Preparing for Halloween

By Tillie Carson

Well, it’s that time of year again: the time when you can’t drive down the street without seeing inflatable witches and ghosts everywhere. Over the years there has been a lot of controversy over Halloween. Should Christians celebrate this holiday or not? For many, the answer is yes. Halloween is just a harmless time when the kids can dress up in fun costumes and go door to door asking for candy. But for others, it goes much deeper. Many Christians I have met simply do not know the history of Halloween. Personally, I feel that it’s an important thing to know, so I would like to take you with me back in time to find the origin of the second most popular holiday in the world.

For several hundred years before Christ, the Celts inhabited what is now France, Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland. Celtic priests were called Druids. It is not  possible to separate Halloween from the Druids because they originated it. These Celts were eventually conquered by the Romans. Information about the Celts and Druids comes from Caesar and the Roman historians, Greek writings from about 200 B.C., and very early records found in Ireland. Greek and Roman writings about the Druids dwell heavily on their frequent and barbaric human sacrifices. The ancient Irish texts say little about human sacrifices, but detail the Druids’ use of magic to raise storms, lay curses on places, kill by the use of spells, and create magical obstacles. By 47 A.D., Rome finally defeated the Druids in Britain and outlawed human sacrifices. The few remaining Druids went underground.