I wrote a post in 2012, which I repost here as well as in 2014.

Samhain to Halloween: How we transformed “sacred” into “scared”

From last year’s post:

Remember, this short period, October 31 through November 1, from All Souls Day (Halloween) through All Saint’s Day (or All Hallows Day) demonstrates the usual pale, and now commercialized, Christianity-wrecked reflection of an ancient pagan celebration, in this case of Samhain, opposite ancient Beltane, May 1, both these yearly holy days signifying one of the four cross-quarter days, in this case at the midpoint of the quarter of the year between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice, when the dark, from this day until Solstice, increasingly overtakes the light. We celebrate the joining of the dimensions, the dark and the light, this material world and the spirit world, on this holy day when the veil between the worlds is rumored to be thinnest.

Last night, the night before Halloween night, bands of drunken college students roamed up and down this street between midnight and about 2 A.M. Young men loudly swearing, young women screeching, parading out of control, completely ignoring this quiet street, where their unsleeping neighbors lay, furious or wondering or restless — or utterly astonished at the contextual insensitivity of some in this college generation. I continue to be alarmed by the level of flat-out total inebriation that seems to be not just tolerated but celebrated among the young. And even more alarmed by the levels of college student debt; and I wonder if the need to drink is to dull the pain of knowing what the future may or may not bring. And of course, we can add climate change to the list. And extinction?

If ever there was a time to transform “scared” back into “sacred,” this is that time.

Meanwhile . . .

Boo!