> > Heh. A LOT of that has been lost. Nowadays, it's not about celebrating evil (or whatever other mythology that Halloween was built on, can't remember the specifics right now)
>
> The Druids.
>
> Instead of what we think of as Trick-or-Treat, they went around gathering virgins from houses. If they got one, they left a candle made of human fat burning inside a pumpkin. The virgin would be put inside a wicker man(or wicker cage if the man wasn't big enough). They were each given a choice to take a chance as to whether they would be allowed to escape. If someone accepted, that person would have one try to grab an apple with her teeth -- from a vat of boiling cider-like substance. Failure meant death on the spot; success meant going free... with damage from the boiling water. Any who declined a bid for freedom would be burned in their cages.
>
> Back at the houses, any who didn't produce a virgin when asked for one would be cursed... and they drew a pentagram on the door.
>
> Fun for the whole family!
>
> > Sosi"oh, and toilet paper trees"qui
>
> Nyperold

Assuming that the above is all true, I think it's great that the traditions of the holiday have been changed from the horrific night you described to one where we have children going around wearing plastic Anakin Skywalker masks asking for candy.

-Faux Pas