Halloween

"Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He's gotta pick this one. He's got to. I don't see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there's not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see." -Linus in "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

This upcoming Saturday is Halloween. It's the eve of All Saints Day. The word Halloween comes from the Scottish term, All Hallows Eve, which means holy evening. Millions of people from around the world are celebrating this day with various festivities - apple bobbing, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, trick-or-treating and visiting haunted houses. It's known as a time for witches, ghouls, goblins and ghosts.

This festive day is roughly based on the old Celtic holiday, Samhain, which means end of summer. The Celts were superstitious of this holiday. It marked the beginning of winter - the darker half of the year. They believed this day was neither in the past or the year to come - it was the day in between. Chaos prevailed on this day. The Celts believed the dead roamed the land, looking for bodies to live in. Hoping to confuse and frighten the spirits away, they would dress up in costumes and march through the streets making loud noises.

What I love most about Halloween are the costumes. They're fun, scary and creative. They vary from the supernatural - devils, monsters, vampires and witches - to popular fictional characters, even celebrities. What do you love most about Halloween?