of the dead returned to earth to cause trouble.

2. Dressing up in costumes: originated from the Celts when they lit huge bonfires and celebrated Samhain by dressing up to disguise themselves as spirits and demons so that they could disguise themselves from real ones.

3. Trick or Treat: Started in Ireland when the Celts would go to each house in order to collect food that would then be offered up to the Gods. Children often asked for wood and kindling as well, which would be used in the Samhain bonfires.Good luck was promised to generous donors, and curses were made against those who would not give."

4. Carving pumpkins (Jack-o-lanterns): originated in 18th century with the Celts as an Irish folklore. In the tale, a man named Jack had trapped the devil in a tree. When he died, Jack was denied entrance into Hell due to his deal with the devil. Because the Celts were afraid of the evil spirits, who they believed came out that night, they would carve scary faces in their ember holders in the hopes of frightening the spirits away.

5. The black cat: The Celts believed that, on the night before the new year, the spirits of their friends and family were more likely to return to the earth. However, these spirits would not take on a human form but instead their souls would enter into an animal, most commonly a black cat.

6. Witches: On Halloween today, witches celebrate "Feast of Samhain." It is the first feast of the witchcraft year. Being a festival of the dead, Halloween is a time when witches attempt to communicate with the dead through various forms of divination and by offering sacrifices (animals and humans: often times children!) Halloween is the biggest day of the year to communicate with the devil.
I feel most passionately about this one. Do you know that it is reported that more children come up missing at this time more than any other time of the year? For this alone I want my children no where in reach of witches. Something interesting I read online however from a prior witch that got saved was they never sacrificed Christians because they believed that would give glory to God and not Satan. I am not sure if that is every witches practice or not but it was hers. Regardless, witches and witchcraft is real, very real and Halloween is their time of year!

7. owls and bats: Large bonfires would encourage a large amount of mosquito's to gather, causing owls and bats to come out. They were both commonly seen around Samhain bonfires. Because they only fly around at night they have been believed to be an omen of evil.