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Orthodox perspective on Halloween and St. Luke's commemoration

The author urges Orthodox Christians to reconsider participation in Halloween, noting its historical connections to the Celtic festival of Samhain and Western Christian traditions around All Saints' Day. Modern imagery often centers on witches, demons, death, and the occult, which conflicts with teaching children to guard their hearts and follow Christ.

On the Old Calendar, October 31 commemorates the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, the beloved physician and companion of Saint Paul; on the New Calendar, Saint Luke is commemorated on October 18. The author prefers to teach children about the courage of martyrs, the wisdom of the Holy Fathers, and the lives of saints rather than encourage a fascination with darkness.

A priest in an accompanying video states that Orthodox Christians do not participate in Halloween because it is a satanic holiday. He acknowledges that some may dress as saints if necessary, but insists they must not dress as witches, warlocks, or demons. The priest asserts that witches, warlocks, and demons are not make-believe but real, and that Halloween involves actual sacrifices by those who practice witchcraft.

He asks what parents are teaching their children by participating and concludes that this is not something Christians ought to do. The author adds that not every family celebrating Halloween has evil intentions, but not everything the world celebrates needs to become part of Christian life. Children can have joyful childhoods rooted in Christ, His Church, and the example of His saints, citing Ephesians 5:11: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness."

Key moments

  1. The priest received phone calls asking what to do about Halloween with families.
  2. The correct answer is that Orthodox Christians do not participate in Halloween because it is a satanic holiday.
  3. Some people might dress up as saints if they have to, but they must not dress as witches, warlocks, or demons because those are on the wrong team.
  4. Witches, warlocks, and demons are not make-believe; they are real.
  5. The priest asks what we are teaching our children by participating.
  6. Things are done on Halloween that people do not know about, including sacrifices made by witches, warlocks, and demonic people.
  7. This is not something Christians ought to do.
8 opinions in the discussion 8 participants The opinion with the most support What's the harm in getting free candy? Some people use the day for witchcraft and sacrifices, but plenty of people just want some tasty treats. It's only a satanic holiday if you're doing something satanic on it. Read the discussion
254 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 8

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

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  • opinion#2604

    What's the harm in getting free candy? Some people use the day for witchcraft and sacrifices, but plenty of people just want some tasty treats. It's only a satanic holiday if you're doing something satanic on it.

  • opinion#2603

    Halloween actually mocks the demons by letting your 7 year old dress up as a werewolf or vampire or whatever. It's a statement that these things have no real power and deserve to be laughed at. I see Eastern Europeans keeping their pre-Christian ethnic traditions without any pushback, but for us it's suddenly a problem? The Olympics come from a pre-Christian, pagan source too. Should we boycott the Olympics?

  • opinion#2599

    I'm Catholic and I trust that God can tell the difference. What if a kid just wants to put on a Spiderman costume and collect candy? Yes, some genuinely bad stuff happens that day, but most people aren't part of that.

  • opinion#2597

    Halloween in America is no more satanic than Christmas or Easter. Sure, we're way too irreverent about it because of capitalism and materialism (that's the actually satanic part), but it's still a Christian holiday regardless of what individual priests think. If the church accepts similar folk holidays in Eastern Europe, it should be accepted here too. This puritan attitude only makes it harder for people to bring the church into their American life, and it's just as silly as the ethnocentrism you see among the different jurisdictions in America. And for anyone who wants to argue: the date was set for the Roman church by Pope St. Gregory III in the 700s and later extended by Gregory IV to the whole western church. It's a pre-schism holiday.

  • opinion#2598

    On November 1st, Orthodox people remember their loved ones who have passed on. We visit their graves, clean them up, and hand out food and drinks (mostly to the kids who come to the cemetery), as a meal shared on behalf of those who are gone. Celebrate? No. Mourn.

  • opinion#2600

    Halloween is fully Christian. I have to disagree with you here, father. I think it comes down to what you actually do on All Hallows' Eve. Dressing as a witch is arguably a problem. But a kid dressed as a police officer gathering candy and celebrating All Saints' Day is completely fine.

  • opinion#2601

    I was raised in an Eastern Orthodox church with a Serbian cultural background. I know there's a Slava that falls on October 31st, so for some families that comes first, but I'm thankful that the priests from my childhood recognized this as an American tradition and, as far as I ever saw, never made a problem out of it.

  • opinion#2602

    The Eve of All Saints and All Souls Day is satanic and evil???? Father, I... I shouldn't have to remind you that Byzantine Christians keep SEVEN All Souls Saturdays every single year... And what about all the Western Orthodox churches that keep the Allhallowtide triduum???