In Jesus' name,
Amen
Praying for you and your family, Anon Fren,
That God will see you through the heat wave safely and in good health.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
Halloween comes from "All Hallow's Eve" which is the night before All Saints Day (Kinda like Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas). An older relative told me that in the not so distant past here in America, some kids would dress up as their favorite saint for Halloween. And yes, others would dress up as witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, devils ... but along the lines of, as Q says, "God Wins!" Still others would dress up as superheros or princesses or now politically incorrect Native American or Gypsy outfits. Others would dress as hobos. No offense was meant by children wearing these costumes. Seems to me the problems began when New Age / occult started becoming more mainstream in American culture ... Halloween started shifting away from kids putting on a costume and collecting candy trick-or-treating ... and towards adults making the holiday more sinister with the focus on not-so-innocent partying and paganism.
As for Easter, I've read that St. Patrick challenged a pagan king by lighting a fire for Christ at the time of the spring equinox before the king could light his pagan celebration fire. (The king was supposed to be the first one to light a fire to celebrate on that date.) St. Patrick wanted to claim Ireland for Christ, and the Easter bonfire he set was a sign of that, and part of his "driving out the snakes."
Yeah, Halloween had Irish roots (Samhain) that were replaced by Christianity much like how St. Patrick claimed the Irish Celtic/Druid spring holiday for Christ. So instead of the powers of darkness winning, the saints win the victory through Jesus. Dark to Light! :)
In any case, Christians don't worship Oester. The Christian Easter holiday celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. Follow the White Rabbit to the White House if you like. Even President Trump holds an Easter egg hunt for kids. And a tippy top event it is! :)
Christian here who worships Jesus.
The reason why we place gifts under a tree every December is the same reason why POTUS holds the Easter egg hunt ... as part of tradition.
That said, not every country follows the same tradition ... in some countries, The Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos) bring presents for the children at Christmas time / Epiphany. Some of these countries include Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, and Spain.
Exactly!
From what I heard, the Wise Men, Three Kings, Magi ... were pagan astrologers. Through their astrology, they were led to Jesus Christ, their King, and fell down to worship Him. God works in mysterious ways.
Your reasoned and logical answer is much appreciated. Respect to you, Anon.
Wolves in sheep's clothing.