Can Christians celebrate Halloween?
Can Christians do this? Can Christians do that? Have you ever had similar questions? Perhaps we should think not only about what we can or cannot do but also explore "why we are doing it" and "what impact our decisions will have."
Crystal 邊歆茹, PhD
Founder & CEO
Art by Crystal Bien
A girl named Ellie lives in a small town in the American Midwest. She was lively, outgoing, kind-hearted, and loved participating in community activities. As a third-generation Christian in her family, she understood why her family chose not to celebrate Halloween, but she also realized the diversity of cultures and traditions worldwide. In past years, Ellie and her family had ignored Halloween, as if it didn’t exist. However, with more friends inviting her to Halloween parties every year, she began to consider doing something different from her family’s tradition – she wanted to experience Halloween.
Halloween, also known as the “Festival of the Dead,” originates in traditions different from the Christian faith. Ellie knew this but tried to convince herself that, in the town, Halloween had evolved into a joyful celebration beyond its original form. However, while searching for Halloween decorations and costume ideas, she felt out of place – everything seemed too eerie or terrifying. It didn’t quite fit her.
After much contemplation, Ellie invited her friends to prepare a different Halloween event called the “Shining Night,” replacing the eerie and dark atmosphere with love and kindness: she plan to set up a “Love Workshop,” where children created simple crafts, collected them, and shared them with underprivileged children, helping them understand that Halloween isn’t just about costumes and candy but also an opportunity to create kindness and share love.
Initially, the plan faced challenges; her family thought ignoring the holiday was the appropriate course of action, and friends who initially wanted to attend parties hesitated to participate in organizing an event. But Ellie didn’t give up; she dedicated several evenings to planning activities, creating simple crafts, designing flyers, and setting up an event page on social media. Surprisingly, two dedicated community moms volunteered to help, and friends who couldn’t attend the event promoted it enthusiastically. Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.
On the night of the event, the small town lit up with orange, white, and black decorations and laughter from children. Ellie dressed as a warm big star, welcoming children with her friends and fellow volunteers.
Children started arriving one by one! Ellie greeted them with a big smile, but to her surprise, each child, after receiving their candy, immediately turned and rushed to knock on the next door. After half an hour, even the children of the volunteer moms didn’t want to stay indoors any longer. There was even a little girl who had come for candy and had tripped in the walkway in front of the door, crying loudly.
To comfort the fallen child, Ellie gave her a handmade toy – the same one they had initially intended to invite the kids to make together. This gesture successfully turned the little girl’s tears into a smile.
But she still left, or accurately, ran away.
Watching the little girl rapidly departing, Ellie suddenly felt a wave of disappointment. She stood there, looking at the empty walkway, thinking, “Maybe I should have gone to my friend’s Halloween party instead of preparing for an event that no one attended…”
However, as the event’s organizer, Ellie quickly adjusted her emotions. She took a deep breath, smiled at herself, saying, “At least I have three little guests” and prepared to return to the three children of the volunteer moms,
Just as Ellie was about to back to the house, she noticed that the little girl who had run off earlier had run back. Behind her were several children of similar ages, all smiling and excited – they also wanted Ellie’s handmade crafts.
Ellie brought out different styles of handmade crafts and invited the children to join in making them. The kids eagerly agreed! Those who had come for candy, seeing other children gathering, most of them curiously stayed to participate. Many parents who had followed their kids to collect candy expressed surprise and gratitude for this love-themed activity. They saw an alternative way to celebrate Halloween. Even Ellie’s family, who had been reluctant to participate before, started to arrive after their dinner…
Although some questioned whether Christians could participate in Halloween activities, Ellie’s approach garnered significant attention in the town. Via Ellie and the volunteers’ love and actions, they changed the residents’ perspective on this traditional holiday, making it a more meaningful occasion for sharing love.
A different perspective - exploring motives and effects
After reading this story, how would you answer the question of whether Christians can celebrate Halloween? Perhaps what we should contemplate is not just what we can or cannot do but rather why we do it and what impact our decisions may have.
Examine your motivations – are there reasons that can convince you? For example, if a group of friends, intent on dressing up as monsters to scare people or to show off their physique, invites you to a Halloween party, you can participate to enjoy the festive atmosphere or to introduce a different influence. But there’s likely no need to participate just to please friends with different values.
To participate or not to participate, and then what?
Consider the impact of “not participating”: “Halloween is a ghost festival, and because I don’t agree with Halloween’s origins, I choose not to pay attention or participate in related activities”, which may seem reasonable, but if you want to resist Halloween-related activities, you may want to consider your message and how you convey it. Remember that the world has many different cultures and traditions, and most people have varying values and perspectives. If you’re labeled a “social justice warrior” for resisting, it might be challenging to convey your message. As the Bible says, “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.” You can speak about all things, but some may be very harmful. Don’t forget that the purpose of communication is to successfully convey the message, and speaking recklessly may have the opposite effect and hurt others.
Reflect on the impact of “participating”: You may not have the resources to organize events like Ellie, but there are many things you can do. For example, you can be a cheerleader for such events by sharing information or inviting friends to join. You can also use small actions to express yourself, such as replacing scary decorations with warm or cheerful ones.
This is my reflection after completing the drawing and reading Aurora’s text. How do you plan to spend Halloween?
Message from Aurora Lin
Most people are more familiar with what Christianity is AGAINST rather than what Christianity is FOR. We are Jesus’ followers and don’t forget that he said his people would be known by LOVE.
“For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.”– 2 Timothy 1:7
So Christians shouldn’t try to scare others or be scared on Halloween. We should show our power and love for Jesus to others!
I have prepared the cross pumpkin in front of my door. How about you?
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