Apologetics

Halloween

Halloween carries two histories — a Christian one (All Saints' Eve) and a pagan one (Samhain) — never fully separated. Here's the real origin, and how to mark the night with faith instead of fear.

Jeff Reed Monday, October 13, 2025 2 min read

If you are someone who really, really likes Halloween, enjoys costume parties and

thinks life without candy corn, miniature Milky Ways and orange and black lollipops is

just not worth living, allow me to explain briefly where Halloween came from.

Believe it or not …

Halloween was once a Christian event. In medieval times, on November 1st the church observed All Hallows Day, hallow being an Old English word meaning “holy.” (Think of

the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name ….”) In the 16thcentury All Hallows Day began to be known as All Saints Day, a day to honor Christians

who had died and already received their eternal reward.

The night before came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve – which has come down to us as Halloween. If that linguistic corruption was all that had changed, Christians today

wouldn’t square off over how to, or if we even should, observe the day (and night).

Unfortunately, Halloween has long since lost any connection with All Saints Day and All Hallows’ Eve, and it has become just another secular party occasion. Even more

unfortunately, it has taken on distinctly unhealthy overtones, with its preoccupation with

death, monsters, the occult and other unbiblical and anti-Christian themes and

practices.

Things that go bump in the night

These things, along with carving jack-o’-lanterns, wearing scary costumes, and going

house to house offering “trick or treat” options, have their roots in ancient pagan

customs, specifically a Celtic festival called Samhain. Like many such pagan festivals

and customs, the church moved in on their turf and seized it for its own. Unfortunately,

when it did it did not cleanse the event of its ungodly and unholy vestiges. Thus we

have our modern / pre-modern event we know as Halloween.

So no, I’m not going to go so far as to say you absolutely, positively cannot enjoy

Halloween, wear strange outfits and go to a party, or door to door with your kids. (Or

without them, if you’re a hard-core candy addict.) (The preceding sentence was brought

to you by your local dentists’ association.) But I will say that if and as you do, it’s a good

opportunity to thank God for his goodness to us in giving us our Christian heritage.

Pray for those who are too interested, in an unhealthy way, with the dark side of

Halloween, or even inducted into some form of paganism, witchcraft, the occult, etc.

Watch the movie “Luther” or “Amazing Grace.” Read CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters.

Come worship with us (or your home church – if you don’t have one you’re hereby

invited to mine) as we celebrate our Reformation heritage.

And remember: Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Kent

Frequently asked questions

Should Christians celebrate Halloween?

Halloween isn't a simple yes-or-no question. The night has Christian roots — in medieval times, November 1st was 'All Hallows Day' (hallow being Old English for 'holy,' as in 'hallowed be thy name' from the Lord's Prayer). By the 16th century it became 'All Saints Day,' honoring believers who had received their eternal reward. The night before was 'All Hallows' Eve' — which has come down to us as Halloween. But Halloween has long since lost any meaningful connection to All Saints Day. It has become a secular party occasion that often takes on unhealthy overtones — a preoccupation with death, monsters, the occult, and other unbiblical themes. So no, we won't say you absolutely cannot enjoy Halloween, wear a costume, or take your kids door to door. But if you do, treat it as a chance to thank God for our Christian heritage, pray for those drawn unhealthily into the dark side of it, and remember that 'greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world' (1 John 4:4).

What is the origin of Halloween?

Halloween has two layered origins — one Christian, one pagan. The Christian thread comes from 'All Hallows' Eve,' the night before All Hallows Day (later All Saints Day) on November 1st, when the medieval church honored Christians who had died and received their eternal reward. The word 'hallow' is Old English for 'holy,' the same word Jesus uses in the Lord's Prayer when he says 'hallowed be thy name.' But the costumes, jack-o'-lanterns, and trick-or-treating come from somewhere else entirely — a Celtic festival called Samhain. When the early church moved in on Samhain's turf and absorbed it into the calendar, it didn't fully cleanse the event of its ungodly and unholy elements. What we celebrate today is the modern remnant of that incomplete conversion — Christian shell, pagan core.

What can Christians do instead of focusing on the dark side of Halloween?

Plenty. If you do participate, use it as an opportunity to thank God for his goodness in giving us our Christian heritage. Pray for people who are drawn — in unhealthy ways — toward the dark side of Halloween, or who have been pulled into paganism, witchcraft, or the occult. Watch a movie like 'Luther' or 'Amazing Grace' that celebrates the Reformation and the gospel's impact. Read C.S. Lewis's 'The Screwtape Letters' — a sharp, witty look at spiritual warfare. And come worship at your home church (or join us at Christchurch Miami) and celebrate our Reformation heritage. October 31st isn't only Halloween — it's also Reformation Day, the anniversary of Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses in 1517. That gives Christians something far better to fix our attention on than monsters and the occult.

Jeff Reed

Pastoral writing from the team at Christchurch Miami — a faith family on mission in Kendall, Miami.