The Roots of Halloween

October 2023 has been a spiritually intense month with Friday the 13^th, a “ring of fire” solar eclipse in the Western Hemisphere, and war in Israel.  The enemy is attempting to use the frequency of fear stirred by these events to catapult his kingdom.  With Halloween just around the corner, how do we posture ourselves? Do we participate in innocuous Halloween activities?  Do we avoid Halloween altogether?  One thing is certain, we don’t have to fear because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

As you may have guessed by this article’s title, we will examine the origins of Halloween.  But before we do, I have a question.  Have you ever signed a document that you haven’t read in its entirety, like when you check into a doctor’s office, when you rent a car, or when you register your child for soccer?  I am totally guilty of this.  I speed read at best and sometimes, I entirely skip reading the document, and yet I sign my name to it.  Excuse me while I correct myself… KNOCK IT OFF, Laura! Admittedly, I do so either because I am being lazy or feeling rushed at that moment, yet these are not valid excuses.  This could eventually bite me in the butt. I don’t bring this up to scold myself but rather to use it as an example.  Hold this thought because we will come back to it in a moment.

Origins of Halloween

The origins of Halloween are tied to an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain which celebrates the tenuousness of the veil between life and death.  The Celts and their priests, the Druids, believed that ghosts of the dead returned to earth at this time of the year.  October 31^st marks the transition between the end of harvest and the beginning of a cold, dark winter.

“Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld.”[i]

The Druids would conduct mass human sacrifices by burning their victims alive in a giant effigy.  “In its most primitive guise, Samhain would have featured many sacrifices to the Celtic gods of death, with both animals and humans thrown into huge firepits as offerings.”[ii] A Samhain ritual involved conjuring up spirits of the dead to roam the earth.  The Druids dressed in black robes with grotesque masks to convince the evil spirits that they were one of them.

During Samhain, the Celts prepared offerings of food outside their villages to appease the fairies and Siths (Sidhs) who were considered deified mortals.  The Celts would dress as animals and monsters to avoid being kidnapped by these beings from the “Otherworld”.[iii] This is the origin of Halloween costumes and leaving candy out for others.

It was said that the Druids ate their first-born children on Samhain and collected the blood in cauldrons to drink. The carved pumpkins were filled with the fat from the human remains and lit on fire.  The Jack-O-Lantern was used to ward off evil spirits.

Pope Gregory IV (827-844 AD) declared ‘All Souls Day’ to be November 1st.  It’s a day of honoring the dead.  The Roman Catholic Church attempted to replace the Celtic festival of honoring the dead with a church-approved festival.  There were similar festivities as with Samhain, such as dressing in costumes depicting devils, saints, and angels; big bonfires; and parades.  It eventually was called ‘All Hallows Eve’, which we know today as Halloween.

Modern-day Occult/SRA Practices

Halloween is considered the witches’ sabbat and marks the transition to a new year, like our New Year’s Eve.  It’s a sacred time for witches and is known as one of two “spirit nights”.  Halloween is a “magical interval when the laws of time and space are suspended.”[iv]  Witches practice divination in which they seek knowledge by contacting a deceased loved one.

“Halloween has always been the Festival of the Dead, and was believed to be the best time to contact those who had passed over.  Today, the spiritualists try to contact the departed by means of “spirit guides”…Witches tried to make contact through the God of death himself. So when the bonfire had burned down, and an eerie atmosphere was created by the great stones that stood out like specters in the darkness, the priestess, in her new role as the God, held a skull between her hands, using it as a crystal-gazing ball.  This was the kind of necromancy practiced…”[v]

We must not turn a blind eye to the horrors that occur on Halloween.  In fact, it’s not just limited to one day.  The days between Friday, October 13^th and October 31^st are filled with blood rituals.  It’s ironic to me that many people don’t realize the terrors that take place when it’s plain as day.  Just driving around our neighborhoods gives us an indication of the blood rituals that take place.

I am about to share some graphic details of blood rituals that occur on Halloween. This may trigger some people.  I just want you to be forewarned.  You can skip to the next section below if you think it will be too difficult to read. The description below is from a clinician who has heard numerous first-hand experiences from Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) overcomers.

“They bring kids to a church, business, or home and strip them down naked. Some are put in cages while others are tied up. The children are drugged with a liquid, food, or injection to make them compliant, quiet, and docile. This includes babies as well. Each child, either separately or in a group, is taken to the ceremony room. In churches, this would be the altar in a sanctuary or chapel room for instance. Mostly men, who are dressed in costume or robes will be in a circle around the altar. They may be chanting. The child is then placed on the altar. The ritual then commences. Often the men will gang rape the child, torture the child, sodomize the child, etc…. The child is in immense pain as they are stretched beyond their capacity… Most kids will dissociate to survive the experience. When it’s over, the child will be taken off the altar and another child will take their place. This child is the chosen sacrifice. The child will be killed with a dagger preferably stabbed in the heart and sliced down to the pelvic bone. The organs will be removed and eaten by the attendees. The blood will be drunk from a cup. Their bodies will be thrown off into a corner to be dealt with later.”[vi]

Take a deep breath, and sit with this for just a moment.  The evil is tangible.  What do we do with this information?

Signs of Syncretism

If you were able to read the above paragraph, I commend you.  It’s a big step towards being aware of the evil deeds that take place on Halloween.  As followers of Jesus, how should we respond?  Is it okay for our children to trick-or-treat?  Can we dress up in a costume at work? Only you can answer these questions but here is some food for thought – remember my example about signing documents without reading them?  Participating in Halloween without knowing the origins or choosing to participate in seemingly innocuous activities like trunk-or-treat, is like signing your name to an unread document.  We are held accountable for what we just signed.  The festivities of Halloween are rituals in honor of Satan.  It’s a sacred time for the kingdom of darkness.  The enemy is a legalist.  If you participate in any form of Halloween, you are entering into an agreement with the kingdom of darkness.  Satan loves when we provide him with loop-holes by which to enter our lives and torment us.  The Word of God is clear that we are not to straddle the line of syncretism.

Deuteronomy 18:9-11 “When you enter the land that God, your God, is giving you, don’t take on the abominable ways of life of the nations there.  Don’t you dare sacrifice your son or daughter in the fire.  Don’t practice divination, sorcery, fortunetelling, witchery, casting spells, holding seances, or channeling the dead. People who do these things are an abomination to God.”

I do not want to engage in any practices that would make me an abomination to God.  I want to live my life in a way that pleases Him, like a sweet aroma.  I have several friends that I dearly love who think it’s funny to scare children during Halloween.  These are good people with big hearts who would never want to harm a child.  Unfortunately, they have developed a laissez-faire attitude toward the wickedness on display in their yards and neighborhoods.  If you find yourself thinking it’s enjoyable or fun to scare children, I want to share my personal story of what happened to me when I was 6 years old.  I attended my great-grandmother’s open-casket funeral and it deeply frightened me.  The fear that welled up in me, opened a door to a spirit of fear of death that entered me at 6 years old.  I didn’t invite this spirit in, I wasn’t living a sinful life that provided easy access for this demon, I just simply emoted fear.  Given that a spirit of fear was already operating in my generational line, it gained access to my life through my own fear.  I was not delivered from this spirit until I was 24 years old.  I want to encourage you to think twice about participating in scaring children.  Satan can use you as an access point to torment children.  Instead, take that energy and pray for the safety of children in your neighborhood.

Satanic Ritual Abuse is rampant in our communities and to greater degrees than many of us are willing to admit.  Children and adolescents caught in SRA are in desperate need of our help.  Allow Jesus to use you as a pathway for their freedom by prayer-walking your neighborhoods.  Gather a few friends and walk your neighborhood.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment regarding the issues you can pray for each home.  Anoint the soles of your shoes with oil and agree with the words of Yahweh in Joshua 1:3 “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”  Release blessings of life and hope through declaring the Word of God.  Nothing is impossible for Jesus!  He can set the captives free!  Come into agreement with this truth.  The wicked deeds carried out on Halloween are not more powerful than the author of life itself.  Yahweh is the Alpha and Omega, the Great I AM.  Jesus is the Way Maker; He provides the path of freedom.  May we fix our eyes on Him and usher in His Presence into our neighborhoods.  Let’s see our communities transformed for His glory!

Written by Laura Sanger, Ph.D.

[i] History.com Editors (April 6, 2018).  Samhain. History Channel. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain

[ii] Gritt, E. (October 18, 2017).  Samhain is the pagan origin of Halloween.  The Sun.  Retrieved from https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4711600/samhain-is-the-pagan-origin-of-halloween-and-its-terrifying-rituals-include-human-sacrifices-and-pumpkins-filled-with-burning-human-fat/

[iii] History.com Editors (April 6, 2018).  Samhain. History Channel. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain

[iv] Whitnell, Demi (October 21, 2019).  A Witch’s Guide to Celebrating Halloween. Hero Magazine.  Retrieved from https://hero-magazine.com/article/159423/a-witchs-guide-to-celebrating-halloween

[v] Crowther, Arnold (1974).  The Secrets of Ancient Witchcraft with the Witches Tarot. Secaucus, N.J. : Citadel Press

[vi] Utah Cindy Substack. (October 13, 2023). Halloween: The Bloodiest Time of the Year.