| Every year in early October, Halloween props, | | | | home where they could ration your consumption |
| decorations, and costumes begin to fill the | | | | (while they rifled through some of the "good |
| entrances and isles of malls, departments stores, | | | | stuff" for themselves). You remember hayrides, |
| and even grocery stores. Advertisements for | | | | costume parties, and visiting the local make-shift |
| haunted houses, costume parties, and other | | | | haunted house or haunted woods. You watched |
| events start popping up everywhere. As we are | | | | Halloween television specials and just had a lot of |
| reminded of the Halloween season, the argument | | | | fun with your friends and have special memories |
| about Halloween starts brewing. Is Halloween a | | | | of this scary holiday. |
| wicked ritual based on satanism and witchcraft or | | | | Evil Tradition |
| is it a time to have harmless fun with friends? | | | | While many people find no harm in Halloween, |
| The debate continues. | | | | there are also many that avoid any activity or |
| Halloween is celebrated every year on the | | | | get together that has anything to do with |
| evening of October 31st. Many people love | | | | Halloween. Many believe that the origins of |
| Halloween time and enjoy dressing up as their | | | | Halloween are based on satanic rituals and |
| favorite character, taking their kids | | | | witchcraft and any participation or celebration in |
| trick-or-treating, eating candy, and going to | | | | Halloween activities is condoning witchcraft, |
| costume parties and think of it as just clean fun. | | | | satanism, and other evil based traditions. |
| However, other people think of Halloween as an | | | | Conflicting Beliefs |
| evil ritual based on satanic practices and should be | | | | There are many conflicting beliefs on the history |
| avoided at all costs. This brings up an interesting | | | | of Halloween. One belief is that it began as a Celtic |
| debate with many passionate and heated | | | | pagan festival originally named Samhain in Ireland |
| arguments on each side of the issue. | | | | where Celtic priests (known as Druids) performed |
| Simply Good Clean Fun | | | | rituals by offering sacrifices or crops, animals, and |
| If you are like many people, you have fond | | | | supposedly even humans to please the gods. This |
| memories of Halloween as you were growing up. | | | | was done to ensure the sun would return when |
| You remember picking out the costume of your | | | | the winter season ended and the evil spirits would |
| favorite super hero or your mother making a | | | | be scared away. Another belief is that much of |
| scary ghost outfit made of a white sheet with | | | | the information about the origins of Halloween are |
| some holes cut out for the eyes. With a little | | | | based on inaccuracies, myths, and other fiction |
| plastic jack-o-lantern or paper sack, you | | | | and that no historical proofs link Halloween to |
| journeyed about the neighborhood with your | | | | satanism or witchcraft. |
| friends going door to door quoting the well known | | | | So, is Halloween an wicked ritual? Is it clean fun? |
| phrase "trick or treat". You couldn't wait to see | | | | Is it what we make of it now regardless of it's |
| what kind of candy or treat you would get. | | | | origins? Should we avoid it at all costs? Should we |
| Sometimes you would eat some of the candy as | | | | celebrate it as a time of plentiful harvest? What is |
| you wandered the neighborhood even though | | | | your opinion? The debate continues... |
| your parents told you to save it until you got | | | | |