Why Orthodox Christians Don’t Celebrate Halloween

Death, darkness, and fear are things the world often turns into entertainment - but for the Orthodox Christian, these are matters of spiritual truth.

Halloween, as it is known today, is one of those occasions when the line between what is innocent and what is spiritually harmful becomes blurred. To understand why the Orthodox Church does not take part in Halloween, we must look at where it came from, what it celebrates, and what our faith teaches about such things.

What Is Halloween?

Halloween (short for All Hallows’ Eve) is celebrated each year on the night of October 31st. In most Western countries, it is seen as a night for costumes, carved pumpkins, sweets, and playful frights.

Children go door to door asking for treats, while adults often engage in parties filled with imagery of ghosts, witches, and the dead.

Though modern society treats it as a harmless cultural event, its symbols (skeletons, tombs, demons, and sorcery) point toward something deeper and older than innocent amusement.

When and How Did Halloween Appear?

Halloween's origins go back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in what is now Ireland and parts of Britain before the coming of Christianity. It marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, a time when pagans believed the barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead grew thin. They lit fires and wore costumes to frighten away wandering spirits.

When the Western Church established All Saints' Day (All Hallows) on November 1st - first in the 8th century under Pope Gregory III - the evening before became known as All Hallows' Eve, later shortened to Halloween. Many of the older pagan customs were absorbed into this new "Christian" celebration, and through the centuries, it evolved into the form we see today: a mixture of superstition, death imagery, and entertainment.

What Is Celebrated During Halloween?

At its heart, Halloween celebrates the dead and the powers of darkness - not in reverent remembrance, but in parody and mockery.

Skeletons and ghosts are displayed as decorations, witches and demons become costumes, and people entertain themselves by imitating the very things that Scripture warns us to avoid.

The Apostle Paul reminds us:

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Ephesians 5:11, KJV

The problem is not the sweets, the laughter, or the joy of children - it is the spiritual meaning behind what is being imitated. When evil, death, and fear are treated as entertainment, the soul becomes dull to the reality of sin and to the victory of Christ over death.

Why Some Think It Is a Christian Holiday and Why It Is Not

Some people claim that Halloween has Christian roots because of its link to All Saints' Day. However, this connection belongs only to the Western Church's calendar and does not reflect the Orthodox understanding of holiness or remembrance of the dead.

In the Orthodox Church, All Saints' Sunday is celebrated after Pentecost - not at the end of October - and it has nothing to do with the dead returning or spirits roaming the earth. We commemorate the saints in the light of the Resurrection, not in the darkness of superstition. Our faith proclaims Christ's victory over death, not its glorification.

"The memory of the saints is not kept with mourning, but with joy - for through their death they overcame death itself."
Saint John Chrysostom

To call Halloween a Christian holiday is therefore a misunderstanding. It is, rather, a remnant of pre-Christian paganism mingled with later Western customs, none of which reflect the Orthodox life in Christ.

The Orthodox Church's View on Halloween

The Orthodox Church calls her faithful to watchfulness (nepsis) and to flee from every form of spiritual darkness. Halloween, though wrapped in playfulness, revolves around themes of fear, death, magic, and the demonic... All of which have no place in a Christian life. Even if one participates "just for fun", it cultivates familiarity with what is opposed to God.

"There is nothing innocent in the customs of darkness. Every step taken in that direction opens the heart to its influence."
- Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

Instead of joining the world in this imitation of death, the Orthodox Christian is called to pray for the departed, to light candles for them in the Church, and to seek holiness in daily life. We do not mock death... We proclaim that it has been conquered by Christ.

"Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life."
- Paschal Hymn

Conclusion

Halloween offers the world a night of fantasy, but the Orthodox Church offers eternal truth. Where the world plays with darkness, the Church walks in the light of Christ. Where the world laughs at death, we rejoice in the Resurrection.

As Orthodox Christians, we are not called to condemn those who do not understand - but to witness by example, choosing purity over imitation, prayer over play, and life over death.

Our calling is not to dress as the dead, but to clothe ourselves with Christ...