Halloween, the most horrifying of the ancient pagan holy days, is now upon us. While Christmas, Easter, and virtually all of the holidays have a pagan origin, the most obvious of these pagan holidays is Halloween. The ancient Babylonians would have recognized the pagan significance of the sunrise service, colored eggs, and bunny rabbits on Easter. The Romans would have recognized the large, roasted bird, drunkenness, and gifts on Christmas. However, these two holidays have been greatly altered through history and are now cloaked in the religious superstition of our own time.

This is not true of Halloween, which is virtually identical to the practices of those Druid-led worshippers in the Celtic lands of long ago. Man, Myth, And Magic, a 24-volume encyclopedia of the super-natural, relates the attempt of the Roman Catholic Church to "christianize" the originally pagan holiday of Halloween. "All Hallow's Eve," or "Hallowe'en," was originally a festival of fire and the dead and the powers of darkness. It is the evening of October 31st, the night before the Christian festival of All Hallows' or All Saint's Day. All Hallow's Day commemorates the saints and the martyrs, and was first introduced in the 7th century. Its date changed from May13 to November 1st in the following century, probably to make it coincide with and christianize a pagan festival of the dead. All Soul's Day in the Roman Catholic Church is November 2nd. It is marked by prayers for the souls of the dead. While the Roman Catholic Church enjoyed success in converting the originally pagan holidays of Christmas and Easter to more "christianized" counterparts, this was not the case with Halloween. The intentional effort by the Catholic Church to stamp out the pagan ceremonies failed. This is not merely a history lesson, but is a warning. The study of the history of Halloween is a necessary for all concerned Christians, for the practice of observing Halloween honors a force that is as real today as it was 2,000 years ago.

There are those who would state that the modern-day ritual practice of Halloween is harmless fun for children and adults alike. Dressing up in costumes, going for "trick or treat," creating large bonfires, and using pumpkins to create "jack o'lanterns" are all part of a harmless charade perpetuated once a year. While the original meanings of these rituals may have been lost or clouded in the minds of most people today, the actual methodology of witchcraft and worship survives to the present day. Therefore , it would seem prudent for any concerned Christian to examine the original meanings of the modern-day rituals associated with Halloween.

Finally, another custom associated with Halloween is that of the jack o'lantern. Virtually everyone in this country has seen one. In the United States, the jack o'lantern is made of a carved pumpkin. In Europe, where the concept for the jack o'lantern originated, a turnip is used. The switch to a pumpkin was made in America because the pumpkin is much larger and easier to carve.