Halloween, which directly stems from Irish, Scottish and British folk customs, was celebrated as the Druids’ autumn festival. The Druids were an order of priests who worshipped nature. This holiday was originally celebrated to honor Sambain, Lord of the Dead, on October 31 (the end of summer). The Druids believed that on this date, Sambain called all the wicked souls which had been condemned within the last year to live in animal bodies. He was believed to have released them in the form of spirits, ghosts, fairies, witches and elves.

According to the Druid tradition, these souls of the dead roamed the city on Halloween Night and returned to haunt the homes where they once lived. The only way the current occupants of the house could free themselves from being haunted was to lay food our and give shelter to the spirit during the night. If they did not, the spirit would cast a spell on them. This is where the phrase trick or treat comes from:They would be tricked if they did not lay out a treat.

The jack-o-lantern also was part of this belief system. The carved pumpkins symbolized a damned soul named jack. According to the tale, Jack was not allowed into heaven or hell. So, he wandered around in the darkness with his lantern until Judgment Day. Fearful people hollowed out turnips (and later pumpkins in the United States), carved an evil face on them, and lit a candle inside to scare him and other evil spirits away.

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Let’s spend our energy praising and celebrating the Living God of which we are his creation made in his likeness and image. This is a decision that honors life and love (as God is love) and leaves no place for Satan, lord of evil and all darkness, so come out of the dark and into the light, people.