Today is Halloween. This evening, the streets of the United States (and many other countries) will be filled with children dressed in ghoulish costumes, going from door to door collecting candy. And it's not just for the kids. Sinful parties with ungodly costumes are everywhere this time of year. However, although it seems like October 31 is a creepy commemoration of communion with the dead – and like most things over the past 2,000 years, the Catholic church played an important role in the development of the holiday – the date should also hold a special place in our hearts. First, a bit of history about the origins of Halloween.

Halloween has its roots in some disturbing pagan practices. Around the same time that Jesus was on the earth, the Celts dominated what is now known as Ireland, the UK, and Northern France. They celebrated the New Year on November 1st, but on the night prior to the New Year, they believed that the line between the living and the dead became blurred. Celtic priests, or Druids, thought that this particular night allowed them to easily communicate with the dead and look into the future to foretell, or divine, things to come.

In order to conceal themselves and blend in with the evil spirits that were out in abundance this night, the Druids cloaked themselves in animal skins, skulls, bones, and whatever else they could find that looked like the spirits they wanted to talk to. You will notice that Halloween costumes are still often associated with death.

By around A.D. 43, the Roman Empire ruled the former Celtic lands. The Romans combined two of their own festivals (celebrating the Roman Goddess of fruit and a day of commemorating the dead) with the Celtic tradition of divination (mentioned earlier). Mixing the celebrations was a good political move for the Romans. As we know from Balaam, Constantine, and numerous others, the devil has used the “mixing” spirit masterfully throughout history. 

Sound strange so far? It gets worse when the Catholic Church gets involved.

A few hundred years later, in typical Catholic fashion of blending idolatry and Christianity, “All Saints Day” was established, and seemed to fit well with the Druid celebration of the dead. The holy day was put on November 1, the Celtic New Year. According to the church, All Saints Day, or “All Hallows Day” is a celebration of those who have “attained the beatific vision in Heaven.” Basically, it honors those who have died and gone to Heaven. In some cultures, people go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. November 1 is considered a "day of obligation," which means that all Catholics must attend mass.

The Druid/Pagan celebration mentioned earlier fell on the eve of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day), so it is called Hallows Eve. Also known as Halloween. And… it gets worse (Don’t worry, it gets better at the end of the article.)

Holding to the politically-correct, all-inclusive spirit of the Catholic Church, they added another holiday on November 2. “All Souls Day” honors everyone that has died, whether they went to heaven or not. The “or not” part is a bit disturbing, but we won’t go into that in this article. Like the previous day, in some religious festivals the people dress as the dead, attempting to welcome spirits of the departed. This is the official "Day Of The Dead" and usually the last day of the celebration. 

That completes what could be the strangest three-day observance held by any religion in the world: The Catholic Day Of The Dead Holy Days. It all starts today, with Halloween. 

This is when that frown can leave your face and you can start smiling again. Did you know that October 31 can also be considered one of the greatest days in the history of Christianity? It's something rarely referred to by the Catholic Church, preferring rather to promote evil costumes and worship of the dead. Today is a little known holiday, started on October 31, 1517 that involves a church in Germany, ironically called All Saints Church. If you've read the Church Age book, then you know it as Castle Church.

This is the day that MARTIN LUTHER NAILED HIS 95 THESES TO THE DOOR OF CASTLE CHURCH IN WITTENBERG, GERMANY AND STARTED THE CHRISTIAN REFORMATION! It all began exactly 499 years ago today! Yes, the Catholic Church would rather honor anything, including ghouls and skeletons, than that! 

So, as the world is celebrating skeletons and vampires, we can celebrate the beginning of a reformation that changed the world.

If you'd like to read a little more about Halloween, Young Foundations posted an article at this link: Halloween A Myth Or The Truth