As another years 'Halloween' has come and gone, I would like to address some of the myths that surround what Halloween is all about.

Lets first address the word 'halloween' itself. "Hallow" is an old word meaning holy, to treat as sacred; "e'en" is Scottish/Gaelic for evening. Thus we have 'holy evening or sacred evening'.

Now lets look at the traditional word 'Samahin'. The word 'Samhain' means summer-end; 'Samhuinn' or 'Samhainn' means Hallow-tide.

The Roman Catholic Church attempted to Christianize the pagan festival of "Samhain" (pronounced sow-in) by adopting November 1 as All-Saints Day or All-Hallows Day - a time to remember those that have passed away. All Saint's (Hallows) Day was first introduced in the 7th century, and was originally on May 13, and then apparently moved to February 21. It was changed to November 1 by Pope Gregory in 835. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. The Celtic New Year and the Roman New Year were not the same. The Celtic New Year was indeed Nov. 1, but the Roman was on April 22.

The Druids were an 'oral' tradition; they didn't write down their teachings. Unfortunately, most of what is known of them from pre-Christian times was written by their mortal enemies: the Roman Empire. The ancient Celtic fire festival called "Samhain" is the origin of modern Halloween. This festival was the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, marking the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season. Samhain marks the pagan New Year's eve. It is a time spent celebrating death, fertility, and renewal. The autumn leaves, cornstalks, apples, and nuts which are so much a part of the Halloween season are reminders of the Druids' autumn festival in honor of the harvest.

There is no such deity as "Samhain, Druid god of the dead". The "Great God Samhain" myth appears to have come from Col. Vallency's books in the 1770s before the reliable translations of the Celtic literary works and before the archaeological excavations. "Samhain" is the name of the holiday. There is no evidence of any god or demon named "Samhain," "Samain," "Sam Hane," or however you want to vary the spelling.

All Hallows Eve is the night to bring to life those who have passed. It is Samhain, All Soul's Day, the Day of the Dead, Halloween. It is the time to hallow, to venerate the dead and in so doing, acknowledge their energy which still flows through us. It is the time to be with our ancestors, when the earth hovers in the twilight of decay. The window to those who have already passed is open.

In Ireland, where Halloween began, the first jack-o'-lanterns weren't made of pumpkins. They were made out of rutabagas, potatoes, turnips, or even beets. There is an old 18th century Irish 'legend' about a man named Stingy Jack who was too mean to get into heaven and had played too many tricks on the devil to go to hell. When he died, he had to walk the earth, carrying a lantern made out of a turnip with a burning coal inside. Stingy Jack became known as "Jack of the Lantern," or "Jack-o'-lantern." From this legend came the Irish tradition of placing jack-o'-lanterns made of turnips and other vegetables in windows or by doors on Halloween. The jack-o'-lanterns are meant to scare away Stingy Jack and all the other spirits that are said to walk the earth on that night. It wasn't until the tradition was brought to the United States by Irish immigrants in the late 1800's that pumpkins (which were abundant) were used for jack-o'-lanterns.

Let's now see how other countries celebrate 'Samhain':

In Mexico, Halloween is known as 'Los Dias de los Muertos' (the day of the dead). However, it isn't a time of sadness but one of great rejoicing. At this time of year the Monarch Butterflies, which have summered up north in the United States and Canada, return to Mexico. They are believed to bear the spirits of the dearly departed and are warmly welcomed home.

In Japan, the 'Bon Festival', is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors, for whom special foods are prepared. This festival, however, occurs during the middle of the summer.

Neither Witchcraft nor Wicca is synonymous with Satan or Devil worship. The very concept of a supreme evil spirit is alien to Witches; we do not worship any being known as "Satan" or "the Devil", as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only be denial to another. The notion that Witches worship Satan was produced by the Roman Catholic Church as they made their way across Europe, in an effort to suppress the native earth-based religions prevalent at the time.

So if it appears on October 31 that the wind sounds a little too mournful as it whistles through the skeletal fingers of the bare trees, it's only your imagination. And if the nip in the air seems to bear the chilling touch of the grave on it, it's only fall foreshadowing the arrival of winter. It has nothing to do with the ghosts and goblins that a 'legend' has made.