| Every year in early October, Halloween props, | | | | you got home where they could ration your |
| decorations, and costumes begin to fill the entrance | | | | consumption (while they picked through some of the |
| ways and isles of malls, departments stores, and | | | | "good stuff" for themselves). You remember |
| even grocery stores. Advertisements for haunted | | | | costume parties, hayrides, and visiting the local |
| houses, costume parties, and other Halloween events | | | | make-shift haunted house or haunted woods. You |
| begin popping up all around us. As we are reminded | | | | watched favorite Halloween television specials and |
| once again of the Halloween season, the debate | | | | just had a lot of fun with your friends and have |
| about Halloween festivities starts brewing. Is | | | | special memories of this spooky holiday. |
| Halloween an evil tradition based on satanism and | | | | Evil Ritual |
| witchcraft or is it just a time to have some harmless | | | | While many people find no harm in having fun at |
| fun with family and friends? The debate rages on. | | | | Halloween, there are also many that avoid any |
| Halloween is celebrated every year on the night of | | | | activity or get together that has anything to do with |
| October 31st. Many people love Halloween time and | | | | Halloween. Many believe that the origins of Halloween |
| enjoy dressing up as their favorite character, taking | | | | are based on satanistic rituals and witchcraft and any |
| their children trick-or-treating, eating candy, and going | | | | celebration or participation in Halloween activities is |
| to costume parties and think it is just good clean fun. | | | | condoning satanism, witchcraft, and other evil based |
| However, others think of Halloween as an evil ritual | | | | traditions. |
| based on satanic practices and should be avoided at | | | | Conflicting Beliefs |
| all costs. This brings up an interesting discussion with | | | | There are conflicting beliefs on the history of |
| many heated and passionate arguments on both | | | | Halloween. One belief is that it originated as a Celtic |
| sides of the issue. | | | | pagan festival originally named Samhain in Ireland |
| Good Clean Fun | | | | where Celtic priests (known as Druids) performed |
| If you are like many people, you have fond | | | | rituals by offering sacrifices or crops, animals, and |
| memories of Halloween as you were growing up. You | | | | supposedly even humans to appease the gods. This |
| remember picking out the costume of your favorite | | | | was done to ensure the sun would return after the |
| cartoon super hero or your mother making a cool | | | | winter season and the evil spirits would be frightened |
| ghost outfit made of a simple white sheet with some | | | | away. Another belief is that much of the information |
| holes cut out for the eyes. With a little plastic | | | | about the origins of Halloween are based on myths, |
| jack-o-lantern or paper sack, you frolicked about the | | | | inaccuracies, and other fiction and that no historical |
| neighborhood with your friends going door to door | | | | evidences link Halloween to satanism or witchcraft. |
| quoting the famous phrase "trick or treat". You were | | | | So, is Halloween an evil ritual? Is it good clean fun? Is |
| excited to see what kind of candy or other treat | | | | it what we make of it now regardless of it's origins? |
| you would get. Sometimes you would eat some of | | | | Should we totally avoid it at all costs? Should we |
| the candy while you wandered the neighborhood | | | | celebrate it as a time of plentiful harvest? What is |
| even though your parents told you to save it until | | | | your opinion? The debate rages on... |