Why is Halloween so attractive to children?

Children (adults too) love to dress up. It's exciting to think about being anyone you choose to be, creating a costume and acting out that person for a day. Going out at night in costume, Halloween parties and trick-or-treating with friends bring an adventure that no other holiday offers children. Many people think that choosing to be a witch, a ghost, a skeleton, or a vampire is harmless fun. They don't know the roots of these ideas and are unaware of the potential destructiveness of dabbling with evil spirits.

Isn't Halloween a pagan holiday?

Halloween's deepest roots are decidedly pagan. Long ago, in what is now France and Britain, the Celts observed the end of summer with pagan rites. They believed a lord of death sent evil spirits into animals. The animals roamed around all winter playing terrible tricks on people. To escape, a person wore a disguise so that the evil spirits would think you were one of them.

Centuries later, followers of Jesus came along and tried to change the holiday from a festival of fear to one of joy. They introduced a Christian alternative—All Hallows Day (November 1), a time to celebrate the memory of loved ones who had died and gone to be with Jesus.

Today Halloween has become an odd mixture of tributes to Dracula and roaming spirits, comic characters and TV superheroes. It can involve school parades, innocent harvest festivals, costume parties, and trick-or-treating. But participation in occult practices and the fear of receiving harmful objects while trick-or-treating create a real concern about entering into this celebration.

Can followers of Jesus Christ take advantage of Halloween to share the true story of Jesus?

People are fascinated by and curious about the supernatural world. Children like scary graveyard tales, for instance, no matter how much they believe in Jesus. Halloween creates a natural opportunity to talk about what is real, and to explain the gospel in the process.

One simple strategy for any believer is to give a booklet telling the true story of Jesus to trick-or-treaters (give your preferred treat too).

Another strategy involves hosting a Halloween celebration in your home. The invitation might read "Costumes of historic heroes and heroines required (no ghosts, goblins or bad guys)." Along with the games, pumpkin-decorating contests, cider and popcorn, plan to tell how Halloween started. Encourage children to remember the saints they love, and remind them that Grandma, Grandpa and loved ones who believed in Jesus aren't dead at all but in heaven. Point out that the Bible tells us that the greatest supernatural adventure one can ever have is to go into the next world to live with Christ. Be sure to give children an opportunity to invite Jesus to live in them.

Churches can sponsor a Halloween party or a harvest festival. Include games, food and prizes for the best biblical costumes. Guidelines of no ghosts, goblins or bad guys puts the emphasis on choosing to be people of high moral character. In many churches, these parties are among the best-attended events of the year. Volunteer to join whatever your church is planning, or begin a festival in your church this year.

And whenever you bring a group of children together, remember to tell the true story of Jesus, and give an invitation for each child to invite Jesus to live in them.

Children of the World can provide a picture booklet, The Greatest Promise, to give to trick-or-treaters. You can also pre-order a soon-to-be-released children's version of the JESUS video which you can show at your Halloween party. Phone 1-800-366-4020.