Well it is about time to write that obligatory Halloween article. It seems like just yesterday it was sweltering outside and I was sitting in a nice air conditioned room. As they say, time flies when you are having fun. Soon those little ghosts and ghouls will be knocking on your door and asking for candy. I noticed that where I live we seen to be getting less and less of them and people now tend to only allow their kids to go to houses where they know the people. I guess this is a good idea, but when I was young we never worried about that and you never heard about any nuts putting stuff in the candy. Today unfortunately that has changed. People tell me this is strange, but it is true. I never heard of anyone going around on Halloween and trick or treating until I was a teenager. That was because I came from Brooklyn, New York and the day that we went around was Thanksgiving. Yeah, that's right, that was the day when you would ask, “do you have anything for Thanksgiving?” and everyone, no matter how poor, would always have something for you. Even the local stores would give you something. When I moved I was about 12 years old and that was when I was introduced to going around on Halloween and saying, “trick or treat”.

How did Halloween become a tradition in the United States? It was brought here by Irish immigrants in the 19^th century. The great part about Halloween is that it is not only celebrated in the United States. It is also celebrated in Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan and The United Kingdom. Some other countries have the custom, but only in different parts of their countries. They are Australia and Sweden. Some Latin American countries also celebrate it and it is called Noche de las Brujas or Night of the Witches. The roots of Halloween go all the way back to the Old Ireland and a Celtic festival known as Samhain. It is a celebration of harvest and Gaelic culture. It is amazing how an ancient pagan feast has become so popular. The name itself comes from All Saint's Day which used to be known as All Hallows' Day. The symbol of a pumpkin that was carved like a face with a candle in it was used to frighten off spirits. Originally a turnip or rutabaga was used. It was believed that the head was the most powerful part of the body, so the head of a vegetable was utilized.

Trick or treating is usually accepted in most countries, but in areas of Great Britain the police have warned parents that they will not allow trick or treating. Dressing in costumes to trick or treat is nothing new. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In that time there was something very similar called wassailing. Poor people would go door to door asking for food and in return they would pray for the soul of a dead relative or friend. This was known as souling. The practice took place on Hallowmas, which was November first. The prayers were said the next day which was All Souls Day, November second.

There is some difference of opinion on when Halloween trick or treating began in North America. As I have said it was believed to have started in the 1800s or 19^th century, but others claim that it didn't start until 1911. The reason for this is that the first newspaper article about Halloween trick or treating was printed in 1911. The paper was in Canada and near the U.S. border. The article talked about children getting dressed up in costumes on Halloween and visiting stores and neighbors and how they were rewarded with treats. Whether this was the first case of trick or treating, or only the first newspaper article about it remains to be seen. Halloween eve is the traditional time that people sit around fires telling ghost stories, visit so called haunted houses and try and contact the dead spirits of friends and loved ones. For years people gathered on that night to try and contact the spirit of the great magician Harry Houdini. They never succeeded.

Halloween is a fun time, but it also has a dark side. Many black cats have met their end on that night. We had a black cat and I would never let him out on Halloween. Several times I have seen where these poor creatures were hung. Then there are those crazies that like to put things into fruit and candy to harm the children. There has been just too much of this going on. Razor blades have been found in apples and poison in candy, just to mention a few things. It makes you wonder if true evil does exist, because this is such a terrible thing to do to anyone, but especially terrible to do to poor innocent children. Many occult practices were carried out in the past on Halloween. Today there are still satanic groups that carry out their evil ceremonies on this day. One person who is now grown, stated that he had belonged to a satanic cult, not by choice, but because he was only a child and his parents were members. He said that he lived a life of fear and sexual abuse and actually saw a young girl sacrificed on Halloween. Needless to say he left them as soon as he was able.

All in all, I think that we have to say that Halloween has become more fun than anything else. Sure there are some weird things going on during Halloween, but the huge bulk of activity is just pure fun. It just so happens that in any human activity there is always a small percentage of people that will do something to try and ruin the fun. Sometimes what they do is even life threatening and I guess that Halloween is no exception. I know that I am looking forward to those little tykes in their devil and angel costumes coming to the door and asking for candy. It is especially cute when they are just learning how to talk. Bring on Halloween, I am ready.