Halloween is the name the Christians gave to an already-existing, very old, pagan festival. A lot of pagans tend to use the celtic name Samhain to distinguish it from the Christian OR the commercial festival. Clinton Hammond, as usual you are talking out of your arse, but then that's so normal an event I don't know why I bothered to comment on it.

As a Witch (not a Wiccan) I don't find kids dressing up offensive, I do find the fact that it's yet another excuse for commercial operations to make even more money slightly offensive. That, however, doesn't really have much to do with my religious beliefs...I'd still find that offensive if I weren't a Witch.

I shall be celebrating this evening, as I know a lot of other Mudcatters will. We will be celebrating the harvest, in one way or another. Not just the bringing in of crops and food, but the good things we have done or received during the year. As it is our New Year, we will be casting off the bad from the past year and looking forward to what we hope for in the next. We will also be thinking of the departed, as this is the festival of the dead, and inviting them to share our feasts

Happy Samhain everyone!

Love Lynne