我對萬聖節的最初記憶是六歲在德克薩斯州的時候，我記得我爸媽把家中的電燈調暗了，告訴我們要安靜，這樣那些「不給糖就搗蛋」的人會相信沒有人在家。之後幾年，這段經歷成為了未來幾年的典範。 像許多其他真耶穌教會信徒一樣，我的父母認為萬聖節與邪靈有關，應該避免。
然而，近年來，我們一些教會同靈對萬聖節的看法似乎發生了轉變。將其視為美國文化的一部分、無害的社區或社交活動。我們的孩子盛裝參加學校的萬聖節遊行，我們的青少年參加化裝舞會，我們的成年人則以個人化的方式去上班。為了成為一個好鄰居(或為了安撫惡作劇者)，我們招呼那些不給糖就搗蛋的人，也提供他們糖果。有時，我們甚至會讓我們的孩子和其他教會的孩子一起玩「不給糖就搗蛋」的遊戲。
教會對萬聖節的傳統立場是否已經過時？就像我們以前禁止燙髮或在教會內嚴格劃分男女座位一樣？如果是，那為什麼有這麼多基督徒反對參加萬聖節活動？當我們迴避這個促進社區精神、創造力以及美好、乾淨、有趣的節日時，我們是否過於保守？當我們參加萬聖節時，到底在慶祝什麼？
儘管萬聖節在很大程度上是一個商業節日，它仍然包含著許多來自異教的影響。當我們審視萬聖節的歷史時，儘管萬聖節主要是商業節日，它仍然包含著許多來自異教的影響。當我們審視萬聖節的歷史時，我們可以看到現代的儀式背後存在著精神上的意義。
萬聖節的根源可以追溯到一個古老的凱爾特節日—薩溫節(Samhain)，意思是夏天的結束，發音為sow-en1。這個節日於10 月31 日舉行，意味著黑暗季節的開始，這與死亡和太陽的虧殘有關。
被稱為「德魯伊」的凱爾特祭司為人們點燃神聖的篝火，焚燒動物、農作物甚至是人祭，以安撫太陽神穆克•奧拉和死神薩溫1。儀式期間，人們穿著由動物頭製成的服裝和皮，跳舞，唱歌，跳過火來驅散邪靈。在家裡，食物放在戶外以安撫遊魂，蘿蔔被雕刻成帶有面孔的燈籠以抵禦邪惡2。如果有人在天黑後必須離開家，他們會穿上偽裝以求保護3。
當羅馬人在公元 434 年征服凱爾特人的領土時，薩溫節與羅馬的費拉利亞節(Feralia)交織在一起。人們在十月下旬的這一天緬懷死者，第二天，人們向羅馬的水果和花園女神-波莫娜致敬，而蘋果是波莫娜的象徵標誌，這解釋了「抖蘋果」的習俗3。
慶祝活動讓人想起薩溫節，有篝火、遊行和盛裝的人們。為了勸阻人們不要把食物留給鬼魂，教會鼓勵人們贈送「靈魂蛋糕」。窮人會去乞討食物，人們會給送他們稱為「靈魂蛋糕」的糕點，以換取為死去的親人祈禱。
逃離1846年馬鈴薯飢荒的大批愛爾蘭移民將他們的萬聖節傳統帶到了美國。10月31日，新移民會打扮、惡作劇、挨家挨戶乞討，用蘋果和堅果(波莫娜和薩溫的象徵標誌)算命4。他們還用南瓜雕刻了燈籠，這是一種新大陸的蔬菜，比蘿蔔更大，更容易加工。
不幸的是，到 1920 年代，這些惡作劇變成了對房屋和企業的真正破壞6。這促使社區尋求更良性的夜間替代方案。 鼓勵「好」孩子盛裝打扮，並從他們訪問過的商店和家庭中接受禮物。短語「不給糖就搗蛋」(Trick or treat!)被創造為一種問候語，美國版的萬聖節就此誕生。到了 1930 年代，10 月 31 日被稱為「乞丐之夜」並在全國慶祝6。
在美國，萬聖節一直被視為有社區面向的兒童節日，直到 1970 年代，成人活動再次流行。8家零售連鎖店和遊樂園也加入進來，推動了「恐怖」節日的商業重要性。如今，萬聖節已成為老少皆宜，最賺錢的商業節日之一7。
與此同時，美國的萬聖節出現了一些精神上的復興。在馬薩諸塞州塞勒姆等地，現代的女巫會在10月份聚集在一起，期待萬聖節前夕的一年一度的薩溫節9。這個節日是古代凱爾特節日的復興，包括薩溫火(Samhain fire)、巫術、吟唱以及對羅馬和迦南女神的尊崇9。現代撒但教徒也將10月31日視為他們「最高聖日」10。
中國鬼月是農曆七月的一段時間，人們相信鬼門關在這一天打開。 因此，人們穿著令人恐懼的鬼神服裝遊街示眾，燒香燒紙錢，為孤魂野鬼(尤其是那些非自然死亡且無法安息的鬼魂)供奉食物。 這些偶像崇拜的慶祝活動無疑是不合聖經的。然而，同樣的元素在西方世界被包裝成有趣，且有兒童面向的活動，並被一些教會信徒接受。
這讓我思考：如果「成聖」是「成為聖潔」，那麼當我們慶祝萬聖節時，我們到底尊什麼為聖？是社區精神？友誼？一致性？放縱？暴食？ ……神？我們是否向孩子傳達了一個訊息：我們真的相信主禱文的第一部分？
在去年萬聖節前，將我的初步研究通過電子郵件發送給朋友和教會學生後，我收到了不同的回應。一些父母決定讓他們的孩子遠離萬聖節慶祝活動，其他人仍然不相信萬聖節的危險。畢竟商業主義似乎已經超越了這個節日的靈性意義，聖經也沒有專門反駁萬聖節的記載。
耶穌告訴我們，我們需要成為世上的鹽和光來榮耀神。作為鹽，我們需要有屬神獨特的味道，這樣我們才能調味和改善他人的生活。如果我們失去了基督徒的品質，我們就會像聖經寫的「無用，不過丟在外面，被人踐踏了」(太五13)。
是的，我們可以透過參與當地的萬聖節活動，展現我們的社區精神並與他人交朋友，但我們的行為是否彰顯了神的榮耀呢？當我們分發糖果給「不給糖就搗蛋」的人時，我們是否引導他人獲得基督的平安與喜樂？還是它使我們與世人的信仰沒什麼不一樣？
讓我們記住，我們是基督的使者(林後五20)，對這個世界上需要神救恩的人而言，我們代表一位看不見的神。作為「被揀選的族類，是有君尊的祭司，是聖潔的國度，是屬神的子民」，我們的工作是「宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德」(彼前二9)，並且帶領他人進入永生。
我們還需要確保我們的行為能夠造就他人，即使我們自己參加萬聖節可能不會影響我們的信仰，但我們可能會向初信者或教會年紀小的信徒發出一種信息，就是參加其它無益甚至危險的活動是無害的。
例如，雖然我們可能知道要避免在萬聖節活動中閱讀塔羅牌，但一個不完全理解神憎惡占卜的初信者，可能會被引導相信它是良性的。當我們的孩子得到我們的許可，裝扮成他們最喜歡的奇幻角色時，他們可能無法在虛構的巫術和真實的邪術中作分辨。
「你們或吃或喝，無論做什麼，都要為榮耀神而行。不拘是猶太人，是希利尼人，是神的教會，你們都不要使他跌倒；就好像我凡事都叫眾人喜歡，不求自己的益處，只求眾人的益處，叫他們得救」(西十31-33)。
在以色列人進入迦南地之前，神告訴他們：「你到了耶和華─你神所賜之地，那些國民所行可憎惡的事，你不可學著行。你們中間不可有人使兒女經火，也不可有占卜的、觀兆的、用法術的、行邪術的、用迷術的、交鬼的、行巫術的、過陰的。凡行這些事的都為耶和華所憎惡；因那些國民行這可憎惡的事，所以耶和華─你的神將他們從你面前趕出。你要在耶和華─你的神面前作完全人」 (申 十八9-13)。
因此，我們身體的行為往往會產生屬靈的後果。例如，當我們參加洗禮、洗腳和聖餐等聖禮時，我們就與基督聯合，並且有分於基督(羅六5、約十三8、林前十16)；當我們吃祭偶像之物時，我們就與鬼相交(林前十19、20)；當我們犯下不道德的性行為時，我們就得罪了聖靈的殿(林前六18、19)。
作為一個強調物質滿足和反常事物的節日，萬聖節也可能被撒但用來引誘我們犯罪，魔鬼「如同吼叫的獅子，遍地遊行，尋找可吞吃的人」(彼前五6)。牠用試探我們主耶穌的東西來試探我們—「肉體的情慾、眼目的情慾、今生的驕傲」(約壹二16)。
對於孩子們來說，這些誘惑可能體現在大量的糖果和擁有酷炫的服裝上。對於青少年和成年人，他們可能表現為放縱感官(醉酒和跳舞)和視覺刺激(挑逗性服裝)，或被社會接受的滿足。
這意味著有時我們不得不犧牲歸屬感，感覺自己像「世界上的客旅及寄居者」(彼前二11)。然而，如果我們能夠真正為基督而活，我們的獎賞將是值得的。正如希伯來書十章36節告訴我們的：「你們必須忍耐，使你們行完了神的旨意，就可以得著所應許的。
是否參加萬聖節往往是一個艱難的決定。一方面，我們不想感到被社會排斥或讓我們的孩子對我們的信仰懷有怨恨。我們也覺得這是一個世俗的節日，不會傷害我們的信仰。另一方面，我們不想故意或無意中違背我們的主耶穌。
希望透過更多了解萬聖節的背景，我們可以對這節日做出更明智的決定。如果我們仍然很難決定家人是否參加萬聖節，讓我們祈求聖靈賜給我們智慧和洞察力。正如詩篇作者所祈禱的：「耶和華啊，求你將你的律例指教我，我必遵守到底！求你賜我悟性，我便遵守你的律法，且要一心遵守。求你叫我遵行你的命令，因為這是我所喜樂的」(詩一一九33-35)。
https://ia.tjc.org/elibrary/ContentDetail.aspx?ItemID=13502&langid=1英文版
(Manna 56: Holidays)
What Do We Hallow?
Rebecca Yuan—Canoga Park, California, USA
My first memory of Halloween was as a six-year-old in Texas. I remember my parents dimming the lights and telling us to be quiet so the trick-or-treaters would believe that nobody was home. That experience became a model for years to come. Like many other True Jesus Church members, my parents believed that Halloween was associated with evil spirits and should be avoided.
However, in recent times, there seems to be a shift in some of our church members’ perception of Halloween. We view it as a part of American culture, a harmless community or social event. Our children dress up for school Halloween parades, our youth attend costume parties, and our adults go to work in character. To be a good neighbor (or to appease pranksters), we greet and provide candy for trick-or-treaters. Sometimes, we even let our kids go trick-or-treating with other church kids.
Is the traditional church stance on Halloween antiquated, just as our former ban on permed hair or the strict division of male-female seating in church?
If yes, then why are so many other Christians opposed to Halloween participation? Are we being overly conservative when avoiding a festivity that promotes community spirit, creativity, and good, clean, fun? What exactly are we hallowing or celebrating when we participate in Halloween?
ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
Although Halloween is a largely commercial holiday, it still contains many influences from its pagan past. As we examine the history of Halloween, we can see the spiritual significances that exist behind its modern-day rituals.
Samhain, the Festival of the Dead
The roots of Halloween can be traced back to an ancient Celtic festival called “Samhain” (meaning “Summer’s end,” pronounced “sow-en”).1 The festival took place on October 31 and marked the beginning of the dark season, which was associated with death and the waning of the sun.
The ancient Britons believed that on this day the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred. The dead could return to visit their family and friends, and the living could be tricked into passing into the other side.2 Therefore, people did what they could to protect themselves.
Celtic priests called “Druids” built sacred bonfires for people to burn animal, crop, and even human sacrifices to appease Muck Olla, the sun god, and Samhain, the god of death.1 During the ritual, people wore costumes made of animal heads and skins, danced, sang, and jumped over fires to scare away evil spirits.
At home, food was left outside to appease roaming spirits, and turnips were carved into lanterns with faces to ward off evil ones.2 If someone had to leave home after dark, they would wear a guise for protection.3
For some, it was an opportunity to play pranks on each other since abnormalities could be attributed to the spirits. For others, it was a good opportunity to have one’s fortune told because the presence of supernatural beings made it easier to predict the future.3
When the Romans conquered Celtic territory in AD 434, Samhain became intertwined with the Roman festival of “Feralia.” This was a day in late October in which the dead were remembered. The day following Feralia honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and gardens. The symbol for Pomona was the apple, which explains the custom of “bobbing” for apples.3
Hallowmas
Christendom “inherited Hallowe’en from Pagan times” when Ireland was converted to Christianity in the 5th century.4
In AD 835, Pope Gregory IV tried to replace Samhain with a church-sanctioned holiday by declaring November 1 as All Saints’ Day to honor saints and martyrs.3 By AD 900, the church realized that All Saints’ had not supplanted pre-Christian customs, so it established All Souls’ Day on November 2 to recognize all faithful souls that had died during the previous year.5
The celebrations were reminiscent of Samhain, with bonfires, parades, and people dressing up in costumes. To discourage people from leaving food out for the spirits, the church encouraged the practice of giving “soul-cakes.” Poor families would beg for food, and families would give them pastries called “soul-cakes” in exchange for prayer for the family’s dead relatives.
Together, All Saints’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day collectively became “Hallowmas.”3
Americanization of Halloween
Large populations of Irish immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine of 1846 brought their Halloween traditions to America. On October 31, the new immigrants would dress up, play pranks, beg for money door-to-door, and tell fortunes with apples and nuts (symbols of Pomona and Samhain).4 They also carved lanterns out of pumpkins, a New World vegetable that was bigger and easier to work with than turnips.
Unfortunately, the pranks turned into real destruction of homes and businesses by the 1920’s.6This prompted communities to seek more benign alternatives for the night. “Good” children were encouraged to dress up and receive treats from shops and homes that they visited. The phrase “Trick or treat!” was coined as a greeting, and an American version of Halloween came about. By the 1930’s, October 31 was referred to as “beggar’s night” and celebrated nation-wide.6
Halloween in America was sanctioned as a neighborhood-oriented children’s holiday until the 1970’s, when adult activities became popular once more.8 Retail chains and amusement parks joined in and pushed the commercial importance of the “scary” holiday.
Today, Halloween is one of the highest grossing commercial holidays, involving young and old alike.7
Meanwhile, there has been some spiritual revival of Halloween in America. In places such as Salem, Massachusetts, modern-day witches gather in the month of October in anticipation of the annual Feast of Samhain on Halloween Eve.9 The festival is a revival of the ancient Celtic festival, complete with Samhain fire, witchcraft, chanting, and the honoring of Roman and Canaanite goddesses.9 Modern-day Satanists also view October 31 as their “highest of holy days.”10
HALLOWING WHAT?
Researching and learning about the history of Halloween left me in shock. I was disturbed by the dark, spiritual roots of Halloween. I also recognized the similarities between Halloween and the pagan Chinese Ghost Month.
The Chinese Ghost Month is a period of time during the seventh month of the lunar calendar in which the gates of hell are believed to be opened. Therefore, people parade the streets in frightening costumes of ghosts and gods, burn incense and paper money, and offer food to wandering ghosts (especially those who died unnaturally and cannot rest). These idol-worshipping festivities are incontestably unbiblical. However, the same elements are packaged as something fun and child-oriented in the Western world and accepted by some church members.
This causes me to think: If to “hallow” is to “make holy,” what exactly are we hallowing when we celebrate Halloween? Community spirit? Friendship? Conformity? Indulgence? Gluttony? ...God? Are we sending out a message to our children that we truly believe the first part of the Lord’s prayer?
“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:9, 10)
BIBLICAL GUIDELINES ON HALLOWEEN
After emailing my preliminary research to friends and church students before last Halloween, I received mixed reactions. Some parents decided to pull their young children out of Halloween festivities. Others were still not convinced of the dangers of Halloween. After all, commercialism seems to have overtaken the spiritual significance of the holiday, and the Bible does not specifically refute Halloween.
Yet, the book of life provides wonderful guidance on matters pertaining to our daily living. Here are some biblical principles that may help us decide about Halloween:
Glorify God and Edify Our Brothers
We often hear,
“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1 Cor 10:23, 24, NIV)
Before we participate in Halloween, let us consider the effect of our actions. Will our actions glorify God before unbelievers? Will it edify our fellow brethren?
Jesus tells us that we need to glorify God as the salt and light of the earth. As salt, we need to have the distinct flavor of God so we may season and better the lives of others. If we lose our Christian qualities, we become “good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Mt 5:13).
Jesus also says to us,
“You are the light of the world…[l]et your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14, 16)
Yes, we may show community spirit and befriend others by joining local Halloween activities, but do our actions reveal the glory of God? When we hand out sweets to trick-or-treaters, do we guide others to the peace and joy of Christ? Or does it cause the flavor of our faith to appear bland and indistinctive from those of the world?
Let us remember that we are ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor 5:20), representing an unseen God to the people in this world who need God’s salvation. As “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people,” our job is to “proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9) and lead others to eternal life.
We also need to make sure that our actions are edifying to others. Even though our own participation in Halloween may not affect our faith, we may signal to a new or young believer that it is harmless to participate in other activities that are unedifying or even dangerous.
For example, although we may know to avoid tarot card reading at a Halloween event, a new believer who doesn’t fully understand God’s abomination of divination may be led to believe it is benign. When our children receive permission from us to dress up as their favorite fantasy character, they may not be able to distinguish fictional witchcraft from real occult practices. Whatever we do, the exercise of our freedom should not become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Cor 8:19). Scripture encourages us,
“[W]hether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Cor 10:31-33, NIV)
Avoid What Is Detestable in God’s Sight
Before the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, God told them,
“When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God.” (Deut 18:9-13)
Although most participants in Halloween no longer practice human or animal sacrifice, the themes of divination, witchcraft, and consultation of the dead have been, and still are, staple elements of the holiday.
Divination in the form of fortune-telling is viewed as popular and harmless. Witches and their black cats are ubiquitously honored on Halloween decorations. The return of the dead is portrayed through characters such as zombies, vampires, mummies, ghosts, and goblins.
To not inadvertently promote or involve ourselves in witchcraft, divination, or the returning dead, we must be even more careful to separate ourselves from things that are detestable to our Lord Jesus during Halloween. As Peter reminds us,
[B]ut as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:15, 16)
Be Aware that We Are Fighting a Spiritual Battle
Lastly, we need to be aware that we are constantly fighting a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12 tells us,
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, our physical acts often have spiritual consequences. For example, when we participate in sacraments such as baptism, footwashing, and Holy Communion, we are united and take part in Christ (Rom 6:5; Jn 13:8; 1 Cor 10:16); when we eat food sacrificed to idols, we become affiliated with demons (1 Cor 10:19, 20); when we commit sexual immorality, we sin against the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:18, 19).
The danger in participating in Halloween activities is that we may give Satan a foothold by unwittingly doing something with spiritual meaning.
As a holiday that emphasizes material gratification and abnormalities, Halloween may also be used by Satan to tempt us to sin. The devil “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:6). He tempts us with the same things he tempted our Lord Jesus with—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn 2:16).
For children, these temptations may be manifested in massive amounts of candy and the ownership of a cool costume. For youths and adults, they may take form as sensual indulgence (drunkenness and dancing) and visual stimulation (provocative costumes), or the satisfaction of social acceptance.
For us to live a spiritually victorious life, we must flee from these temptations. We must not have “even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (Eph 5:3, NIV).
Instead, we need to fill our mind with the following:
[W]hatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy. (Phil 4:8)
This means that sometimes we have to sacrifice a sense of belonging and feel like “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Pet 2:11, NIV). However, if we are able to truly live for Christ, our reward will be worth it. As Hebrews 10:36 tells us, “[Y]ou have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
CONCLUSION
Whether or not to participate in Halloween is often a difficult decision. On the one hand, we do not want to feel excluded from society or have our children harbor resentment toward our beliefs. We also feel that it is a secular holiday that does not harm our faith. On the other hand, we don’t want to disobey our Lord Jesus, intentionally or not.
Hopefully, by learning more about the background of Halloween, we can make a better-informed decision regarding the holiday.
If we still have a hard time deciding about our family’s Halloween participation, let us ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment. As the Psalmist prayed:
“Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding and I will keep your law
And obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
For there I find delight.” (Ps 119:33-35)
1.Russo, Steve, Halloween, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1998, p. 18
2.Arnold, Bettina, University of Wisconsin –Milwaukee, Lecture notes by Professor Bettina Arnold, Dept of Anthropology, Co-Director, Center for Celtic Studies http://www.uwm.edu/~barnold/lectures/holloween.html, viewed Oct 29, 2007
3.History Channel website http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween, viewed Oct 29,2007
4.Schauffler, Robert Haven, HALLOWE’EN, Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1933, p.ix
5.Santino, Jack, Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, University of Tennessee Press/Knoxville, 1994, p. xvi.
6.Wier, Kim & Pam McCune, Redeeming Halloween – Celebrating Without Selling Out, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 2004, p. 26
7.Yahoo! News “More adults want in on Halloween fun” http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071029/lf_nm_life/halloween_aduRusso, lts_dc_1 , viewed Oct. 29, 2007
8.Russo, Steve, Halloween, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1998, p. 13
9.Edwards Sanders, Catherine, Wicca’s Charm, WaterBrook Bress, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2005, p. 16-17
10.Russo, Steve, Halloween, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1998, p.75
