As Orthodox Christians we must
carefully examine every aspect of our involvement in the world, its activities,
holidays and festivals, to be certain whether or not these involvements are
compatible with our Holy Orthodox Faith. For a while now everything in the
outside world is reminding us that Halloween is near: at school our children
are busy painting pumpkins, cutting and pasting bats, ghosts and witches and
planning the ideal costume in which to go trick-or-treating.
Most of our schools, local community
organizations and entertainment on television, radio and press will share in
and capitalize upon the festival of Halloween. Many of us will participate in
this festival by going to costume parties, or by taking our children
trick-or-treating in our neighborhood after dark on October 31st. Most of us
will take part in the Halloween festivities believing that it has no deeper
meaning than fun and excitement for the children. Most of us do not know the
historical background of the festival of Halloween and its customs.
The feast of Halloween began in
pre-Christian times among the Celtic peoples of Britain, Ireland and Northern
France. These pagan peoples believed that physical life was born from death.
Therefore, they celebrated the beginning of the “new year” in the fall, on the
eve of October 31st and into the day of November 1st, when, as they believed
the season of cold, darkness, decay and death began. Instructed by their
priests, the Druids, the people extinguished all hearth fires and lights and darkness
prevailed.
