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HALLOWEEN: "Most
holidays honor a famous person or celebrate an important
event. But what
started this
rather strange holiday that seems to honor witches and
ghosts?
Halloween wasn't always a children's "fun" holiday. At
one time, it was a very
serious and
rather frightening event!
Thousands of years ago, in England, Scotland, Ireland,
and some other places, the day that's now November 1 was
the beginning of the new year. People also thought of
this day as the start of winter. They called it
"Summer's End."
People believed there was a sort of war between winter,
with its cold and darkness, and summer, with its bright
long days and pleasant greenery. And they felt that at
Summer's End, October 31, was a frightening time! People
were sure that all the wicked
creatures would be out celebrating, and might attack
them!
To protect themselves, people held special ceremonies.
They built big bonfires on hilltops to light up the
night. They put on masks and animal skins so that they
looked frightening. They hoped that their costumes
would keep the evil creatures from knowing who they were.
Hundreds of years later, the "Christian Religion" (Roman
Catholic Church) came to these countries. November 1"became" a
"Christian" (Catholic) holiday known as "
All Saints Day" or "All
Hallows Day." "Hallow"
means "holy". And this was the day to honor all the holy
ones, or saints, especially those who had no day of
their own. The night before All Hallows Day, October 31,
became known as "All Hallows E'en." (E'en, is an old way
of saying evening) After a time , this was shortened to
HALLOWEEN.
But many people, especially in England, kept up some of
the old Summer's End CUSTOMS. So, even after thousands
of years had passed, people remembered that ghosts,
goblins and witches were supposed to be most
powerful on
Halloween. And they remembered that this was a night on
which people had once put on special costumes.
That is why people in America and the British Isles
think of Halloween as a time of ghosts and monsters. And
it is why American children wear costumes on Halloween.
But, while October 31 was once a time of terror, it's
now just a night for spooky fun!" (World
Book, Childcraft International, Vol. 9, pages 286-287)
COMMENTARY: As
Christian believers, followers of the true God, one must
determine by the Holy Scriptures whether it is lawful in
the eyes of our Heavenly Father to participate in such a
festival.
Can simply changing the name purify its observance?
Though it may "hide" its sinister past, can it change
what it really is? And just WHO does it really honor?
Consider,- as Halloween was a frightening time in the
British Isles, World War II was a frightening time for
Jews living in Europe. Families were separated and
dispersed to concentration camps. History reveals that
once there, six million were systematically
exterminated! Today this HOLOCAUST is remembered as a
SOLEMN MEMORIAL of the millions who were sacrificed at
the hands of Hitler and the Nazis. Each year we remember
tragic events that led to these massive deaths. We
remember the REALITY of the observance.
But what if with the passing of time and as the memory
fades, we begin to forget the true meaning and make it a
holiday of "fun?" This may sound far-fetched to the 20th Century
person, but it has happened repeatedly throughout
history. Remember the famous quote, "Those
who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it."
But if this were to happen to the HOLOCAUST (and
there are those who work toward that end) it
would not honor those whose lives were taken, would it?
Can simply changing the name of an observance change
what it really is? WHO it really honors? Can we
"Christianize" and make
pure what
is defiled before
God? Notice Jeremiah
10:1-2,- "Hear the word which theLord
speaks to you, O House of Israel. Thus
says the Lord, "Do not learn the
way of the nations (heathen);
and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
although the nations (pagans) are terrified by them."
This Scripture opens with God's command to HEAR HIS
RULING concerning the observances of
the pagan nations. And
He commands His followers to "NOT LEARN" the way they
worship their false gods. The "terrifying signs in the
heavens" were the days getting shorter and colder. They
feared that the life-sustaining sun was dying. Remember,
the observance of Halloween and its ancient name,
"SAMAIN" meant "Summer's End." They feared that the
forces of darkness were prevailing over the Sun-god and
his forces of light. (End of Commentary)
One of the ancient gods of Babyonia was "Samas." Notice
this from the Encyclopedia
Judaica, Vol 5, page 1020),- "Before going out to battle
with the Babylonian King Kastilias, the Assyrian King
accuses the latter of betrayal and violation of the
treaty between them, and as proof he read the treaty in
a loud voice before the god SAMAS."
Jewish legend says SAMAEL is the ANGEL OF DEATH and the
HEAD OF DEVILS! The Greek renders the name SAMMANE.
SAMAIN: (Standard Encyclopedia of Folklore,
Mythology and Legend, pages 968-969),- "The
festival of the BEGINNING OF WINTER (Jer.10 "heavenly
signs") celebrated on or about November 1 in Ireland and
Gaelic Scotland and of very great antiquity. The word
means "END OF SUMMER." One of the oldest Irish sagas
states that the barrows where the fairies dwelt were
open about SAMAIN, and in Scotland a DEMON WHO STOLE
BABIES (may
be the same spirit causing the yearly kidnapings
associated with Halloween) at
this time was called a "SAMhanach."
Another old saga relates that for three days before and
three days after November 1 the warriors of Ulster
assembled for eating, drinking, and boasting of the men
they had killed, producing the tips of their tongues as
evidence. According to Keating, in heathen times, the
DRUIDS (priests) of Ireland assembled to SACRIFICE to
the gods and BURN THEIR VICTIMS on SAMAIN EVE.
(Halloween)
All other fires were to be extinguished, to be rekindled
only from that fire. (fire from burning human
sacrifices) THIS CUSTOM still LINGERS ON, without the
sacrifices, in parts of Ireland and Scotland. The peat
fires are extinguished in the cottages on HALLOWEEN and
are relighted from the BONFIRES which burn on the
hilltops. (these fires represent humans burning)
In the Highlands, families used to circumambulate the
fields SUN-WISE, holding fire torches. At Waterford,
groups of country lads, headed by horn-blowers, visited
the farmers' houses and collected pence and provisions
for the ensuing celebration. (Trick or treat today)
In parts of County Cork, the procession was led by a man
called the "White Mare" wearing a white robe and the
semblance of a horse's head, while in other parts the
lads dressed as mummers (dressed in costume and mask)
and professed to be the messengers of 'MUCK OLLA", a
boar slain by one of the Geraldines.
Until about 1850 the inhabitants of the Isle of Lewis
used to assemble on the SAME NIGHT, bringing ale and
provisions, repeat a paternoster (Catholic prayer), and
walk down to the sea. One of them waded into the water,
poured out a cup of ale, and cried out,- "Shoney, I give
this cup of ale to you, hoping that you'll be so kind as
to send us plenty of sea-ware to enrich our ground for
the coming year." The group then went to the church,
stood silent for a while, and then adjourned to the
fields for drinking, dancing, and singing.
MacCulloch, in 1911 mentioned the license permitted to
youths on SAMAIN EVE (Halloween) in the quietest
townships of the West Highlands. Vallancey in the 18th Century
recorded that Irish maidens observed the festival by
sowing hemp seed and believed that if they looked back
they would see the apparition of their future spouse, or
they would hang a smock before the cottage fire,
convinced that his apparition would come down the
chimney and turn the smock."
COMMENTARY: Notice that even from ancient times
the disappearance of babies and small children has been
directly associated with Halloween observance. The Scots
believed the DEMON SAMhanach was responsible for their
missing children.
Notice also, the Druid Priests BURNED HUMAN
SACRIFICES on Halloween. And all the people were
instructed to extinguish their fires and rekindle them
with the fire from the burning victims! This was
probably done to ADD LIFE, the life of the burning
sacrifice, to their own fires in hopes of rekindling the
strength of the WANING SUN-GOD.(End of Commentary)
The Apostle Paul says that these PAGAN GODS were really
DEMONS "masquerading" as God. Since Lucifer (Satan) was
cast down after attempting to take the throne of the
true God, he and his demons have continually deceived
mankind into worshiping them as God. 1
Corinthians 11:14-15 SAYS THAT Satan DISGUISES himself
as an ANGEL OF LIGHT in order to deceive the
unsuspecting. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan is
presently the god
of this world.
Now notice 1
Corinthians 10:19-22,- "What do I mean then? That a
thing sacrificed to IDOLS is anything, or that an IDOL
is anything? No, but I say that the things which the
Gentiles (heathen/pagans) sacrifice, they SACRIFICE TO
DEMONS, and NOT TO GOD; and I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BECOME
SHARERS IN DEMONS. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord
and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table
of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we PROVOKE
THE LORD to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are
we?"
The Apostle John tells us that by the return of Jesus
Christ the WHOLE WORLD will be DECEIVED BY SATAN,- "And
the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who
is called the DEVIL and SATAN, WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE
WORLD." (Revelation 12:9)
Satan wants our allegiance and our worship, even if he
has to disguise himself to get it! If he has to disguise
the true meaning of an observance to get people to honor
him, he will. (1
Cor.11:14-15) Remember, the heathen DID NOT KNOW they
were SACRIFICING TO DEMONS!
One of the ancient gods Satan used to instill
FEAR and TERROR was called "CROMM CRUAC." (Meaning"Bloody,
Bent One")
CROMM CRUAC: (Standard encyclopedia of Folklore,
Mythology and Legend, Vol A-1, page 263) "A
HUGE IDOL which stood on the plain of Mag Sleact (the
plain of adoration or prostrations) in county Cavan, in
Ulster, near the present village of Ballymagauran; also
called Rigiodal h-Eireann, the KING IDOL of IRELAND.
Around him were twelve idols made of stone but he was
gold and to him the early Irish SACRIFICED ONE THIRD OF
THEIR CHILDREN on SAMAIN (Halloween) in return for milk
and corn and the good weather which insured the
fertility of cattle and crops. The IDOL and the
SACRIFICES are mentioned in the 6th Century
Dinnsenchus in the Book of Leinster.
CROMM CRUAC was held in HORROR for his TERRIBLE
EXACTIONS; it was even DANGEROUS TO WORSHIP HIM, for
worshipers themselves often PERISHED IN THE ACT OF
WORSHIP. A pre-Christian king named Tigernmus is said to
have introduced the worship of Cromm Cruac to Ireland
and said to have been DESTROYED HIMSELF with
THREE-FOURTHS OF HIS PEOPLE on SAMAIN night (Halloween),
during prostrations. (Bowing in worship)
The twelve lesser IDOLS encircling the GOLDEN IMAGE have
led to the assumption that Cromm Cruac was a SOLAR DEITY
(Sun-god); certainly he was a FERTILITY GOD. But he has
not been identified with any ancient Irish god. "DAGDA",
in his agricultural aspect, has been suggested for this
role, but no identity can be substantiated.
The Dinnsenchus names the idol Cromm Cruac; it is
referred to as "CENN CRUAIC" (meaning "bloody
head") in
the "Tripartite Life of Patrick." Legend says that
Patrick cursed and destroyed it. The Dinnsenchus story
tells how Patrick preached to the people on Mag Sleact
against the BURNING of milk-cows and THEIR FIRST-BORN
PROGENY."
CROMM DUB'S SUNDAY: "In
Irish folklore, the first Sunday in August: anniversary
of the destruction of the famous idol known as Cromm
Dub. On this date flowers were still offered at his
place on Mt. Callan in County Clare, as late as the mid
19th Century.
For this reason the day is also called Garland Sunday.
The flower offerings were reminiscent of a time when
more BLOODY SACRIFICES WERE PREPARED."
COMMENTARY: Notice,
Satan masquerading as god, calling himself CROMM CRUAC
and encircled by twelve demons. He terrified the people
into worshiping him. Through his priests, he demanded
ONE OF EVERY THREE CHILDREN BE SACRIFICED TO APPEASE
HIM! The people feared the consequences of not obeying
their priests, the Druids. And notice the story of king
Tigernmus who was slaughtered along with three-fourths
of his people by the evil spirit of Cromm Cruac while
they bowed before his image! They were afraid to worship
him and terrified not to! (End
Commentary)
SAMHAIN, SAMUIN: (Dictionary of Non-Christian
Religions, by Geoffrey Parrinder, page 242) "Ancient
Celtic FEAST, held at the END OF OCTOBER and beginning
of November. In Ireland it was celebrated on the shores
of lakes. SAMHAIN marked the beginning of winter,
BELTANE marked the onset of summer. Samhain meant
"Summer's End", and bonfires were lit to strengthen the
powers of the waning sun. These are perpetuated in the
bonfires of November still popular in Britain. In the
Christian calendar, Samhain was MERGED into All Saint's
Day on November 1."
COMMENTARY: Notice
that it was Mr. Parrinder's assessment that the bonfires
were lit to "STRENGTHEN THE WANING SUN." People believed
the SUN was the chief god of all gods. At this time of
year it appeared he (Sun) was dying, as the days began
to shorten. This author did not mention the source of
these fires, but as we read earlier, they were fueled by
HUMAN SACRIFICE! Most of which were little children of
the British Isles.
Notice also, that SAMHAIN (HALLOWEEN) was MERGED into
the Catholic observance of All Saints Day. In this way
they could allow its CUSTOMS and OBSERVANCE by calling
it a "Christian' Holiday. But God alone is the author of
Holiness. To be holy is to be made clean and pure, and
to be set apart; and only God can make anything holy.
Remember, God commanded His followers to not even learn
the ways the pagan nations worshiped their gods.
Throughout history, the people of God have continually
turned from this command and worshiped foreign gods, or
sought to worship Him in a manner in which the pagans
worshiped their gods. God tore the nation of Israel
apart because of the idolatry of King Solomon in his old
age. God split the kingdom into two separate nations
after Solomon's death. Of the twelve tribes, God left
only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin for Rehoboam to
govern.
Notice God's warning to the WISEST MAN OF HIS TIME,- "Now
King Solomon loved many FOREIGN women along with the
daughter of Pharoah; Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite,
Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning
which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, - "YOU
SHALL NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THEM, NEITHER SHALL THEY
ASSOCIATE WITH YOU, for they will surely TURN YOUR HEART
AWAY AFTER THEIR GODS." (1 Kings 11:1-2)
Now Notice Verse
4,- "For it came about when Solomon was old, HIS WIVES
turned his heart away after OTHER GODS; and his heart
was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart
of David his father had been."
Solomon STILL WORSHIPED THE LORD as he always
had, but now HIS DEVOTION was DIVIDED. God wants His
worshipers to be WHOLEHEARTED in their devotion to Him.
As the Apostle Paul said, "You cannot drink of the cup
of demons and also the cup of the Lord." Sadly,
Solomon's IDOLATRY was the worship of DEMONS!
Verse 11,- "So the Lord said to Solomon,
"BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE THIS, and you have not kept My
covenant and My Statutes, which I commanded you, I will
surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to
your servant."
Verse 13 explains
that God would not tear all the kingdom from him, but
would leave his son Rehoboam with the tribes of Judah
and Benjamin. This happened as a direct result from
learning the ways the heathen worshiped their gods.
This split took place in about 900 BC. Only about two
hundred years later in 721 BC the Northern Kingdom
consisting of Ten Tribes had become so corrupt that God
allowed them to be conquered by the mighty Assyrians and
carried away as slaves. The reason? Idolatry. They were
even SACRIFICING THEIR CHILDREN TO THESE DEMON-GODS!
Notice Ezekiel
16:20-21,- Moreover, you took your sons and daughters
whom you had borne Me, and you sacrificed them to idols
to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter?
You SLAUGHTER MY CHILDREN, and OFFERED THEM UP TO IDOLS
by causing them to pass through the FIRE."
Take note that the Almighty Supreme Creator calls these
"HIS CHILDREN!" We must be very careful in what we allow
HIS CHILDREN to be involved in. Do you honestly believe
that God would want HIS CHILDREN to have anything to do
with the observance of so wicked a festival as
Halloween?
After the defeat of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, only
two tribes remained, Judah and Benjamin. They were
called the House of Judah, or simply the Jews. But soon
they turned to Idolatry also. So, in 586 BC God allowed
them to be conquered by Babylon. Clearly, God does not
want any of His people to partake of any cup of demons,
including the cup of Halloween. (End
Commentary)
SAMHAIN (SAMAIN, SAMAN, SAMHAN): (Dictionary of
Mythology, Folklore and Symbols, Part 2, page 1393) "Literally,
"Summer's End." Celtic winter solstice festival
celebrated about November 1. The entrance to burial
caves were left open to allow the spirits to come out
for an airing. On Oidhche Shamhna Omen for the future
were extracted from the fairies. The Fomors first
oppressed the people of Nemed with their terrible tax on
this day, and on it the Mag-Tured battles were fought,
thus the day on which WINTER GIANTS expelled the
FERTILITY GODS. On the Isle of Man called Sauin, in
Wales called Nos Galn-gaeof (Nos Galan Gaeaf)(night of
winter calends), corresponds to HALLOWEEN."
SAMHANACH: "Goblins
which come out on Samhain (Halloween) in Scotland."
COMMENTARY: Samhanach
was believed to be the demon that stole babies and young
children on Halloween.(End Commentary)
ALL HALLOWS' EVE: (The Yearbook of English
Festivals, by Dorothy Gladys Spicer, pages 153-157)HOBGOBLINS
AND SPIRITS, its games and incantations, still is a gay
time for pranks and parties in many North Country homes.
Fun-loving Americans have BORROWED from their British
ancestors play Hallow Eve games, such as apple-bobbing,
nut roasting and tossing of apple parings. Translated to
new world soil, the OLD PRACTICES HAVE BECOME
REVITALIZED and currently are OBSERVED with more
enthusiasm than in the country of their birth. "All
Hallows' Eve or All Hallows' E'en, its TRADITION OF
WITCHES, GHOSTS,
To ancient Druids the end of October COMMEMORATED THE
FESTIVAL OF THE WANING YEAR (SUN), when the Sun began
his HIS downward course and ripened grain was garnered
from the fields. Samhain, or Summer's End, as this FEAST
TO THE DYING SUN was called, was celebrated with HUMAN
SACRIFICE, augury (divination) and prayer; for this
season spirits walked and evil had power over souls of
men.
Not until the fourth century did the pagan vigil for the
GOD OF LIGHT (Lucifer) give way to All Hallows, the mass
of Christian saints; and not until the tenth, did the
Druids' DEATH FEAST become All Souls', the day of prayer
for souls that had entered rest. Cakes for the dead were
SUBSTITUTED for HUMAN SACRIFICE, fortune telling for
heathen augury, lighted candles for the old BAAL FIRES."
HALLOWEEN: (The Book of Holidays, by J. Walker
McSpadden, pages 149-153) "In
spite of the fact that it takes its name from a
Christian festival (All Hallows), it comes from PAGAN
TIMES and has NEVER TAKEN ON A CHRISTIAN SIGNIFICANCE.
On that night between October and November, the Druids
kindled great fires on the hills as a barrier against
the evil to come. (These Halloween fires still burn
every year in many places, but especially in Scotland
and Wales) By waving burning wisps of plaited straw
aloft on pitchforks, people tried to FRIGHTEN OFF DEMONS
AND WITCHES, but just in case this didn't work, they
also PUT ON GROTESQUE and TERRIFYING COSTUMES. For if
you dressed in a HORRIBLE ENOUGH FASHION and went
TROOPING AROUND WITH THE SPIRITS ALL NIGHT, THEY WOULD
THINK YOU WERE ONE OF THEM, AND DO YOU NO HARM. This is
where the persistent Halloween custom of dressing up and
wearing masks originated; and among the children who
come to the door on Halloween, calling "Trick or Treat",
the most Alarming costumes are considered the best."
In 1980, the Readers
Digest Association released
a book entitled "Strange
Stories, Amazing Facts." Notice
this from a segment on CUSTOMS of the "CHRISTIAN"
Religion,- "Although Christianity has swept the world in
a relatively short time, as the histories of great
religions go, the early missionaries faced an uphill
task. The PAGANS were RELUCTANT TO GIVE UP THEIR FALSE
GODS AND ANCIENT PRACTICES.
So. The missionaries, UNABLE TO CONVERT THEM EASILY, to
an entirely new code of WORSHIP, did the next "best
thing", they took the PAGAN FESTIVALS as they were and
gradually grafted the OBSERVANCES of the new faith ONTO
THESE FESTIVALS and the RITES AND CUSTOMS surrounding
them.
December 25 WAS NOT CALLED CHRISTMAS until the NINTH
CENTURY (over 900 years after Christ). Until then it had
been the Midwinter Feast, as combination of the NORSE
YULE FESTIVAL and the ROMAN SATURNALIA, both of which
took place in late December.
Like Christmas and Easter, the FESTIVAL OF HALLOWEEN
ORIGINATED IN A PAGAN CELEBRATION, even though its name
derives from the Christian Festival of All Hallows' or
All Saints' Eve."
Notice Deuteronomy
12:1-4,- THESE are the STATUTES and the judgments which
you SHALL CAREFULLY OBSERVE in the land which the Lord,
the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as
long as you live on the earth. YOU SHALL UTTERLY DESTROY
ALL THE PLACES WHERE THE NATIONS (heathen) whom you
shall dispossess SERVE THEIR GODS, on the high mountains
and on the hills and under every GREEN TREE. (Christmas
tree, see Jer.10) And you shall TEAR DOWN the engraved
images of their gods, and you shall OBLITERATE THEIR
NAME from that place. YOU SHALL NOT ACT LIKE THIS TOWARD
THE LORD YOUR GOD."
God does not want, nor will He accept the worship of Him
using the customs of the pagans.
Shamefully, in America today, the worship of these
demon-gods is thriving. And the people of our land even
MAKE PLACES for them in THEIR OWN HOMES. "Those who fail
to remember history are doomed to repeat it!"
God's Word says nothing good about any of these ancient
festivals, but plainly condemns their observance. Yet
the True God has given us ANNUAL FESTIVALS with
wonderful meanings. They are the PASSOVER, the seven
DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, PENTECOST, FEAST OF TRUMPETS,
DAY OF ATONEMENT, FEAST OF TABERNACLES and the LAST
GREAT DAY.
Surprisingly, few know much about these festivals, but
they are given to us by God in His written Word, the
Bible. (Leviticus 23) These are not "Jewish" festivals,
they are God's festivals given to His chosen people,
Israel. Christians are God's chosen today, we are His
Holy Nation born of the Holy Seed,- Jesus. These
festivals are the Lord's APPOINTED TIMES. They are our
appointments to appear before the Lord in assembly.
A PERSONAL TESTIMONY: Concerning
the legend of Samhanach, the baby-snatching spirit, it
may be the driving force behind the child abductions
occurring around the time of Halloween.
Although, demon-possession may be rare in America, evil
spirits do oppress and influence many people. Some
perpetrators of violent crimes profess to not know "what
got into them." It is obvious to the Bible believer that
many criminal acts would have never happened had there
not been demonic influence.
The Bible says that many demonic spirits have been sent
out into the world to deceive and influence. Thankfully,
Christians have power over these fallen angels, in the
name of Jesus Christ.
A minister whom I am acquainted with actually had an
encounter with a baby stealing demon! He and his
daughter with her new born had a chilling experience the
first night in a new home. The first cause for alarm was
when they realized the baby was no longer in its bed!
They found the baby on the floor.
Later, the Pastor awoke to find an unseen force carrying
the infant through the air! He literally had to wrestle
the new born from the spirit.
After rebuking the spirit in the name of Jesus, driving
it away, he blessed the new home to prevent its return.
When researching the roots of HALLOWEEN and learning of
the legend of Samhanach, I wondered if my friend had
experienced an encounter of the "third kind" with him
that night.
1 John 4:1,- "Beloved, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERY
SPIRIT, but TEST the spirits to see whether they are
from God."
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