All Hallows' Eve Scares Some Religious Leaders

Halloween, it seems, becomes darker and darker each year and the backlash against it more and more serious. When most baby boomers were celebrating the holiday in tiaras and Superman capes, no one thought much of its origins, or cared because it didn't matter — candy and costumes were involved. So what happened? Was it the Harry Potter series? Was it the resurgence of Wicca, a neopagan religion?

For background, Halloween has its roots in the ancient pagan religions of the Celts in Ireland. Celts celebrated the beginning of the new year on Nov. 1, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. They believed that the night before, Oct. 31, a boundary opened through which the dead returned to earth to generally cause trouble and damage crops. Full Story

Related: religion, wicca, pagan, spells