Happy Halloween!

The newspapers have been full of the usual pre-Halloween articles lately: everything from parties, to the history of Halloween, to Fundamentalists proclaiming that all Halloween-related activities are Satanic.

The Fundamentalists need to get a grip. Halloween traditions are based on the pre-Christian harvest traditions of the people we now call the Celts. Apparently Fundamentalists think anything that happened before Christ was the same worshipping Satan. They ignore the fact that pre-Christians and modern pagans (Wiccans) simply want to worship the Creator through nature, much as Native Americans do, which is compatible with Christian beliefs and sure isn't the same as worshiping Satan. I wonder if those who claim Halloween is Satanic also celebrate Christmas? Don't tell them, but many of our Christmas customs are from the Celts, the same people who brought us Halloween.

In Mexico, this holiday is called The Day of the Dead. It's similar to our Memorial Day and at a much more appropriate time of year. Fall, with its change from summer's bounty to winter's severity, long nights, and a new year is a time for closure, remembrance, and celebration.

I feel sorry for anyone whose beliefs prevent them from having fun on Halloween. I have many happy memories of trick-or-treating and watching my dad dressing up like a hunchback scarecrow to scare the kids who came trick-or-treating at our house. The kids loved it and so did we! What could be more fun than being scared while you are actually perfectly safe? I think on some level, Halloween teaches kids how to deal with fear in a safe environment.

Tonight while the religious right scorns our devil-worshipping activities, I'll be handing out candy to adorable kids in cute costumes, and remembering my dad and all fun the we had.

Happy Halloween!

Here are some fun Halloween links:

Halloween

Halloween on the Net

Halloween Online

You can find lots more via Google.