Samhain - 'Halloween' - Day of the Dead - Seasonal changes.

So here we are again. Halloween. Treats, costumes, lanterns, spiders, bats, blood, horror, death, ghosts.

It has its origins in the ancient, pagan, pre-Christian, Celtic festival known as Samhain ("sah-win"). The Feast of the Dead. A time when humans had much less knowledge of the world around them. Later, hijacked and assimilated by the religious ceremony of All Hallows Eve & All Saints Day. A day for the dead. Look it up. It is a celebration of the end of the harvest season, a recognition of the lengthening nights, worsening weather and the harsh winter season running up to the winter solstice ( Dec 21st aka Christmas. Here ). It represents the point in the calendar when livestock were moved to lower level farmland from the higher, summer feeding grounds and when animals were slaughtered for the winter larders.  In the northern hemisphere, the reduced daylight, winter temperatures and sparse food supply meant that our ancient, pagan ancestors felt the icy grip of winter tightening and closer to their (made up) spirit world, disease and death. The coming of the Light. Humans have always feared the things that they hadn't worked out.

Using hateful threats & violence to silence dissent. #BlasphemyLaws.

If your religion is 'insulted' by mockery or 'offended' by criticism, your religion is pathetic & not fit for modern society. Offended by imitation, ridicule, cartoons, films or even someone speaking? Then it doesn't seem a very well founded belief. Do you think people should be punished for doing these things? Grow up, move on and think about the relevance of your 'beliefs' within the modern world.

Blasphemy Laws are outdated and pathetic. They exist where & when archaic religions/cults use threats of punishment & violence to silence dissent. Often state sanctioned, they are a marker of a regressive society where protection of free speech & human life is valued below the