by Pastor Afolabi Oladele
Wikipedia states that the concept of holiday often originated in connection with religious observances or is associated with traditions. The intention of a holiday is typically to allow individuals to attend to religious duties associated with important dates on the calendar.
The word holiday is a compound word stemming from the words “holy” and “day.” Thus where do the “Christianised” holidays come from? Let’s start with Halloween that is celebrated during the month of October in most Western countries, taking our theme scriptures from Deuteronomy 18:10-13 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-17.
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy 18:10-13
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17
The following was culled an article from the website TheBearean.org
What is the attraction of Halloween? Are people really into ghouls, spirits, devilry, and monsters? No, probably not. Polls show to the contrary, that most Americans hardly believe in demonic or even angelic spirits enough to think of Halloween as some kind of celebration of them. The Halloween attraction lies in the donning of costumes and the consumption of alcohol: Halloween is the year’s biggest escape from reality!
The ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain (November 1), from which All Saints’ Day and All Hallows Eve derive, was a kind of New Years holiday. Along with the days immediately before and after, it was special because the Celts believed that the boundary between this world and the spirit world relaxed or lifted, allowing spirits to cross between them more easily. As this idea terrified superstitious people, they mollified the spirits by leaving out food and treats so that they would not curse them. Some practiced various forms of divination to contact departed loved ones. Druids thought this to be the best time to seek guidance from the dead, and the bards sought otherworldly inspiration for their poetry and song.
Another interesting aspect of Samhain’s celebration is that the Celts considered it to take place in “no-time,” that is, neither in the old year nor the new. Since this “no-time” was a time to itself, normal laws, order, strictures, and customs were held in abeyance for these three days of merriment. People thus did whatever they pleased. So, the fool held court as the wise man. The base born acted as the noble. The servant became the master. Women dressed as men and vice versa. Farmers turned out their cattle, pigs, and sheep from their pens and pastures, allowing them to roam free. Some entered houses through windows rather than doors. No work was done because it was a time of total abandon: of revelry, feasting, drinking, taking dares, disguising oneself, and pretending to be something one was not. Those three strange days were “chaos time.”
The modern version, Halloween, is a “tame” descendant of this Celtic celebration, and its popularity is rising steadily. Revellers use the holiday as an excuse to escape their mundane, banal, yet stressful lives and “take a walk on the wild side.” Laws, customs, mores, and order cease for a short time, as participants indulge themselves in whatever they desire.
While most consider it “blowing off steam” or “having a good time, for believers but self-indulgence is sin. Instead of releasing the pressure by coming out of a world conducting its affairs apart from God (Revelation 18:4), celebrants compound their troubles by adding on sin and its destructive consequences.
We have been called to a different life, one in which we “put off” our former corrupt, lustful conduct and “put on” new habits and behaviors that reflect the righteous and holy life of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24). Paul concludes in Ephesians 5:8-12, 15-16:
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), proving what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. . . . See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Separate yourself from the defilement the world throws at you (1 Cor. 7:32 (MSG). Selah.
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
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