The flames crackle, casting eerie shadows that twist across the gathered crowd. Nessa clutches her father’s hand, her heart pounding beneath the weight of anticipation — and fear. She watches, wide-eyed, as her older brother Caelan moves towards the center, where the druids stand, adorned in their cloaks of bone and fur. His face is pale and solemn as he prepares to face the spirits of Samhain.

The druids raise their arms to the sky, chanting words that have echoed through these hills for generations. Nessa glances at her mother, who had whispered that Caelan’s role tonight is one of honor, but Nessa isn't so sure. She had seen the tension in her mother’s face, heard the low, urgent conversations among the villagers. This was no ordinary festival — it was a time of fear, where the veil between the living and dead was thought to grow thin. And tonight, her brother would become part of that fear.

As the fire roars higher, a sudden hush falls over the crowd. Caelan steps forward, his gaze fixed beyond the flames, as though he can see something on the other side, something waiting. At that moment, Nessa feels a shiver, a strange certainty that her brother is walking to a place she can never follow. The druids begin a low chant, their hands raised as they prepare to offer their sacrifice, hoping to appease the wandering spirits. Nessa tightens her grip on her father's hand, but her small, trembling fingers find no comfort there. She knows that tonight, the spirits demand something different than they have before.

Halloween is believed to be traced back to ancient Celtic traditions, specifically the festival of Samhain. Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”), celebrated at the end of October, was the Celtic New Year, marking the transition from harvest to winter. The Celts believed that during Samhain, the boundary between the living and the dead thinned, allowing spirits of the dead to return to earth. This thinning of the veil was both revered and feared, and the Celts performed rituals to appease the spirits, often leaving offerings (both animal and human) to ensure good fortune and safety from any malevolent forces.

When Christianity came to Celtic lands, the Catholic Church sought to repurpose many of these festivals, including Samhain, to facilitate conversion. Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints' Day, making October 31 “All Hallows’ Eve.” The name eventually morphed into “Halloween.” This rebranding did not eliminate the pagan elements of the celebration; rather, it allowed them to continue, only now with less criticism from Christians.

Many people — especially Christians — find Halloween concerning. With its roots in paganism and its modern emphasis on fear, death, and the demonic, Halloween is often seen as promoting values that contradict teachings of love, purity, and life.

Regardless of your religious persuasion, there is the alarming fact that Halloween desensitizes people, especially young children, to images and ideas that might otherwise disturb them. For instance, repeated exposure to images of death, skeletons, and violence can make these things appear trivial or even entertaining and fun. It also encourages 'tricks' (in trick-or-treating), which are typically behaviors that would not be condoned on any other day of the year. What we see or accept as normal has a large influence on how we think and behave. Evil is not something to be laughed at or played with; it's very serious.

Well, you can draw from this short post whatever conclusion you wish. I myself am a Christian, and the glorification of evil and fear isn't something I want to participate in. So no, you won't be seeing any Halloween-themed codes or posts from me, besides the one you're reading right now. 🥲
I usually try to keep my posts coding-focused, but since a few of you were wondering why I'm not doing anything special for Halloween, I created this for you. 🙂

This post is tagged with #discuss! Let me know what you think in the comments.

Happy coding!

Note: The story at the beginning of the post is fictional, thought it reflects the true practices of the Celtics. The druids were known to offer sacrificies, both of humans and animals.