Costumes vs. Prayers: Armenia Divided Over Halloween

In Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, two very different scenes unfolded on Halloween night. While many people filled the city streets wearing costumes, makeup, and celebrating the Western holiday, a group of Christian Armenians gathered in the city center to share a different message. Their goal was to teach young people about Christianity and remind them of Armenia’s traditional religious holidays.

The Armenian Report’s Ani Khachatryan was on the ground following both sides. She observed that while there were plenty of tricks in the streets, there were no treats.

When asked why they were celebrating Halloween, some participants said they saw no harm in it. One person explained, “because it’s a fun holiday and a lot of people think it’s about hell but it’s not about Satanism at all. It’s actually to drive away evil spirits, not bring them in.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybiD71pjyhY

Others disagreed strongly, saying that Halloween has no place in Armenia. One Christian participant stated, “I don’t support this because we are the first Christians in the world. We need to be against that satanic holiday” Another added, “I’m protesting against that whole Halloween as a Christian, as a follower of Christ.”

For some young Armenians, the day was simply an opportunity to express creativity. One person dressed as a television character said, “I like Halloween and I wanted to become this character today because I’m watching Dexter now and I like this film. So I wanted to become it today because today is unique, to become some character.”

But for those gathered in protest, the concern was deeper. They believe the celebration goes against Armenian Christian traditions. “We just ask people not to follow this holiday because it’s not correct that we are Christians and we are celebrating evil things,” one person said. “We just want to encourage youth and old people and teenagers that it’s not a good holiday. Don’t follow the traditions that Armenians don’t have.”

Others described Halloween as a foreign custom that doesn’t belong in Armenia. “I think it came from America, from Europe,” one participant said.

Supporters of Halloween, however, tried to explain that the holiday’s meaning is often misunderstood. One celebrator said, “A lot of people don’t like Halloween in Armenia because they think it’s bad, about demons. We are a Christian country, but in reality Halloween is about this very long time ago people killed the demon, and today the world celebrates this day to celebrate killing the demon. But a lot of people don’t understand it and think it’s some kind of satanic ritual.”

As the night went on, the contrast between the two groups became clear — one celebrating with costumes and laughter, the other standing with crosses and prayers.

One protester summed up their message simply: “I want all of you to be strong in faith, to be real Christians, not just in name. Follow Christ and read the Bible.” Another added, “We want to encourage everyone to do Christian holidays and follow Christian holidays.”

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