Cybele and Mystery Religions - The goddess CYBELE [sib'e-lee] also came to Rome (where she was called the Magna Mater, Great Mother) on the advice of the Sibylline books. She came in 205 B.C. in the form of a black stone from the Phrygian city of Pessinus, after the Delphic oracle had been consulted. Her temple was dedicated on the Palatine Hill and her festival was the Megalensia. Her priests, called Galli, performed ecstatic and colorful rituals, including self-mutilation, in their public processions.
Cybele: Anatolian nature goddess; adopted by Greeks and identified with Rhea.
Saturn, in Roman religion and mythology, god of harvests, later identified with the Greek Kronos. Little is known of the origins of his cult. His reign was regarded as the Golden Age. He was the husband of Ops and the father of Jupiter, Juno, Ceres, Pluto, and Neptune. It was said that after the fall of the Titans, Saturn fled to Italy, where he settled on the Capitoline Hill, civilized the people, and taught them the arts of agriculture. At his festival, the Saturnalia, held at first on Dec. 17 but later extended for several days thereafter, gifts were exchanged, schools and courts were closed, war was outlawed, and slaves and masters ate at the same table.
Each year around $7 billion is spent on Halloween in the United States. Only Christmas sees more cash flow. Halloween has tremendous retail potential. Movies are made, costumes are sown and candy is created for it. Halloween is hard to miss for your family. How will you handle the murky moral water of the holiday?
Appeasing the spirits
Before Jesus ever walked the earth, the Celtic festival that would later become Halloween was born. Samhaim celebrated the summer’s end, inviting the death of cold winter. It was believed that the spirits of death were unleashed during the festival to torment humans. Celtic pagans dressed as evil spirits to disguise themselves and avert torment. Celebrants also engaged in demonic activities to further camouflage themselves. The pagans may have also made animal and human sacrifices as well as committed cultic sexual acts. Samhaim was celebrated as a time when spirits could cross from the world of death into the present world freely.
In response to this pagan celebration, Christians launched the All Hallow’s Eve holiday (formerly All Saints’ Day) celebrated on November 1. All Hallow’s Eve was meant to combat beliefs associated with the pagan festival and show that only Jesus Christ could combat the powers of evil. Though the Christian roots of All Hallow’s Eve are evident, the holiday eventually became known as Halloween and was combined with elements of Samhaim, celebrated on October 31.
What’s in a pumpkin?
Whether you know it or not, many tokens of Halloween celebrations come attached with pagan meaning:
Trick or treat was originally a Celtic practice of giving food to evil spirits to appease them.
Jack-o-lanterns come from the Irish practice of carving demons on turnips (later pumpkins in America) as a sign to evil spirits that the family was friendly to them.
Black cats were believed to be reincarnated evil souls with magical powers.
Séances invoked spirits to be used by humans for personal power.
Bonfires may have come from the words “bones fires,” because human sacrifices in fire pits only left bones and ashes.
What’s the danger now?
Halloween is a sticky issue for Christian families. On the one hand, it’s a good opportunity to shine the light of Christ in a holiday with evil origins. On the other hand, participation may be condoning pagan customs. Yet, the holiday has become somewhat secularized, and how can you get your kids away from so much candy?
There are also some very real dangers in Halloween. More and more frequently we hear news reports about razors or poison hidden in candy. Letting your kids roam from house to house at night comes with its own worries.
If you do choose to participate in Halloween, be prepared. Consider trick or treating with your kids, especially if they’re under age 12. Prepare a trick-or-treat route or go to houses of neighbors that you know. Make sure your children are visible. Give them flashlights and something reflective on their costumes. Make sure that their costumes are safe. Tripping is actually the leading cause of Halloween injuries. Also, children need to have weather-appropriate costumes that allow for comfortable motion and breathing. And always inspect your children’s candy before they eat it, throwing out anything suspicious.
If your family decides not to participate in Halloween, there are more and more good alternatives these days. Many communities plan festivals around Halloween to provide families a safe, closed environment. Churches host carnival activities that even give your kids all the candy they want. Some churches even celebrate the old All Saints’ Day, dressing up in costumes of their favorite Christian figures.
Defend your decision
Regardless of how you choose to handle Halloween, use it as a good witnessing opportunity. If your family does go trick or treating, set your family apart in the holiday’s practice. Talk about the reality of evil, but recognize that Christians have nothing to fear. If your family decides to sit out of trick or treating, make sure that your kids really understand why. Talk about the foundations of the holiday. However your family prayerfully decides to handle Halloween, know the history and be able to defend your decision to your family and community.
Before Jesus ever walked the earth, the Celtic festival that would later become Halloween was born. Samhaim celebrated the summer’s end, inviting the death of cold winter. It was believed that the spirits of death were unleashed during the festival to torment humans. Celtic pagans dressed as evil spirits to disguise themselves and avert torment. Celebrants also engaged in demonic activities to further camouflage themselves. The pagans may have also made animal and human sacrifices as well as committed cultic sexual acts. Samhaim was celebrated as a time when spirits could cross from the world of death into the present world freely.
In response to this pagan celebration, Christians launched the All Hallow’s Eve holiday (formerly All Saints’ Day) celebrated on November 1. All Hallow’s Eve was meant to combat beliefs associated with the pagan festival and show that only Jesus Christ could combat the powers of evil. Though the Christian roots of All Hallow’s Eve are evident, the holiday eventually became known as Halloween and was combined with elements of Samhaim, celebrated on October 31.
What’s in a pumpkin?
Whether you know it or not, many tokens of Halloween celebrations come attached with pagan meaning:
Trick or treat was originally a Celtic practice of giving food to evil spirits to appease them.
Jack-o-lanterns come from the Irish practice of carving demons on turnips (later pumpkins in America) as a sign to evil spirits that the family was friendly to them.
Black cats were believed to be reincarnated evil souls with magical powers.
Séances invoked spirits to be used by humans for personal power.
Bonfires may have come from the words “bones fires,” because human sacrifices in fire pits only left bones and ashes.
What’s the danger now?
Halloween is a sticky issue for Christian families. On the one hand, it’s a good opportunity to shine the light of Christ in a holiday with evil origins. On the other hand, participation may be condoning pagan customs. Yet, the holiday has become somewhat secularized, and how can you get your kids away from so much candy?
There are also some very real dangers in Halloween. More and more frequently we hear news reports about razors or poison hidden in candy. Letting your kids roam from house to house at night comes with its own worries.
If you do choose to participate in Halloween, be prepared. Consider trick or treating with your kids, especially if they’re under age 12. Prepare a trick-or-treat route or go to houses of neighbors that you know. Make sure your children are visible. Give them flashlights and something reflective on their costumes. Make sure that their costumes are safe. Tripping is actually the leading cause of Halloween injuries. Also, children need to have weather-appropriate costumes that allow for comfortable motion and breathing. And always inspect your children’s candy before they eat it, throwing out anything suspicious.
If your family decides not to participate in Halloween, there are more and more good alternatives these days. Many communities plan festivals around Halloween to provide families a safe, closed environment. Churches host carnival activities that even give your kids all the candy they want. Some churches even celebrate the old All Saints’ Day, dressing up in costumes of their favorite Christian figures.
Defend your decision
Regardless of how you choose to handle Halloween, use it as a good witnessing opportunity. If your family does go trick or treating, set your family apart in the holiday’s practice. Talk about the reality of evil, but recognize that Christians have nothing to fear. If your family decides to sit out of trick or treating, make sure that your kids really understand why. Talk about the foundations of the holiday. However your family prayerfully decides to handle Halloween, know the history and be able to defend your decision to your family and community.
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