“It’s that time of year again!”
If you’re like most people living in North America, you’ve heard this sentence in the weeks leading up to Christmas and Easter. You walk into stores only to be met by stacks of holiday-themed candies and decorations. If it’s December, radio stations are playing Christmas music 24/7. If it’s October, pumpkin patches are popping up everywhere. And if it’s Springtime, you start to consider adding some pastels to your wardrobe. Pale yellow dresses all around!
And whether you consider yourself as an “every-Sunday type” or a “casual twice a year type of Christian,” holidays like Christmas and Easter are likely a special time for you. You probably proudly take part in the traditions that you’ve always believed to be “Christian” holidays.
But have you ever stopped to consider that these “religious” or supposedly “Christian” holidays aren’t in fact Christian? And if you have wondered about them, how do you get the answer when everyone around you (including the church you’re attending) is celebrating them?
Understanding the roots of so-called “Christian” holidays
I’ll jump right in.
Christmas, Easter, Lent, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and other seemingly harmless holidays and traditions can trace their roots back to pagan beliefs. Each one has its own history of how it became a part of the popular traditions you celebrate.
As a Christian media website, incmedia.org often receives questions about the origins of these holidays and how they relate to the Christian faith. The website also shows up on searches from people asking about the different holidays, especially as the holiday season approaches.
Questions like:
- Why don’t Christians celebrate Halloween?
- Why Christians shouldn’t celebrate Halloween?
- Why not celebrate Easter?
- What is the origin of Easter?
- Should Christians celebrate valentines day?
- What religions don’t celebrate Christmas?
- Why Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christmas?
- Is the celebration of Christmas biblical?
These are real searches people are making on Google by the way.
Maybe you’ve found yourself asking these exact questions? Perhaps that’s what you typed in to get you to this blog post. Believe me when I say you’re not alone in asking. In fact, for many, these questions often remain unanswered for many years.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Traditions are hard to break. But seeing how you’re here right now reading this post, your curiosity has inspired you to push through and finally get your answers.
I’m glad you’re here!
First, what’s the big deal with celebrating these holidays?
I know what you’re thinking right now. What’s the harm in celebrating these holidays? They’re fun. They promote quality family time. They don’t hurt anyone. Plus, I’ve been doing it all my life.
Yeah, I’ve been there too.
I remember the first time I found out that true Christians didn’t celebrate Halloween. I was probably about 8 years old. My parents were Catholic and up to this point, I was too. But this was also when my parents had just started listening to Bible studies in the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ). The minister’s daughter was at my house while her dad led the Bible study and I asked her, “What are you wearing for Halloween? I’m dressing up as Barbie.” (Yes, I know—Barbie…I was eight!)
She smiled and politely mentioned that in the Church Of Christ they don’t celebrate Halloween. Being only 8 years old I didn’t really think much of it. Having just moved to the US, I was excited to be participating in this American tradition.
But when my family joined the Church, we learned the Bible should guide the decisions we make and how we live our lives. Long-held traditions can be hard to break. But the Bible has the words of God, and if we want to serve God, that’s what we should follow. In the process, it became very clear — Halloween, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and anything celebrating that have pagan roots were OUT.
Outside of the Bible, that is.
Find the answers to the questions you’re asking
As I mentioned, we often receive these questions, so we’ve compiled a list of videos and blogs to help you get the answers you need from the Bible. All of these programs use the Bible as the source for how God wants you to deal with these holidays.
So if you trust the Bible, you can be confident that these have the answers you’re looking for. I’ve gone ahead and categorized them by holiday so feel free to BOOKMARK this page and keep it as a resource the next time you have a question about these holidays.
Christmas
- Why is it wrong to celebrate Christmas?
- I don’t celebrate Christmas
- How we explain Christmas to our kids
Halloween
- Should Christians celebrate Halloween?
- Halloween
- The Truth About Halloween and Why Halloween is Not for Me
- Christians Don’t Celebrate Halloween
Easter
Valentine’s Day
Audit your beliefs to make sure they’re ALL Bible-based
We know you want to celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ in a way that honors Him and brings glory to His name. We also know you want to serve the Almighty God the way He teaches us to do so in the Bible. So why not start by separating fact from fiction when it comes to your beliefs?
Let’s set you up in a one-on-one Bible study. Together, we can help you root out any pagan influences in the traditions you follow and follow God’s words no matter what time of the year it is.
