The weather is cooler, the houses are all decorated in orange and black accents and pumpkins are carved on every doorstep. Halloween has finally arrived: beneath all the costumes and candy, there is a real story waiting to be told.
Each year, on Oct. 31., millions of kids around the world line up at doors dressed in costumes asking for candy. Because Halloween is widely viewed as a night of celebration, parents are likely uninformed or do not believe the satanic origins of Halloween.
Halloween started around 2,000 years ago, originating from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Back then, people had bonfires and wore costumes in order to ward off ghosts. Later, Pope Gregory III instilled a holiday for all saints.
The holiday was named All Hallows Eve. The name evolved, and in the 18th century, it was known as the holiday Halloween.
Pumpkins are for sale at the Jewel-Osco in Elburn. They restocked all their fall products in order to make their annual profit.
Most people celebrate Halloween to have fun and get new cavities, but what about the people who do not?
Muslim woman Lily Jay, a Facebook influencer with over 437,000 followers, comfortably shares her opinion about people who celebrate Halloween.
“Most people do not even realize they are celebrating a satanic festival with demon roots,” Jay said. “Sorry, but I’m boycotting Halloween this year.”
According to Lifeway newsroom, in an article by Carol Pipes that researched the pagan elements of Halloween, about 21% of Americans try to avoid Halloween completely, while 14% avoid Halloween solely to avoid the pagan characteristics of the holiday.
Unlike Jay, though, most Americans believe that Halloween is all for good fun. However, the differences between age and religion play a huge factor that cause different opinions all around the world.
Do you think people in America understand the true meaning behind the celebration of Halloween? I am sure most of you can agree that many do not, perhaps yourself included.
“I think they just think it’s about candy,” ancient world history teacher Brian Aversa said. “Just like some people think Christmas is just about gifts.”
I’m sure we have all had a family member or friend who only looked forward to a holiday for the gifts and food rather than the true meaning of it. The same idea could be applied to Halloween.
When it comes to Christmas and Thanksgiving, there are constant reminders to remember what the holiday is really about. So why is it not the same for Halloween?
Let’s look at it from a different perspective.
A leader of Student Impact, senior Bethany Volkening, wakes up around 8:30 every Sunday morning to get ready for church. She brushes her hair and removes all the tangly knots formed over night and puts on her best clothes.
Once she finishes prepping herself, she hops into her family’s white Chevy Suburban and drives the short five-minute drive to Village Bible Church in Sugar Grove.
By the time she has entered the church, it has reached 9:30. Volkening and her family find seats in the sanctuary and sing worship songs until they interrupt for morning announcements.
After they learn about their different tent events, Volkening and her family greet people and then listen to Pastor Tim Badal preach the daily lesson. Once he finishes, the Church sings one last worship song and the people in the Church are all dismissed and thanked for coming.
Even as an extremely religious believer, Volkening still has an opinion some could argue with about the celebration of Halloween.
“Personally, I love Halloween because it is fun to dress up, but I feel like it depends on the way you look at Halloween because there are definitely different ways to look at it and some people may say it is satanic,” Volkening said. “I feel like if you dress up that way or you are looking at it from that perspective, it definitely can be, because there definitely are costumes and stuff that are satanic related, but my family personally looks at it like a fun, go get candy, hang out with your family type of thing.”
Most children, parents and people in general celebrate Halloween annually because they have been raised to do so or just do not believe the mythic stories.
For a child, the highlight of October is Halloween.
You walk along the crowded streets with a candy basket in your right hand and a chocolate bar in the other. Circling around the richer neighborhood for the fifth and last time, you check your candy bag for the tastier candies. Lights illuminate the dark decorations and you stay close at your friend’s side enjoying every second of the night.
Nothing could be better. That is, until someone scolds you for celebrating the “devil’s birthday.”
According to spookily.com, an article debating the idea of Halloween and Satan written by Kelsey Monroe, Halloween and the devil actually have no connection, whether it is religious, historical or cultural.
Depending on any person’s opinion, they could, of course, view the debate differently.
