Tomorrow night is Halloween. In spite of the practice nowadays of thinking of Halloween as the Devil’s night, Halloween is actually a holiday with rich religious origins. The “Hallow” in Halloween comes from the same root as “Hallowed be Thy Name.” Halloween is the day before the traditional Christian celebration known as All Saints’ Day. It was intended to be a “hallow(ed) e’en.”

Our tradition in which we think of ghosts and trick‑or‑treating comes from Celtic beliefs. The Celts believed that the souls of the departed roamed the earth one night in the fall. Since it was a time of harvest, the people would huddle together in front of fires, eating, and telling stories. And thus Halloween evolved into a celebration of witches and ghouls and fiends far removed from All Saints’ Day.

I trust…