This is in response to a letter by the Rev. Doug Taylor, printed Oct. 12. It is an attempt to educate Taylor and those who were misled by his writings that day. Here is the truth about Halloween:

Halloween, or Samhain, as it is known to those of the Celtic tradition, is not a day to celebrate evil, but a day in which the changing of seasons is celebrated. The word itself is derived from the Gaelic word “Samhuinn,” or “Shamhna,” both of which literally mean “summer’s end.” Early Christians celebrated this day as “Hollowmas,” or “All Saints’ Day,” to commemorate the souls of those who had died the previous year.

Only in recent history has that day come to be viewed as Taylor would have us believe, a day in which “diabolical evil” is celebrated. In fact, it was modern Christians here in the Americas who converted the day to what it now is. Obviously, we have some way to go in order to dispel the myths often associated with paganism in this country.

Jamie Beaulieu, Jay