Halloween has its roots in Paganism, or the "Old Religion" of ancient Europe. Paganism, a modern name for an old nature-based belief system, follows the Wheel of the Year - the seasons - as a guide to yielding good crops and celebrating abundance and fertility, essentially living an auspicious life. During the time of year between the autumnal equinox (when the day is exactly half light and half dark, or roughly September 21st by today's calendar) and the winter solstice (the longest night of the year, around December 21st), the ancients would celebrate their final harvest of the year before the coming of the cold months.

This suggests that this is why the median date of October 31st has become the date for modern-day Halloween.

During this time of year, food would be harvested, gathered and stored for the long winter ahead. If you were lucky, your crops yielded a sizable amount to live on and carry your family through to the thawing spring. It was believed that the ancestors of the people were responsible for overseeing the crops and well-being of the living, and would bless or curse them accordingly. This was a time to honor the ancestors, those who had gone before, through celebration and worship, offering and sacrifice.

Archetypical history suggests that these ancient peoples may have created elaborate rituals in order to appease their ancestors. This could include dressing up as the ancestors and reenacting offerings and sacrifices. The rituals became ancestral celebrations where people would dress in costume and receive offerings, or treats, from their fellow villagers.

The ancient Celts of Western Europe were thought to have carried on this tradition of honoring their ancestors during this time of year. They called it Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"). When Christianity swept across Europe, many rural populations still celebrated the Pagan holiday. Seeing the Old Religion as competition, Christian leaders created "All Saints Day," which fell on November 1st, hoping to convert the rural populations. The name "Halloween" descends from a nickname for All Saints Day, "the eve before All Hallows' Day," or "All Hallows Eve," referring to the hallowed saints of Christianity.

Today many people celebrate Halloween as a secular holiday, enjoying candy and costumes, or at the most, a welcoming of autumn. To others, this is a very sacred time of year, when the veil between the two worlds (the living and the dead) is thinnest.

Every year my friends and I join the freakshow that is the Halloween Parade in New York City. We love to create costumes and become someone else (or at least our real selves) for a change.

Being IN the parade is a totally different experience than watching the parade. When you're in the crowd watching, you get pushed, smushed and crushed trying to catch a glimpse of the freaks on parade.

When you're IN the parade, you are the spectacle that everyone is clammoring to see. Why everyone doesn't join in, I'll never know.

I think the phrase "I Love New York" was invented on October 31st. Who wouldn't want to see some regular schmo walk up 6th Avenue in nothing but a fig leaf, call himself Adam and get away with it? If there is ever a time that I doubt New York City - it certainly won't be on Halloween.

Many people are inspired by the autumn season. The crisp air, the turning leaves, apple picking and pumpkin patches. Bring a little of the outside indoors and get in the spirit by creating Halloween arts and crafts!

Carve some pumpkins, make an autumn wreath or two, put together a cornucopia of mini gourds. The picture to the left is courtesy of Martha. Yes, we're on a first name basis.