Treat - or trick?!!

In the neighbouring town of Hamilton, is a retail outlet named Dazzle.  It's a 'fancy-dress' shop and normally, when I pass by, it is very empty.  On Wednesday, however, as I made my way back from the gym (honestly!) there was a queue stretching past the front of the shop, and many yards beyond.  There was a gentleman standing at the door, monitoring the situation, and only allowing a few people at a time to enter.

There was a reason for this unusual state of affairs - the shop was crammed full of shoppers!  I didn't stop to look at them, but the queue outside seemed to be predominantly adults accompanying young children, so it is not unreasonable to assume that those inside were of a similar make-up.

The reason for this sudden interest in the fancy-dress shop was, of course, the desire to purchase appropriate costumes for that annual pagan celebration of Hallowe'en.  Unfortunately, so many are blind to the origins of the festival.

It actually began as the Druid festival of Samhain.  The Celtic (sounded as Keltic - no known connection with the Glasgow football [soccer] team) peoples considered November 1st as the day of death as, with the shortening days, it appeared that the sun god was losing strength, and was being overpowered by Samhain, the lord of death (there are voodoo connections here, also!).  The druids also taught that, on October 31st, the eve of the feast, Samhain assembled the spirits of all who had died during the previous year, so that they could visit the living in their former homes.  This, of course, is the origin of "guising" - dis-guising oneself as a harmful spirit in order to avoid harm!

I have noticed recently, in our local supermarkets, a preponderance of pumpkins.  For many years, these have been used in N.America as the 'Jack o' Lantern'.  What few probably realise is that it has its origins in the candle-lit pumpkin (representing a skull) that served as a sign to mark those homes that supported the druidic beliefs.  One encylopaedia states “The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of the Jack-O-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul.”

Although there appear to be many who assume that Hallowe'en has a nominal connection with All Saints' Day -a Romanist feast day in honour of all of those who have been declared 'saints' (although, Biblically, every committed disciple of Jesus is a 'saint': see, for example, Rom.1:7; I Cor.1:2; Eph.1:1), it is actually a festival of paganism and the occult.

Paul writes: "Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armour of Light" (Rom.3:12) and, again, "... have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them." (Eph.5:11).

Hallowe'en, as popularly practised today, is no treat!  It's another trick of the evil one to which, sadly, many have fallen foul.  I am glad that some in the Body of Christ are waking up to the reality, and that my own Fellowship is holding a Children's Light Party tomorrow evening.  May such events be supported by more and more children - and their parents - that the hold of death might be loosened (ever noticed how many 'skeleton' costumes are worn at this time??) and replaced by the offer of eternal life,, through the Lord Jesus Christ.