The Spirit Of Halloween

Rooted in pagan traditions, it was actually the Celts who are responsible for this guy's misery. It was the time of year, marking the end of the harvest, and the onset of winter, when the livestock were brought in for slaughter. It was also a fearful time, when the barrier between the worlds of the living and dead were broken, and spirits walked the earth. The Celts held a ritual for this time, and it culminated in a sacred bonfire.
On this day, children would go door-to-door collecting firewood for the sacred bonfire, to provide light against the growing darkness. Some dope was out of firewood, and began passing out candy, which became trick-or-treating. ( you can figure out the trick part yourself) At this bonfire, the younger Celts wore masks, made of animal heads and skins, to frighten off the spirits. The old people just went as themselves.( Ya gotta love old people masks.)At the end of the celebration, families carried home embers from the sacred fire to relight their hearths. They used hollowed out turnips for this, and after the great potato and turnip famine , in Ireland, (Blame the Irish for everything.) switched to pumpkins.
Never one to miss an opportunity, the church got involved and figured out a moneymaking scheme. They designated Nov.1 as All Saints'Day to honor saints and martyrs. Later, because collections were down, Nov.2 was made All Souls Day, to honor the rest of us departed common folk. Any excuse for a mass, to trot out the collection turnip. (Plates were rare in those days, because most celts, had no table manners, and ate with their hands.) Eventually, these days became known as Hallowmass, and the night before became known as All-Hollows-Eve, and later shortened to Halloween, by Asian immigrants who couldn't pronounce it properly.
In the badger community, the teachings of The Great Pumpkin tell us that some of this is merely folklore, but we do incorporate some facets of it, in our celebration.
The badger community celebrates this day by having a large bonfire and throwing a party. At midnight, when the great Pumpkin, who is actually Uncle Ernie in disguise, rises out of the pumpkin patch, the kids are dispatched to leave burning badger turds on doorsteps, and knock over garbage cans.
For the adults, All Hollows Eve,( a hooker from the nearby weasel village), is brought in, and passed around. Any adult male, who does not partake in this ritual , is sentenced to have their nuts roasted on an open fire, during the Christmas celebration. Last year, poor cousin Chet made the critical mistake of refusing.
The following day is spent gathering roadkill for the evening feast and ensuing orgy, which kicks off the Christmas season.