The Trick of Halloween: Glofying Darkness or Walking in the Light?

EVERY YEAR, as October draws to a close, streets and stores fill with jack-o’-lanterns, eerie decorations, and costumes of ghosts, monsters, and witches.

For many, Halloween is just a harmless night of fun, candy, and make-believe. But beneath the surface of its festivities lies a deeper spiritual concern—a “trick” that many do not see.

Why does this day, rooted in fear, death, and the occult, remain so popular in our modern culture? And what should God’s people make of it?

Where Did Halloween Come From?

Halloween has ancient origins. According to historians, it traces back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in pre-Christian Europe around November 1. The Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin, allowing spirits to roam the earth. People lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off these wandering souls (The Encyclopedia Britannica, Halloween).

When the Roman Catholic Church later established All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2, many Samhain customs were absorbed into what became known as All Hallows’ Eve—eventually shortened to Halloween.

What was originally a pagan ritual of appeasing the dead and warding off evil spirits has now become a commercialized global celebration. Yet its underlying theme remains unchanged: it glorifies death, darkness, and the supernatural.

Halloween and “Undas”

In the Philippines, Halloween often merges with 'Undas' (adapted from Spanish term 'honras funebres' or funeral honors), a Filipino term for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. A time when families gather in cemeteries to light candles, pray, and offer food for departed relatives.

While many treat this as a Christian tradition, it is largely influenced by pre-Christian and animistic beliefs about spirits of the dead returning to visit the living. Some even leave food or water “for the souls,” a practice closer to ancestor worship than biblical remembrance.

But Scripture warns clearly:

“There shall not be found among you anyone… who practices witchcraft, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord.”

— Deuteronomy 18:10–12, NKJV

To consult the dead or believe that spirits wander among the living is contrary to the Word of God. Such customs may feel cultural or sentimental, but they subtly promote a falsehood about death and the soul.

The Danger of the “Immortal Soul” Belief

At the heart of Halloween’s deception lies a false teaching—the 'immortality of the soul'. Many believe the dead continue to live as spirits or ghosts, hence the prevalence of these ghoulies images that trivializes, if not mocks our dead. But the Bible teaches something entirely different.

“The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing…”

— Ecclesiastes 9:5, NKJV

When a person dies, their consciousness ceases until the resurrection (John 5:28–29). There are no restless spirits roaming the earth, no departed loved ones watching us, and no ghosts seeking revenge. These beliefs open the door to demonic deception, for fallen angels can masquerade as “familiar spirits” (Leviticus 19:31).

The story of King Saul is a tragic warning. When he sought guidance from a medium at En-dor to contact the dead prophet Samuel, he disobeyed God and brought judgment upon himself (1 Samuel 28). Saul’s desperate act shows how dangerous it is to turn from God’s truth to forbidden spiritual practices.

Halloween Is a Lie—Why Teach It to Our Children?

The Bible says Satan is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Halloween glorifies fear, death, and spirits—all themes of darkness. Dressing children as witches, ghosts, or devils may seem harmless, but it subtly teaches them to laugh at evil and play with what God condemns. Isaiah warns:

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”— Isaiah 5:20

As Christians, we are called to “come out from among them and be separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17). God’s people are not to mix truth with error, or holiness with the occult.

The Better Alternative: Hope of the Resurrection

Rather than celebrating death and fear, we are called to celebrate life and hope. The Bible promises that our departed loved ones will rise again—not as ghosts, but as living, immortal beings through the power of God.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven… and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

— 1 Thessalonians 4:16

The true Christian hope lies not in haunting spirits but in the resurrection of the dead at Christ’s return. This is the truth that gives comfort and meaning far beyond any Halloween fantasy.

Celebrate God’s Holy Days Instead

Truth is, Instead of Halloween’s counterfeit, God gave His people Holy Days that reveal His plan for mankind, including our dead loved ones—Passover, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles—all pointing to the redemption, resurrection, and future Kingdom of God. These festivals are not rooted in fear, but in faith, joy, and hope.

From Darkness to Light

Halloween is a trick disguised as a treat. It lures millions into celebrating what God forbids and trivializes the reality of evil. As followers of Christ, we are called to reject darkness and walk in light:

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

— Ephesians 5:11

Let us not honor a festival of death but look forward to the day when “death will be no more” (Revelation 21:4). For the destiny of man is not to wander as a spirit, but to live eternally—clothed with God’s immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53).

That is no trick. That is the eternal truth! --Rh.