Last night in many parts of the world some people, especially children, celebrated Halloween, which really should be called “All Witches’ Day” because the primary symbol of Halloween is a witch riding in the night sky on a broomstick. We Orthodox Christians celebrate All Saints’ Day on the Sunday after Pentecost. However, in the West it is today, November 1st, that is celebrated as All Saints’ Day, after the liturgical celebrations of yesterday, All Hallows’ Eve. It is important to know that Halloween is a celebration of the power of paganism in today’s world. All Saints’ Day is a celebration of the power of saints in today’s world and in each of our lives. It is a serious mistake to think that we can celebrate both Halloween and All Saints’ Day. Therefore, I’ve called this sermon, “All Saints’ Day or All Witches’ Night? You choose.

I speak from personal experience. I grew up in the United States; and as a child I celebrated many Halloweens with considerable vigour. What do I remember about Halloween? It was a night when you were allowed to be naughty, to dress up as someone evil, to try to frighten people, to put soap on people’s windows and cars, to pour something dirty down letter boxes, to generally cause havoc throughout the night. Well, many Christians today in the United States, in the British Isles and Ireland might say, “So what?” it’s just a bit of childhood fun.” However, today shopkeepers in Britain and Ireland do not say, “So what?” On the contrary, the sale of flours and eggs to children is restricted to protect people and windows.

Innocence is not enough to guide us into the fullness of the Christian life. There was and is an element of innocence about celebrating Halloween. However, there is also a deep meaning that flies up with that witch on the broomstick—the power of paganism and the rejection of Christ. In chapter 28 of the book of First Samuel in the Old Testament, King Saul loses his kingdom after consulting a witch at Endor, because God then and now would have nothing to do with black magic, sorcery and enchantment. To be enchanted with something means to be charmed by it, to be attracted to that thing or person. If you are attracted to witches and their meetings for devil worship that are called “sabbats” in an explicit rejection of the Sabbath as a day of rest, you could soon find yourself in serious trouble. You might become confused about the purpose of life, because the Lord can no longer help you and guide you. The Lord can only seek to draw you away from trusting in the power of witches to trusting in His power and the power of His saints.

“As St. Nicholai Velimirovic, who died in 1956, has written: “The feast of Halloween began in pre-Christian times among the Celtic peoples of Britain, Ireland and Northern France. These pagan peoples believed that physical life was born from death. Therefore, they celebrated the beginning of the ‘new year’ in the fall, on the eve of October 31st and into the day of November 1st, when, as they believed the season of cold, darkness, decay and death began. . . .  According to pagan Celtic tradition, the souls of the dead had entered into the world of darkness, decay and death and made total communion with Samhain, the Lord of death, who could be appeased and cajoled by burnt offerings to allow the souls of the dead to return home for a festal visit on this day. The belief led to the ritual practice of wandering about in the dark dressed in costumes indicating witches, hobgoblins, fairies and demons. The living entered into fellowship and communion with the dead by this ritual act of imitation, through costume and the wandering about in the darkness.”

The most charitable evaluation that can be given to Halloween is in the words of St. Paul in the closing verses of First Corinthians, Chapter 13, which he applied not to Halloween but to love itself: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became [an adult], I put away childish things. For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Enough of the childish pranks of Halloween! What Christians throughout the West should have been truly celebrating last night was All Hallows’ Eve—not Halloween, but All Hallows’ Eve—when we hallow the saints: we set them apart as holy. Now for many people it’s a big change to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, instead of Halloween. St. Paul has rightly insisted as we grow up year by year, we put away childish things—things that no longer have meaning to us. Have you ever done that children? What toys have you put away as you grew older? . . .

Considering St. Paul’s advice on the need to put away childish things, St. John Chrysostom has reflected that “we learn all things by gradual advance.” In other words, as we grow up we learn new habits and new attitudes, precisely because we are growing up as Orthodox Christians. Children, what happens to caterpillars as they grow up? . . . That’s right. They hibernate for a while in their cocoons; and then they come out as butterflies, don’t they? That’s what happens to us as we move from living primarily in a secular and celebrity-oriented society into the possibility of seeking holiness, both for ourselves as individual persons and for our nation. National holiness arises primarily from personal holiness and the awareness of a few holy individuals that in prayer and worship they are called to receive and communicate a vision to lead their nation into holiness. As that call to holiness is received by each of us here today, the cocoon of secularity drops off as be become holy butterflies.

It is possible. We can each become holy butterflies celebrating All Hallows’ Eve, instead of creepy caterpillars wrapped up in the pranks of Halloween. That doesn’t mean we fly around flapping our angelic wings, saying, “I’m a holy butterfly. I’m a holy butterfly. You’re a creepy caterpillar. You’re a creepy caterpillar.”

No. To make the move from Halloween to All Hallows’ Eve is to grow up. We can all do that—whatever our present ages. We can all grow up as Orthodox Christians. Parents, do come to communion with your children—as a family united in worshiping Christ. Children, help you parents to understand the holiness of Orthodox Christian worship, which is set apart from the problems of daily living, of which your parents may be more aware than are you.

I close with the words of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verses 9 to 10 from the Vespers of Orthodox All Saints Day—the primary service of Christian worship on All Hallows’ Eve: “Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled,” wrote Isaiah. “Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be proven right; and let them hear and say, ‘It is truth. You are My witnesses,’ says the Lord.”

Let us all become witnesses of the Lord to the truth of All Hallows’ Eve and All Saints’ Day.

And so we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen

Father Emmanuel Kahn