This Is Halloween

Originally, Halloween was "Samhain," a Celtic festival celebrating the end of the summer and taking stock of supplies needed for winter. It was also the time of year when they saw a surge in paranormal and spiritual activity. To ward off evil spirits, the Celts built large bonfires and conducted animal (and sometimes human) sacrifices.

Fast-forward to the 12th century. November 1st and 2nd are All Saints Day (All Hallows) and All Souls day, celebrated largely by much of the Christian world, and considered a fairly important holiday. This was a time of praying for the souls of the departed, who may have still been in purgatory. In what is now the United Kingdom, this involved "souling", where poor people would go door to door on November 1st and receive food in exchange for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day.

Between the Protestant Reformation, the founding of the United States, and perhaps just a change in times, what we celebrate now is Halloween. We bob for apples, carve and paint pumpkins, and decorate our houses. We dress our kids and ourselves in costumes that range from the creepy to the ridiculously silly. We parade through the towns drinking Sam Adams Oktoberfest and apple cider. We still have parties and bonfires, and we still go door to door, except now we beg for candy instead of food. We watch scary movies and hours-long marathons of the Munsters, and listen to "Monster Mash."

Have we degraded what was once a sacred festival and holiday? Have we strayed so far from the point we no longer remember for what this day was intended? My answer is this- who cares? It's Halloween! Have fun trick-or-treating tonight!