Shapeshifters At Halloween

It's Halloween, and down the street comes a motley crew - black cats and witches. Clowns and princesses. Darth Vader and a Klingon or two. And, somewhere in their midst, you might spy a vampire, or maybe a werewolf. How did these shapeshifters, these creature of myth and legend, become associated with the Trick or Treat celebrations of Halloween?

Halloween is believed to have originated with the Celtic people of Ireland. It has, in fact, a rather morbid beginning. It may be a version of the Celtic celebration of Samhain. Samhain proclaimed the end of harvest and the beginning of a new year.

A Celtic religious group called the Druids believed that, on Samhain, the dead roamed the earth looking for living bodies to steal. They would turn these bodies into witches.

To hide from the dead, the people started wearing masks and costumes so the dead wouldn't know who they were or whether they were already possessed.

Christianity changed the holiday into All Saints or All Hallows Day. The night before became known as All Hallows evening, and eventually this was shortened to Halloween. Halloween came to America with Irish settlers in the 1840s.

The association of Halloween with the ancient Druid beliefs eventually lead people to associate anything believed to be evil with the celebration. Vampires are said to be the living dead who feed on living people. And again, this goes back to the idea that the dead walk the earth.

The werewolf is also considered evil, or at least unnatural. Often Halloween trick or treaters roam the streets after dark, in the light of the moon. Werewolf time! Some people believe that werewolves, rather than people who have "changed" may actually be spirits who have taken animal form. Again, this leads us back to the old Druid beliefs.

Years ago, Halloween was a night to fear, a night to lock your doors and turn out the lights. But today, it's a night for children, and it's all in fun.

Or is it??? Keep a close eye on your nocturnal visitors. They look like giggling children. But there may be one or two imposters among them.

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