These days, children associate Halloween with trick-or-treating and candy.
All Saints Day
But centuries ago, Christians named the night before All Hallows’ Day (All Saints’ Day) “All Hallows’ Eve.” As the faithful prepared to remember people who were entrusted to resurrection life, they adopted various traditions to poke fun at death.
Around The World
Around the world, Christians observe Halloween differently: In Poland, kids pray aloud while walking through forests to comfort the souls of the dead. In Spain, tolling church bells remind people to remember the saints. In Finland, so many people light candles in cemeteries that the observance is called “seas of light.” Although some Christians steer clear of Halloween, others use it as an evangelism opportunity and provide entertainment alternatives such as harvest parties.
No matter your views, you can remind children that though it’s fun to pretend, we can always be ourselves with God. Whatever our features and flaws, we need not and cannot hide from God behind masks.
God made us in His holy image and loves us as his holy — hallowed! — children.