Okay, I know the subject of Halloween can be taboo in some Christian circles but, I have to admit, I love it.

I love the candy, the cute costumes, the pumpkins, caramel apples, and spooky stories. I love the coming together of our neighborhood when everyone sits out in their driveway and passes out goodies and greetings their neighbors. Most of all, though, I love the ministry opportunity, a chance to go out and meet the world at large on common terms. Every treat back I pass out comes with a reminder of Jesus’s love–whether that be a sticker, a pencil, or a toy. It changes every year. And, honestly, the what of the whole thing doesn’t matter. What does matter is that, inside that bag of candy, that child is going to see the name of Jesus and is going to read about how much He loves him/her. To me, that’s what Halloween is all about.

Plus, I REALLY love dressing up in costumes.

BUT, I get it. Halloween has, traditionally, been a day seeped in darkness. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. It was usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believed that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld. Departed loved ones were expected – and welcomed – and the practice of setting out favorite foods for the dead may have originated as early as 2,000 years ago. Just as likely to show up, however, was the vengeful spirit of someone who you may have wrong, or even elves, fairies, sprites, or other “dark energies.” In order to deceive these unwanted spirits, people darkened their faces with ashes from the bonfires or wore masks. A living person would recognize the spirit of a loved one and could then reveal themselves but otherwise remain safe from the unwanted attention of darker forces.

Christianity soon began to spread through the area of modern-day Ireland and, in an attempt to “redeem” many of the prevalent pagan symbols, temples, festivals, legends, and religious iconography in order to ease the conversion process of the population (as I mentioned early–meeting the world on common ground!), Pope Gregory III moved the date of All Saint’s Day (All Hallows’ Day), which was a feast day to celebrate those saints who did not have a day of their own, from May 13 to November 1, coinciding with the festival of Samhain. Eventually, the night before All Hallows’ Day (October 31 or All Hallows’ Eve) became a night of vigil, prayer, and fasting in preparation for the next day when the saints were honored at a far tamer celebration.

The old ways did not completely die out, however. Bonfires were still lit – only now in honor of Christian heroes – and the turning of the seasons was still observed – only now to the glory of Christ. Many of the rituals which accompanied this new incarnation of the festival are unknown but by the 16th century, the practice of “souling” had become integral. The poor of the town or city would go about knocking on doors asking for a soul-cake (also known as a soul-mass-cake) in return for prayers. This practice is thought to have begun in response to the belief in purgatory where it was thought a soul lingered in torment unless elevated by prayer and, most often, money paid to the Church. After the Protestant Reformation, “souling” continued in Britain, only now the Protestant young and poor offered to pray for the people of the house and their loved ones instead of those in purgatory while Catholics continued the older tradition.

According to worldhistory.org, “in the 17th century, Guy Fawkes Day added a new component to the development of Halloween. On 5 November 1605, a group of dissident Catholics tried to assassinate the protestant King James I of Britain in an attempt known as the Gunpowder Plot. The attempt failed and one of the group, Guy Fawkes, was caught with the explosives beneath the House of Lords and, although he had co-conspirators, his name attached itself famously to the plot. Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated by the Protestants of Britain as a triumph over “popery”, and 5 November became an occasion for anti-Catholic sermons and vandalism of Catholic homes and businesses even though, officially, the government claimed it was a celebration of Providence sparing the king. On Guy Fawkes night, bonfires were lit and unpopular figures – most often the Pope – were hanged in effigy while people drank, feasted, and set off fireworks. Children and the poor would go house to house, often wearing masks, pushing an effigy of Guy Fawkes in a wheelbarrow and begging for money or treats while threatening vandalism if they were refused.”

As immigrants began to pour into America, they brought their traditions with them–including both Samhain and Guy Fawkes Day. Other folk legends soon became intwined with them, including the Irish folktale of Stingy Jack, a clever drunk and con man who fooled the devil into banning him from hell but, because of his sinful life, could not enter heaven. After his death, he roamed the world carrying a small lantern made of a turnip with a red-hot ember from hell inside to light his way. On All Hallows’ Eve, the Irish hollowed out turnips and carved them with faces, placing a candle inside, so that as they went about “souling” on the night when the veil between life and death was thinnest, they would be protected from spirits like Stingy Jack. Upon arrival in America, the Irish switched from turnips to pumpkins, as they were much easier to carve and carry.

By this point, the basics of modern-day Halloween were now in place: people going from house to house asking for sweet treats in the form of the soul-cakes and carrying jack-o’-lanterns. Though Guy Fawkes Day was no longer celebrated in the United States after the Revolutionary War, aspects of it remained, including vandalism, a fact that irritated a woman named Elizabeth Krebs from Hiawatha, Kansas. In 1913, tired of having her garden destroyed every October 31, she organized a party e in town, including a band, a costume contest, and a parade. It was her hope the festivities would give young people something else to do to rather than vandalize the neighborhood–and it worked.

News of her success traveled outside of Kansas to other towns and cities which adopted the same course and established Halloween parties which included costume contests, parades, music, food, dancing, and sweet treats accompanied by frightening decorations of ghosts and goblins. The practice of trick-or-treating followed closely behind.

Nowadays, though some people do still view the day as a celebration of the occult, Halloween has taken on a much more innocuous tone. It’s more about candy and costumes than any real belief in the supernatural.

So, if you’re like me and you happen to enjoy a bit of light-hearted fun on October 31 but often get chided for celebrating “the devil’s day,” simply smile and remind your naysayer that God is still on the throne and that means the devil doesn’t get a day.

Then adjust your mask and enjoy that Reese’s Cup.