Jerrie Whiteley

Whatever way, they will be taking part in a tradition, though somewhat changed, that reaches back nearly 2,000 years to the time when Celts, in what is now Ireland, celebrated the new year on Nov. 1.

The day marked the end of summer and the harvest as well as the start of the winter. Celts believed that the night before the new year allowed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead to become blurred. On that night, they celebrated Samhain, the day spirits could walk the earth. To celebrate the evening, they built huge bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals in celebration of Celtic deities.

According to the History.com Web site, by the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. That celebration was also called All-hallows and the night before All Saint's Day began to be known as All-hallows Eve. That eventually changed to Halloween. Along the way, the customs of honoring the dead took a backseat to the more secular celebration observed today.

The average American consumer is expected to spend around $18 on candy this year to hand out to door-to-door trick-or-treaters. Who knows how much of it each child will collect.

Happy birthday Thursday to Mitch Weiss of Van Alstyne; Herb Trout, Gwen Harris and Kailey Hamilton, all of Denison; Ron Uselton, Jewell McCracken, Owen Gilbert, Doris Clark, Felicia Sommers Edwards, Zamorion Smith and Jaimie Hubbard, all of Sherman; Gary James of Bells; Christine Birdsall of Gordonville; Carson Russell of Whitesboro; Raymond Wegger of Colbert, Okla.; Brandon Lyles of Ivanhoe; Tracie Merriman of Luella.

Happy anniversary Thursday to Charlie and Linda Williams of Whitesboro, 44 years.