Okay, I'll admit that this time of year is a guilty pleasure of mine, with the changing of the seasons. Cool, crisp days and evenings allow you to cook hearty, healthy meals that fill your home with sumptuous, delicious smells. It's the time of year for hot apple cider, pumpkins, and families getting together. Harvest time was a time when all of the year's hard work was stored away for the long, cold winter months. We recently had the pleasure of hearing, “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something nice to eat.” Why do we say this? Where does this tradition come from? What is the reason for our costumes and the pumpkins we carve? Who originally created this celebration and why do we forget the all-important slasher films and TV specials? is not a holiday and should not be celebrated, I believe it is a holiday, because it is steeped in tradition, a true American holiday and a social revelry of merriment that everyone can enjoy. Murray Hope explains on Joelle's Entrance Website Sacred Grove, that this ancient festive celebration began with the Celts (peoples of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England) around the 5th century BC. After the occupation of the British island, many pagan customs of the Romans were added to this celebration, such as that of the harvest goddess, Pomona, whose sacred fruit is the apple. This is believed to be why we celebrate the festivities with apple cider, bobbing for apples, and candied apples (Wolf). All this lasted until Christianity decided to convert all the pagans and incorporated many of their holidays into the church calendar. Pope Gregory IV was the first to try to combine pagan customs within the Church, so he created...... middle of paper......ngest Holidays." Suite101.com: online magazine and network writers. September 28, 2018. 2007. Web. October 8, 2010. Schaadt, Robert L. "Bats and Halloween - The Vindicator: News." The Vindicator: South Liberty County's oldest continuous print news source since 1887. Web November 21, 2010." Should Christians Participate in Halloween? - ChristianAnswers.Net." Christian Answers® Network™ (ChristianAnswers.Net): Multilingual answers, reviews, ministry resources, and more! [Home]. Web. November 21, 2010.Skal, David J. Death Takes a Holiday. New York: Bloomsbury, 2002. Print. “Unusual Facts About Pumpkin Halloween.” The Pagan Path ~ Education Network. October 13, 2009. Web. October 8,2010.