Page Two of the Halloween Worksheet

WHERE DO HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS COME FROM?

The Jack o’ lantern
When the Irish immigrants arrived in America, they brought with them the tradition of carving-out turnips or potatoes and placing coals or a small candle inside of it. These were then displayed on doorsteps at Halloween to ward off evil spirits. However, the Irish quickly discovered that it was much easier to carve out the pumpkin and this was soon a basic tradition of the Halloween festivities.

The belief behind the Irish tradition of this carving is based upon the myth called “Stingy Jack”:  Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who loved playing tricks on anyone and everyone. One dark, Halloween night, Jack ran into the Devil in a bar where Jack tricked the Devil by offering his soul in exchange for one last drink.
When Stingy Jack eventually died several years later, he went to the Gates of Heaven, but was not allowed in because he had spent his whole life lying and drinking. So, Jack then went down to Hell, but the Devil would not let him enter.
From that day forward, Stingy Jack has been doomed to roam the earth as a ghost with only a turnip that he had stolen, hollowed out, and with a coal from the fires of Hell inside of it to light his way.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION:
1) Are Jack o’ lantern’s just “innocent fun”?

Trick or Treating
Trick or treating started as leaving food and wine for roaming dead spirits and ghosts. The custom was referred to as "going a-souling" and was eventually practiced only by the children who would visit the houses in their neighborhoods and be given gifts of ale, food and money. It was believed the spirits of the dead returned to visit their old homes during Halloween and, in ancient times, people left food out for them and arranged chairs so that they would be able to rest.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION:
1) Is trick or treating just “innocent fun” as some people claim?
2) Read Genesis 3:19 and Psalm 146:4 and tell me, what really happens to someone after they die? Why does this make the idea of trick or treating even more disgusting to a worshiper of Jehovah?

Costumes:
On Halloween, when it was believed that spirits returned to the earthly world, people would wear masks when they left their homes during the night hours. In this way, they hoped they would avoid being recognized by the ghosts and be mistaken merely for fellow ghosts.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION:
1) Why do you think that Satan tries so hard to get people to dress up on Halloween?

Witches and Cats:
The use of witches and cats (together with ghosts) in the celebration of Halloween comes from the belief that on Halloween night evil spirits come back to harm the living. It was a common Celtic belief that cats (particularly black ones) had once been human beings who had been transformed into cats as punishment for their evil deeds or through coming in contact with bad magic.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION:
1) Read Leviticus 19:26 and you decide: Why does Satan try so hard to get people to practice magic?

Halloween Parades:
In ancient times, pagan Celtic priestesses would roam the countryside, chanting songs in order to frighten away the evil spirits thought to be out on Halloween night.
MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION:
1) What are the reasons that you do not want to participate or even watch a Halloween parade?