Watch out for the ghouls tonight!
SA HAS ADOPTED HALLOWEEN
Trick or treat is a phrase commonly heard on TV, but now South Africa seems to have joined the haunted train and is increasingly celebrating Halloween. Tonight, suburbs will be infested with zombies, princesses, goblins and little devils knocking at your door.
According to Wikipedia, Halloween mostly comes from Celtic paganism in the British Isles, and their feast of Samhai, which is the New Year. Pagans believed it was the time when ghosts and spirits came out to haunt, and the Celts would appease the spirits by giving them treats. The feast was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and parts of England.
Halloween, celebrated annually on October 31, has roots in age-old European traditions. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints; and soon All Saints’ Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.
There are people who won’t celebrate Halloween because of its pagan origins and the idea that it is said to be associated with witchcraft. There are certain groups in Christianity, however, that have started celebrating the holiday regardless of its origins.
Slowly, but surely, South African Christians have also moved into celebrating this holiday with many showing great excitement to be part of this event. Christians across the country have expressed how much they are looking forward to going trick or treating.
However, Pastor Andy Balaram, pastor of the Shiloh ministry at the University of Johannesburg and a member of the Christ Ministry church, told The Citizen that Halloween is a holiday that he believes Christians should not be celebrating, “because it does not praise God in any way”.
“People dress up in funny outfits that have nothing to do with God. I don’t think they are true Christians if they celebrate Halloween. But there are a lot of different Christians, so you never know,” he said.