How has Halloween Changed from the Beginning

I shared earlier about the history of Halloween but one aspect that was left out was how religion, yes I said religion, helped to form the holiday. The celtics are believed to be the community behind Halloween. In the early part of the A.D the Roman empire controlled most of the land that Celtics called home. The area now known as U.K. Ireland and northern France was ruled by the Romans. Because of the control they had over the land they had a chance to change the festival celebrated by the Celts.

The Romans celebrated Feralia which was the day to celebrate those that had died. They also celebrated Pomona which was the day they worshipped the goddess of fruit and tress. The symbol of Pomona's is apples so bobbing for apples was a new tradition and still remains tradition of Halloween. The day after Halloween, November 1st was later made the day of the dead. Likewise, the celts often wore costumes and danced around sacred bonfires in hopes the crops and animals would do well. The day before the Day of the Dead became known as All-Hallows Eve or Halloween during the 9th century.

When Halloween arrived in the United States it was primarily celebrated in Maryland and other southern colonies. The beliefs of Native Americans and Europeans came together to create a modern day Halloween. Early years of Halloween saw what was known as play parties that acted out scary stories, pranks were played, fortunes were told and song and dance performances were part of the celebration. Immigrants would bring more traditions. The Irish brought custom of wearing costumes and going trick or treating (money and food were begged) So what do we do today to make Halloween fun but not all about the dark force??

As Christians we can let children know the truth. There are those that practice Wicca and profess to be Satanists but many have strived to make the night even more scarier than reality. Books and films as well as other sources have tried to influence the night. Telling our children that we can have fun, dress up and trick or treat without being influenced by evil. There are no spirits watching us or roaming the streets The truth is there are groups that practice magic, contact the dead but they do not have an exclusive right on Halloween as they practice their craft all year long not just one night a year.

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