As Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October 2026, many Orthodox parents are again asking whether their children should join in. Every year, Greek City Times shares one priest\u2019s clear answer on why Christians should not celebrate Halloween.<\/strong><\/p>\n The reflection below was written by Fr Irinaios Koikas while he served the Greek Orthodox Church of St George the Martyr in Hobart, Tasmania. We first published it in 2022, and it has been lightly edited for 2026.<\/p>\n The name Halloween comes from All Hallows\u2019 Eve, the night before the Western feast of All Saints on 1 November. The Orthodox Church honours All Saints on the first Sunday after Pentecost instead, so 31 October has no place in the Orthodox calendar.<\/p>\n For Fr Irinaios, the costumes, carved pumpkins and \u201cbit of fun\u201d hide something far darker. He gives seven reasons.<\/p>\n Read more: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Celebrates 35 Years of Priesthood in Constantinople<\/p>\n Fr Irinaios describes Halloween as a demonic pagan celebration. Many believe it is the night when evil spirits are free to roam among the living.<\/p>\n He notes that 31 October is treated as a \u201choly day\u201d by Satanists, witches and occultists. They give it the weight Christians give to Pascha, when Christ trampled down death by death.<\/p>\n In his view, Halloween is the spiritual opposite of the Resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection celebrates life and victory over death, while Halloween glorifies death, fear and darkness.<\/p>\n He warns that occult groups use the night for rituals aimed against the Church and Christian communities.<\/p>\n Fr Irinaios warns that the enemy delights when families take part. Children who grow up with the festival tend to pass it on to their own children, so the harm spreads from one generation to the next.<\/p>\n The costume, he says, is a pretence: to pose as something you are not. In doing so, people open their lives and families to spiritual attack.<\/p>\n Satan is the great identity thief. In the wilderness he challenged Christ\u2019s identity: \u201cIf You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread\u201d (Matthew 4:3). Scripture also warns that \u201cSatan himself transforms himself into an angel of light\u201d (2 Corinthians 11:14).<\/p>\n To celebrate Halloween is to betray the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. As St Paul writes:<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.\u201d<\/p>\n 1 Corinthians 10:21<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Fr Irinaios calls the carved pumpkin an open invitation to evil. Spider webs, goblin figures and other dark decorations are, in his words, symbolic invitations for demons to enter the home.<\/p>\n Scripture is clear about the customs of false gods: \u201cDo not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices\u201d (Exodus 23:24).<\/p>\n Christ calls the devil \u201ca liar and the father of it\u201d (John 8:44). He also warns that \u201cthe thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy\u201d (John 10:10).<\/p>\n St Paul adds a direct warning:<\/p>\n \u201cRather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.\u201d<\/p>\n 1 Corinthians 10:20<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Fr Irinaios closes with an appeal to families: protect your children from rituals that are dressed up as \u201ca bit of fun\u201d. This \u201cbit of fun\u201d, he warns, can harm a child\u2019s growth and draw them away from God and the Church.<\/p>\n Families who choose not to celebrate Halloween can turn to the feasts and saints of their own tradition. This week alone, the Church marked the Protection of the Theotokos, Agia Skepi on 28 October.<\/p>\n For daily guidance, read our Orthodox Gospel reflection for 30 October. You can also see why Greece skips Halloween for its own carnival, and how the Hobart Greek Orthodox community keeps its own feasts alive.<\/p>\n Fr Irinaios Koikas, then parish priest of the Greek Orthodox Church of St George the Martyr, Hobart, Tasmania.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/173844-653x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n1. Halloween is rooted in a pagan festival of the dead<\/h3>\n
2. To celebrate Halloween is to oppose the Resurrection<\/h3>\n
3. It passes on harm to the next generation<\/h3>\n
4. Costumes deny who we truly are<\/h3>\n
5. Celebrating Halloween betrays God<\/h3>\n
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6. Its symbols invite evil into the home<\/h3>\n
7. The father of lies comes to steal and destroy<\/h3>\n
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A plea to Orthodox parents<\/h3>\n