By Isabela Grace del Rosario
CALUMPIT, Bulacan – Instead of celebrating Halloween parties, youths gather to receive training about leadership and life’s purpose.
All Saint’s Day in the Philippines is always celebrated by families and individuals visiting their departed loved ones in the cemeteries and for many also, it has always been a family reunion. It is already a tradition celebrated by most Filipinos, however for youths in Harvesters’ Mission Church, the November 1 day of remembering serves as a day to gather and receive training through lectures and forums.
Harvesters’ Mission Church is a Presbyterian church under the Darakbang Organization based in Korea. Headed by Pastor Kim Hyun Soo, a Korean missionary pastor, Filipino and Korean youths, ministers, and teachers gathered together to praise and receive lectures about, “Life’s Purpose” and “how to start living from now on” from morning to afternoon.
They also had the time to share their realization and goals through a forum. Although the forum was held on All Saint’s Day, it was still considered a deviation from the traditional October 31 Halloween parties and trick or treats.
The reason why Halloween is not celebrated by Christians is because Halloween is believed to be a commemoration of the dead and is a celebration among pagans, based in the bible. As it was told, the origin of Halloween comes from the Celts (people from Western Europe) who held an annual festival called Samhain. During these festivals, sacrifices were made for their false gods – which is called a Druid (Celtic priests involved in witchcraft) tradition. Pagans would knock on the door of Christians and ask for “trick or treat” – both a play question to offer them as sacrifice if they one is lucky to win. Nowadays, many of these pagan traditions have become modernized and have also been part of contemporary Filipino culture.
The views surrounding Halloween have been contentious, with some prominent figures speaking out against its celebration. Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, notoriously remarked that donning costumes for Halloween signifies a surrender to Satan. He took glee in witnessing Christians embrace the celebration, stating, “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween” (Source: Meer website).
Yet, for the youths at Harvesters’ Mission Church, this day served as a profound reminder of their beliefs. Drawing from scripture, particularly John 19:30, where Jesus declares, “It is finished,” they embraced the message that through His sacrifice, the burden of sin has been lifted. Their aim is to live lives dedicated to glorifying God, focusing on their purpose in a world that often distracts from spiritual growth.
