Are you aware of the true origin of Halloween? There was a time when I was totally uniformed about the connection this holiday has with occult practices. I assumed it was just a fun holiday and eagerly participated in a Haunted House as a fundraiser for my church until learning about the origins of Halloween.
Halloween began well before Christ’s birth as a three day celebration of the dead by the druids in ancient region s of England and Ireland. It is recorded in history as the eve of samhain, which marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.
During this festival, divination and soothsaying were practiced. Druids dressed as witches, goblins, and fairies were reported to go throughout the countryside harassing people for contributions of food. This is the basis for our current trick-or-treat rituals. Satanic worship and witchcraft, including black cats, were all associated with this time which sounds much like our current Halloween traditions.
The current Halloween practice of dressing children in masks and costumes and sending them out into the neighborhoods for “food” closely mimics those harassing behaviors by the early druids. Even the jack-o-lantern got its beginning from turnips carved as death masks carried by the druids during this time.
These traditions have become a part of American family culture as simple and playful fun. The true origin of this fun paints a much different picture. The question remains: is this a practice that our children should be engaging in when it was born out of these “dark” beginnings?
Is it just simple fun or is there more going on behind the scenes?
Next time you are tempted to spend hundreds of dollars on ghastly decorations and cavity-inducing delights, think about the origin of Halloween.