Halloween vs. X-mas…so What’s the Difference? Pt. 1

I recently kept my son from school on Oct. 31st so that he would not feel uncomfortable while the rest of the children celebrated Halloween. When asked why he was not at school, I simply stated, it was something we chose not to participate in because of it’s ties with pagan practices and that God instructs us to; “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”, 1 Thess 5:22. After that, a few parents said they also have stopped their kids from going trick-or-treating for those same reasons. I then, asked if they still celebrated X-mas and Easter. “Of course we still celebrate X-mas and Easter! Those are totally different holidays than Halloween.” “Are they Really?”, was my only response.

So…..is there really a difference between the origins of Halloween and X-mas? Did God really mean to “abstain from ALL appearance of evil” or are there certain customs that are ok if we mask them with a religious covering? Let’s look at the origins of both of these holidays and then find out what God has to say about, “the customs of the people…” Jer. 10:3. Please remember this verse, we will be going back to it.


HALLOWEEN

The origin of Halloween lies in the traditions of the Celtic people, which merged as a society circa 800 BCE. They were located in what is now the United Kingdom, much of Western Europe and an isolated enclave in what is now Turkey.

The Origin of Halloween

Samhain, “Lord of Darkness”
Samhain was known in Ireland as the "Lord of Darkness". The Druid religion was practiced by ancient Celtic tribes that populated Ireland and parts of
Europe. This religion worshipped Samhain, the Lord of Darkness.

The Druid New Year began on November 1st. It is also known as the "Feast of Samhain". The Celts only recognized summer and winter seasons.
Literally translated, Samhain means "Summer's End". At this time, the hours of nighttime were growing significantly over the hours of sunlight. Hence, Lord Samhain reigned over the long winter months as the influence of the Sun god and the summer season (Beltaine or Beltane) preceded. Samhain's influence grows with the increase in the hours of darkness, as he can only roam the earth during hours of darkness.

The Druids believed that on their New Year's Eve, all of the people who died in the past year would rise up and search for the passageway to the netherworld. On this night the passageway or "veil" between both worlds was it's thinnest. Lord Samhain would roam the earth in search of these souls to capture them and take them to his world of darkness. To this day, some people put lights in their windows to help the dead find their way, and keep Lord Samhain away from taking them.
The Druid religion, dating back to about 200BC, had priests and priestesses. These magicians (or soothsayers or wizards) filled the most important roles in Celtic culture. At the time the Celtic tribes were close to nature. As a result, they worshipped many things in nature as their gods. But no Druid god was more powerful ,nor more feared, than Lord Samhain.

Some of the roots of Halloween are traced back to the Druid religion and Lord Samhain. Certainly, Halloween took aspects of darkness , black color, evil spirits, and people rising from the dead and roaming the earth on this night. These themes of Halloween are all common with this religion.

Pope Gregory II moved the Christian holiday of "all Hollows Eve" from May 13 to November 1st to coincide with the Feast of Samhain. This was an effort by the catholic church to downplay the pagan festival. Hopefully, they reasoned, it would replace Samhain and the pagan celebration would fade away. The pagan festival continued to be celebrated, and Halloween evolved largely from it.


Pumpkin's Roots
Pumpkins have inhabited the planet for thousands of years. They originated in Central America. They were used then (and now) as a food crop. Over the course of centuries, pumpkins spread their vines across all of North and South America. When Europeans arrived in the New World, they found pumpkins plentiful and used in cooking by Native Americans. They took seeds back to Europe where they quickly became popular.

The Irish carved Turnips and put coals or small candles inside. They were placed outside their homes on All Hallow's Eve to ward off evil spirits. They were also known to use potatoes and Rutabagas.

When Irish Immigrants came to America, they quickly discovered that Jack O'Lanterns were much easier to carve out of pumpkins and began using them. This truly neat tradition quickly spread to the general population in America and elsewhere.


Apples
Apples were considered have long been associated with female deities, and with immortality, resurrection, and knowledge. One reason is that if an apple is cut through its equator, it will reveal a five-pointed star outlined at the center of each hemisphere. This was a pentagram -- a Goddess symbol among the Roma (Gypsies), Celts, Egyptians, etc. There are many Halloween folk traditions associated with apples:

Peeling an apple in front of a candle-lit mirror was believed to produce the image of one's future spouse.

Attempting to produce a long unbroken apple peel was said to estimate the number of years you had to live. The longer the peel, the longer your life expectancy.


Jack-o'-lantern
The carved pumpkin lit by a candle inside is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols in America and is commonly called a jack-o'-lantern. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body, containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the "head" of the vegetable to frighten off any superstitions.


Trick-or-treating
The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays dates back to the Middle Ages and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy.


Apple Bobbing
Apple bobbing originates from Celtic times when Halloween was called Samhain in some Gaelic languages, when apples were associated with love or fertility. Some say this comes from the Roman goddess Pomona whilst others note that this game is an important part of the Pagan religious festival of Samhain when families would gather together for a communal feast.

Unmarried people would attempt to take a bite out of an apple bobbing in a pail of water, or suspended on a string. The first person to do so was believed to be the next to marry.

Games and other activities
Some games traditionally played at Halloween are forms of divination:

Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god", related to divine, diva and deus) is the attempt of ascertaining information by interpretation of omens or an alleged supernatural agency.

In Puicíní (pronounced "poocheeny"), a game played in Ireland, a blindfolded person is seated in front of a table on which several saucers are placed. The saucers are shuffled, and the seated person then chooses one by touch; the contents of the saucer determine the person's life during the following year. A saucer containing earth means someone known to the player will die during the next year; a saucer containing water foretells emigration; a ring foretells marriage; a set of Rosary beads indicates that the person will take Holy Orders (becoming a nun or a priest). A coin means new wealth, a bean means poverty, and so on. In 19th-century Ireland, young women placed slugs in saucers sprinkled with flour. A traditional Irish and Scottish form of divining one's future spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over one's shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name.




X-MAS


Having turned long ago from worshiping the one true God and creator of all things, many early cultures in the Roman empire had fallen into sun worship. Recognizing their dependence on the sun's yearly course in the heavens, they held feasts around the winter solstice in December when the days are shortest. As part of their festivals, they built bonfires to give the sun god strength and bring him back to life again. When it became apparent that the days were growing longer, there would be great rejoicing. They decked their halls with garlands of laurel and placed candles in live trees to decorate for the celebration of Saturnalia.

The 21st of December is the shortest day of the year. From that time the sun recommences its upward course, announcing that midwinter is passed and spring and summer are approaching. The Romans celebrated this change, under the title of "Saturnalia," by universal license and merrymaking.


Saturnalia

Sat`ur*na"li*a\, n. pl.
1. (Rom. Antiq.) The festival of Saturn, celebrated in December, originally during one day, but afterward during seven days, as a period of unrestrained license and merriment for all classes, extending even to the slaves.
2. Hence: A period or occasion of general license, in which the passions or vices have riotous indulgence.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary,

noun
1. An orgiastic festival in ancient Rome in honor of Saturn
2. The ancient Roman seven-day festival of Saturn, which began on December 17.
(used with a sing. verb)
1. A celebration marked by unrestrained revelry and often licentiousness; an orgy.
American Heritage Dictionary

In Roman times, the best-known winter festival was Saturnalia, which was popular throughout Italy. Saturnalia was a time of general relaxation, feasting, merry-making, and a cessation of formal rules. It included the making and giving of small presents (Saturnalia et Sigillaricia), including small dolls for children and candles for adults.[6] During Saturnalia, business was postponed and even slaves feasted. There was drinking, gambling, and singing, and even public nudity. It was the "best of days," according to the poet Catullus.[7] Saturnalia honored the god Saturn and began on December 17. The festival gradually lengthened until the late Republican period, when it was seven days (December 17–24). In imperial times, Saturnalia was shortened to five days.[8]