Halloween

Is Halloween Really the Devil’s Holiday?
Halloween is easily one of my favorite holidays. However, for as long as I’ve lived in Middlesboro, there has always been a rift in the town regarding the holiday. Either you believe that Halloween is a harmless holiday that allows children to collect candy while masquerading as their favorite character, or that Halloween is the "Devil’s Holiday". I think we all have seen at least one sign or some individuals condemning those that participate in the festivities, but is there really any reason to fear damnation?
I enjoy writing about more controversial issues that are discussed in the area. I’d like to think that at least by addressing these issues that it can stir some debate which, in my opinion, is a good thing. To start off, I’d like to review the historical basis behind the American version of Halloween.
The North American version of Halloween is largely influenced by Irish immigration, not by witches, goblins, or Satanists. Most of the people I know in Middlesboro, and for that matter Bell County, have Irish ancestry. In essence then, this is part of the area’s cultural heritage before it would be part of any kind of Satanic rite. Halloween has its origin in the Celtic festival of Sam Hain, which was a celebration to commemorate the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The festival was used as a time to stockpile supplies and slaughter livestock for the coming winter. The Gaelic people (whom some were Celtic) did believe that during this time the boundary between the living and the dead weakened, but believed that the dead were dangerous to the living and could potentially damage crops (note: they did not worship them). During the Sam Hain festival, masks were worn to ward off these spirits that could damage crops or even bring harm to themselves and families. Having reviewed the historical beginnings of the celebration, clearly this is not a Satanic holiday. To this day, Halloween is an extremely popular holiday in Ireland.
Halloween even has a history of altruism and philanthropy; two foundations of the Christian Church. During the Great Depression, people would go door-to-door on "beggar’s night" to ask for food or other goods that would help support themselves and their families. Houses that pass out candy see it as a sort of charity; giving candy in good spirits to children that visit them. Today, UNICEF is involved in Halloween and collects donations for underprivileged children.
So now that we’ve reviewed the history behind Halloween, how is it that the holiday has become regarded by some as the Devil’s Holiday?

The media, specifically movie producing Hollywood, has helped to change our perception of Halloween. Movie-makers capitalized on the holiday and the season as the time most prime for scares, witches, goblins, and ghouls. Movies have especially been creative with horrifying themes during the Halloween season, often scaring people to the point of changing their normal pattern of behavior. These portrayal of Halloween glamorized by movies has helped shaped the public’s perception of the holiday. (Specifically, one scene from the movie "Halloween II" sticks out in my mind; the scene with the child in the Emergency Room that has bitten into a piece of candy containing a razor blade placed there by a sadist. At the time, this was a very popular urban myth which was believed to be much more rampant than actually occurred.) Halloween is synonymous with horror movies, and horror movies are synonymous with violence, sex, and at times Satanism. It’s easy to see how the Satanism can be confused with Halloween from the way that Hollywood helps depict the holiday. The simple suggestion from a movie that Halloween is a time for Satanic sacrifices and rituals may be all that is needed for someone to spread the false idea that Halloween is the Devil’s Holiday.
Still, it’s easy to see how we have helped perpetuate someone’s perception of Halloween as the Devil’s Holiday. Halloween has evolved into a day where it’s acceptable for women to dress provocatively and for everyone to don horrific or even risque costumes. These practices, at least in my view, are the work of the film industry constantly pushing the envelope on material in their films (50 years ago, you would never have seen women in the outfits they wear today, especially on Halloween, but the proponents of this style of dress call it "sexual liberation"). The material Hollywood includes in their films has increasingly become more graphic over the decades; this is a verified fact. The portrayal of these images has influenced what was once a cultural practice into a day with a solid R rating and moving closer to an NC 17. We have seen these images and are working to transform the holiday into something it was not intended to be (more of a sin free-for-all). On Halloween women engage in provocative dress (more so than any other day) to attract attention to themselves and still others will take detestable actions to bring harm to others (see sadist example above). The actions of a few have begun to evolve the perception of the holiday as being that for the wicked, when the festival and the celebration is intended to be an enjoyable experience for all. For this reason I cannot completely fault individuals for believing that Halloween is the Devil’s Holiday. I believe their perception is wrong, but we as a society are not doing anything to put their concerns to rest.
So is Halloween the Devil’s Holiday and are you going to Hell for celebrating it? In my opinion, no. The holiday is clearly not the Devil’s work and is not meant to worship Satan at all, however we as a society have given them a right to be justified in their perception of the holiday. In my opinion Halloween is fun until spoiled by those that regard the day as something more than it’s intended playful nature. So for the sake of those around you and for those who genuinely enjoy the holiday, be responsible this Halloween with your celebration. Respect yourself and respect others. I wish everyone a safe, pleasant, and above all else fun Halloween.