The Pumpkins, Purgatory, and Protestants of Halloween

Ever wonder what Halloween is all about? Carved pumpkins ("jack-o'-lanterns") and kids going around the neighbourhood asking for candies ("trick or treating"), most people thinking of scary things, but some people not really interested--what a strange celebration this is!

A grinning jack-o'-lantern with an apparition, witches, and bats flying in the background

So, what is Halloween all about?

According to the Wikipedia article on Halloween, the festival has its beginnings in ancient European (especially Celtic) folk beliefs about floating ghost lights (will-o'-the-wisps), or Jack Lanterns, later known as jack-o'-lanterns, that appeared at the change of seasons from autumn to winter. At first, people would carve turnips to make lanterns, but later, pumpkins were used. Today, grinning jack-o'-lanterns are a universal symbol of Halloween all over North America.

But how did the name Halloween come about? For this, we need to look at the Roman Catholic belief that most Roman Catholics don't go directly to heaven when they die, but their souls must first go to a terrible place called Purgatory. These souls are remembered on a holiday called All Souls Day. But other people, who are very holy, who are saints, go to heaven directly when they die. So on the first day of November, just before All Souls Day, they celebrate All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day. And the day before All Saints Day, or Hallows/Saints Day, is called Hallows' Eve[n], or Hallow E'en, or simply Halloween. Halloween is a day for Roman Catholics to think about and pray to their dead, both saints and souls.

An illustration of Purgatory, with those finally going to heaven flying through a tunnel in the upper left corner

In 1517, a Roman Catholic priest in Germany named Martin Luther was unhappy when he saw how the Roman Catholic church was teaching things that did not go according to the Bible. The Bible teaches that all Christians go directly to heaven by faith alone, not because some people are better than others but because Jesus has done everything needed to save us. Jesus lived a perfect life and died a perfect death for our sins, which made God the Father no longer angry about our sins. No amount of good works or church donations can make Him happy or accept us. Instead of this, the Roman Catholic Church was telling its people to donate more money so that their ancestors' souls could fly to heaven from Purgatory. The money collected, of course, was sent to Rome to build the biggest church building in the world, St. Peter's Basilica, there. So, on Halloween 1517, Luther wrote out his protests and nailed the list to the door of his church.



That act changed the history of the world completely; Luther's Reformation marks the beginning of modern history. Those who follow Luther and the Bible rather than the Roman Catholic Church are known as Protestants, and some of them choose to celebrate Reformation Day rather than Halloween on October 31. People in countries affected by Protestant Christianity have the freedom to read and think about the Bible in their own language, to explore the sciences and move around, and to practise and spread their faith without persecution--just like here in Canada. Many of those new freedoms are still enjoyed and cherished in various countries to this day.

So, how will you celebrate Halloween this year?