As Halloween grows ever more popular in the UK, writer Anna Hawken explores how parents of faith can navigate a season that celebrates darkness and deception. From spooky fun to shows like The Traitors, she asks how we can use this moment to talk about faith, truth and light with our children.
Every October, amidst the growing stock for Christmas, Halloween emerges as a major celebration in the UK, particularly among children and young people. Year on year, the celebration seems to be growing with more space in the supermarket aisles, more scary and spooky adverts and an increasing number of half term activities dominated by themes of darkness. This provokes questions for all Christians, and especially parents and carers, about how to navigate October 31.
The interest in ‘darkness’ is at the forefront of our public attention, with The Traitors becoming one of the most popular BBC shows of our time. The game, pitting the ‘Traitors’ and the ‘Faithful’ against one another, is based on psychological manipulation, as players outwit, and outvote, and out-murder one another, until they are the last man, or woman, standing.
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Whilst on the surface it can be construed as harmless fun (and superb television at that), there is a deeper meaning lurking.
Whilst on the surface it can be construed as harmless fun (and superb television at that), there is a deeper meaning lurking. References to witchcraft, death and the occult are embedded into the intrigue. What is perhaps most telling of the human heart is the desire, for some, to play the role of a ‘traitor’, to become in their own words, a ‘psychopath’, and to betray even their closest friends and allies. It’s a chilling reflection on the condition of the human heart, the sin that is deep-rooted in all of us, jostling to position ourselves on top, regardless of the harm we might cause along the way.
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With the rise in celebrating Halloween and shows like the ‘Traitors’ hitting all-time highs, it’s important for us as Christians to understand, and decide how to engage with culture. We can learn to ‘surf the waves’ - spotting what’s going on in the world around us and exploring it, instead of holding an inflexible viewpoint. It’s a chance to bring our perspective of faith into the conversation.
Christians can and do approach Halloween differently.
Christians can and do approach Halloween differently. Some make the case for embracing the ‘spooky season’ as an opportunity for evangelism and outreach, whilst others want to avoid, and reject it, at all costs. But what if we were to take a different path, one lined with nuance and complexity? At home, I’ve learned not to shy away from talking about Halloween, but to see it as an opportunity for conversation; sharing that I too wrestle with what I believe, and often, I’m also trying to decide the best way to handle things.
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Over the years, I’ve seen so many different ways that families have intentionally considered how they want to respond. It’s a fluid, changing conversation that I would encourage others to partake in. How you approach Halloween will depend on your views but also the ages and personalities of your children and what’s going on in your school, church or community. We’ve learned to involve the whole family in talking about it, sharing what they think and why, encouraging their ideas and questions. We also emphasise that people will choose to respond to events and celebrations like Halloween differently - and that’s okay.
At no other time in the year are devils, demons and witches such a visible and celebrated part of society, yet as Christians, we believe there is a real devil, who is at work to harm and destroy. There’s a moment here to lovingly guide our children back to the words of the Bible, and to share with them that whilst the devil is real, and the darkness shines bright on our screens at Halloween, he is a defeated enemy. Though evil persists in the world, and in our lives, the light shall never be overcome by the darkness.
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