I do not celebrate Halloween anymore and never will. It simply does not interest me.

I went trick-or-treating for the first time when I was about six years old and I was extremely confused as to why I was dressing up in a costume and asking strangers for candy. I did not do it again until I was 19 years old.  I wanted to further experience trick-or-treating for myself instead of mostly knowing it through stories I heard growing up.

 It was quite embarrassing to constantly say “trick or treat!” then get weird stares while I explained that I was 19 and new to trick or treating. After that night, I felt like I missed nothing as a child.

First, it is a religious thing. I try to be very strong in my faith and have respect for God. Second, Halloween does not fascinate me as much as it did when I was a child. Back then, I wanted to be a part of the crowd, but now I feel like it is unnecessary.

There is not a Bible verse that says, “thou shalt not celebrate Halloween,” but I will give a small history lesson without going too deep.

Halloween originates from a pagan end of harvest celebration based in an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. The festival, called “Samhain,” was apparently a day where the souls of the dead would be able to intermingle with the living.

It was also a belief among the druids (pagan priests and scholars) that fairies and spirits walked the earth scaring and playing tricks on the living. Celts felt the only way to escape the torment was to offer foods and sweets or to join the spirits by dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door for food.

Although today people do not trick-or-treat with the idea that they want to hide from spirits in mind, it’s still practiced. It’s the same as most traditions like throwing rice at weddings, eating greens on New Year’s Day or using numbered birthday candles. It has become normal regardless of the fact that few people have any idea what its origin is.

Some Christians choose to celebrate the day and that is not my business. I cannot condemn anyone for something they want to do. While I am not scared to “make God mad” and I am not afraid that he will shun me, I just don’t want to be a part of something of this nature.