HALLOWEEN IS NOT EVIL (11-2003)

Another Halloween is over and the little ghouls and goblins are probably still busy devouring
their sweet treats. It means Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

When I was a kid, Halloween was my second favorite holiday, behind Christmas. It meant that I
got to roam the neighborhood, dressed in attire that would get me labeled a freak of nature if
worn during any other time of year, and ask all my neighbors for candy.

For me, and all those in my peer group who went trick-or-treating, Halloween was simply a fun
holiday used to dress up in costumes and get candy. Sure, some of the costumes were meant to be
eerie or scary, but that had no deep meaning for me. It was just pure fun.

Then, in my early adulthood, I was listening to a radio talk show on Halloween. The guest was a
man who claimed that Halloween was evil because it was the devil's holiday. He claimed that
people, even children, who dressed up like ghosts and demons were unwittingly inviting demonic
possession of their bodies.

I listened a while, but decided in the end that the guy was a flake. I had dressed up in all kinds of
scary costumes every year of my childhood and never once remembered being possessed by a
demon, although I had suspicions regarding my little brothers. Actually, I never really believed in
demons anyway. They were the creations of Hollywood script writers and appeared only on
Nightmare Theater.

I never really paid much attention to the history of Halloween when I was younger. I just knew it
was the time of year I got to eat sweets with reckless abandon. That's all that really mattered to
me.

But as an adult, my interest in the history of all holidays waxed. I did research on the calendar
and its history, including the observances of holidays. I found out some interesting facts about the
customs and traditions that surround most of our modern holidays. I also discovered that most
holidays, even the Christian ones, can be traced to ancient pagan practices and customs.

Such is the case with Halloween. It was originally a celebration of the Celtic new year and was
thought to be a time when the spirit world could intermingle with the living world. Our modern
customs of dressing up in costume, trick-or-treating, carving Jack-o-lanterns, and bobbing for
apples can all be traced back to some ancient practice of Europeans.

Halloween's history is intriguing, with some surprising details. So I decided to add Halloween's
customs and history to my holiday Web site, which provides historical accounts of several other
holidays.

My Halloween site has been in place on the Internet for several years and I can honestly say that
the most surprising thing I've learned about Halloween is the fact that some people seem to take
it so seriously. Some are truly afraid of it; others are merely offended by it.

I receive hundreds of feedback messages about my Halloween site every October. The vast
majority of them are complimentary. But every year a significant amount of feedback comes
from those who insist that Halloween is inherently evil and should be shunned. 

People are free to believe what they wish. But I have never looked upon Halloween as being
inherently evil. It's name comes from a contraction of All Hallow's Eve, because it occurs on the
eve of All Saints' Day, sometimes called All Hallow's Day, on November 1. The Catholic
observance just happened to coincide with the Celtic new year, so over time, they became
commingled.

So in my replies to the negative feedback, I generally tell people to just lighten up and enjoy the
season for what it really is - a fun and festive little celebration of autumn. There is nothing
inherently bad about Halloween. It's only as evil as one cares to make it.