At the end of the month of October every year, many Americans celebrate Halloween, a holiday that is oftentimes associated with the dead and the powers of darkness. There are, of course, defenders of Halloween who claim that it is fundamentally a wholesome holiday involving family, friends, and kids in cute costumes, but the reality is quite different. One cannot, for example, ignore the vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, ghouls, and other things from the occult – …

On October 31, millions of Americans will celebrate Halloween, many of them Orthodox Christians unaware of the incompatibility between Christianity and Halloween. This article offers a few resources from Orthodox Christian sources to educate our families and youth on this dark holiday and how we are to respond. [ba-quote]Abba Antony said, “Evil spirits, since they can do nothing, are but as actors in a play, changing their shapes and frightening children by their tumult and – …

On October 31, millions of Americans will celebrate Halloween, many of them Orthodox Christians unaware of the incompatibility between Christianity and Halloween. This article endeavors to examine how the celebration of Halloween contradicts our Orthodox Christian identity so that we may choose Christ, the True Light, over the darkness of the world. It is generally accepted that the origin of Halloween is the pagan feast of Samhain (pronounced saw-on) of the Celts in Ireland and – …

The subject of Halloween is something that has caught my attention over the last few weeks. Some might ask Why? As this is a natural part of life in America, they may add that: “this is the second important occasion on our yearly calendar after Christmas. Its a fun time for us and our children, who dress up in a scary clothes and go around trick or treating and having lots of fun” Fun? I – …