Athena says "Get this woman off me! I wanna roll in zee hay!"Have Fun!!!!
Even some of the most well-read, Christian pastors are Halloween uninformed!
Halloween DID begin as a Christian Holy Day! No matter what you have heard before the truth of history and the understanding a the word Halloween is quite Christian. Halloween broken down is the eve (evening) before the Holy (Hallow) day. It was first called All Saints Day or Hallows Day in 610AD and was celebrated on May 13. So the very first step is to understand the meaning of the word. Halloween means the Holy Eve. Happy Halloween means Happy Evening before Holy Day!
The church moved Hallows Day from May 13 to Nov 1 on 741AD to place it on the same day as the Pagan (unbelievers) Festival of Death. This was very common in the early church because they moved Christmas and Easter already to coincide with Pagan celebrations so that Christians had something Christian to celebrate when everyone else was celebrating.
Hallows Day was a day to honor all the martyrs that died from Christ's death and resurrection until 311 AD when Constantine made it against the law to persecute Christians. The church picked one date to celebrate all the people who willingly and often joyfully followed Jesus and refused to deny their faith even if it meant being strangled, beheaded, gouged, beaten , racked, boiled in oil, melted on a iron plate, burned at the stake, fed to wild animals, crucified, frozen, drowned or tortured in any other way.
Recognize that we have been ignorant of our Christian history and did not understand that the Pagans took their celebration known as Samhain (festival of death) to be one with Halloween. Instead of continuing to call their day Samhain over the years it got mixed into being called Halloween for both celebrations.
As a Christian we don't need to run from Halloween, but to redeem it and embrace it as a Holy Eve Celebration to remember all the martyrs that have died and that continue to die in our generation for their faith. We really have something to celebrate because our faith could not be destroyed or mowed down because Christians are not afraid of death but embrace it..."For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." The sting of death was taken away after Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected.
Now the choice is yours. Be creative! Find a way to celebrate your Holy Day! And be set free by the truth of knowing you can really cheerfully say, "Happy Halloween!" guilt-free!
Even some of the most well-read, Christian pastors are Halloween uninformed!
Halloween DID begin as a Christian Holy Day! No matter what you have heard before the truth of history and the understanding a the word Halloween is quite Christian. Halloween broken down is the eve (evening) before the Holy (Hallow) day. It was first called All Saints Day or Hallows Day in 610AD and was celebrated on May 13. So the very first step is to understand the meaning of the word. Halloween means the Holy Eve. Happy Halloween means Happy Evening before Holy Day!
The church moved Hallows Day from May 13 to Nov 1 on 741AD to place it on the same day as the Pagan (unbelievers) Festival of Death. This was very common in the early church because they moved Christmas and Easter already to coincide with Pagan celebrations so that Christians had something Christian to celebrate when everyone else was celebrating.
Hallows Day was a day to honor all the martyrs that died from Christ's death and resurrection until 311 AD when Constantine made it against the law to persecute Christians. The church picked one date to celebrate all the people who willingly and often joyfully followed Jesus and refused to deny their faith even if it meant being strangled, beheaded, gouged, beaten , racked, boiled in oil, melted on a iron plate, burned at the stake, fed to wild animals, crucified, frozen, drowned or tortured in any other way.
Recognize that we have been ignorant of our Christian history and did not understand that the Pagans took their celebration known as Samhain (festival of death) to be one with Halloween. Instead of continuing to call their day Samhain over the years it got mixed into being called Halloween for both celebrations.
As a Christian we don't need to run from Halloween, but to redeem it and embrace it as a Holy Eve Celebration to remember all the martyrs that have died and that continue to die in our generation for their faith. We really have something to celebrate because our faith could not be destroyed or mowed down because Christians are not afraid of death but embrace it..."For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." The sting of death was taken away after Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected.
Now the choice is yours. Be creative! Find a way to celebrate your Holy Day! And be set free by the truth of knowing you can really cheerfully say, "Happy Halloween!" guilt-free!
8 comments:
Oh, I luv a roll in zee hay. Roll, roll roll in zee hay!
This stuff is always interesting to me. I personally love halloween and was never brought up to think it was something bad or evil. More like a day to remember those who have died and to scare off the bad spirits that may try to come out.
I embrace Halloween as a Holy Day......as long as it means I don't have to give up the candy ;)
P.S. Cute picture!
(Our church in Temperance, MI used to do a Halloween "Trunk-or-Treat" as a safe alternative to neighborhood trick-or-treating. Super cute. People decorated their cars and all the kids were dressed up. FYI.)
WK, since we went to that pumpkin patch I have been using "Roll roll roll in zee hay" and you are the first one to notice it.
Ky, Our church does the Trunk or Treat! It's an absolute blast!!! We usually pick a theme and the kids still dress up and have fun with it. We just steer away from the dark side that this holiday can go towards. Although this info about holloween is great,Today people don't celebrate it as a HOLY holiday, but instead it has been converted into something more dark.
Again to each there own. We choose not to celebrate this holiday.
But for everyone else Happy HOLYWEEN!!! (get it!!!)
Ok, I was wondering why Ms. Bee was suddenly a German baby, but thanks to WK's comment, I realize that it is an inside joke.
Halloween rocks.
I got it instantly - I went right to the visual! Young Frankenstein is one of my ALL time favorite movies!!
It made me chuckle to read that
Great post. I'm a christian and I think you can still celebrate Halloween. Whatever the origins, I think it turned into a fun holiday--I mean come on, I dressed up as a punk rocker and strawberry shortcake and a million different things and walked around and got free candy. How can that be evil? LOL.
At my church they have a "Holyween" for the kids.
I think the Holyween church celebrations sound SO cool for kids! It's a wonderful way to truly celebrate the holiday how it was intended.
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