Give old Pope Gregory credit. In the eighth century, he realized that the Christian habit of celebrating all the saints was based on the pagan holiday of Halloween, so he moved the church's festival date from May 15 to October 31. In other words, he grabbed the pagan holiday and made it a church festival.

     Nevertheless, Halloween remains a serious religious holiday. For the several thousand Minnesota pagans, witches and other followers of the ancient, pre-Christian faiths, it's a major celebration.

     Gregory must have started a trend because many celebrations and festival elements of the Christian church come from the traditions, rituals and beliefs of the pre-Christian pagans.

     HALLOWEEN

     Halloween (Oct. 31): The Eve of the holiday that celebrates the dead. It most likely comes from the Druids who celebrated the New Year on Nov. 1. When the Romans conquered them, the Romans made it the celebration of the day of the dead.

     All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2): The church left the evening before to the witches but then took Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 as celebration days for the saints, martyrs and the dead.

     Halloween costumes: The modern custom of going door to door in costumes while begging for treats comes from the pagan New Year's feasts. Later, costumed medieval Christians went around offering to fast for the departed souls in exchange for money or an offering.

     CHRISTMAS

     Advent wreath: For the winter solstice, the coming of longer days was sometimes celebrated with a wreath and candles. The wreath symbolized glory and victory and the candles the coming light of longer days.

     Christmas: The Feast of Nativity, Dec. 25, was chosen in 440 A.D. to coincide with the winter solstice celebrations and the pagan festival to honor the sun god.

     Christmas tree: The Yule log, believed to be derived from a northern pagan ritual, also was considered to be the inspiration for the first Christmas tree. However, Martin Luther is credited with beginning the modern practice of a decorated tree.

     Gift giving: Ancient Roman pagans practiced STRENAE, or gift giving, as good luck tokens. They normally gave pastry, lamps, precious stones and coins.

     Santa Claus: Jolly Old St. Nick comes in part from St. Nicholas and the pagan god Thor. When Protestants abolished the feast of St. Nicholas, a composite figure of the bishop saint and the pagan god emerged.

     EASTER

     Easter: Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Germanic nations set bonfires to mark the coming of spring. The church tried to suppress the practice but finally it was incorporated into the Easter liturgy of Rome in the ninth century. Blessing of the fire is a part of the Easter Vigil.

     Easter eggs: During medieval times it was a custom to give decorated eggs to servants. The egg was an earlier pagan symbol of rebirth and was presented at the spring equinox, the beginning of the pagan new year.

     The Easter bunny: Yes, even the Easter bunny. It comes from a rabbit that was a pagan fertility symbol.

                               * * *

     Sources: "Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legends," "Celebrations: the Complete Book of American Holidays" and "The Folklore of American Holidays."

     The night is dark, except for the light of the crackling bonfires. The eerie chants of DRUID (DROO-id) priests offering gifts to Samhain, their sun god, drift down from the wooded hills of ancient England.

     For three days the celebration goes on. In the valleys the people are feasting. Some are dressed in costumes made of animal heads and skins. The villagers give thanks for a full harvest and hope the winter will not be hard.

     From the time of the ancient Celts, who lived in England thousands of years ago, there has always been some kind of celebration around the time we now celebrate as Halloween. The Christians kept the tradition alive by celebrating All Hallows' Day and All Souls' Day. This celebration was at the same time of year as the celebration for the sun god--the last day of October and the first day of November. Instead of parading around to honor the Celtic gods, though, the Christians dressed up to look like saints, angels, and devils, and had a feast to honor the dead.

     As time passed, Halloween started to become more of a holiday and less of a holy day. People loved the idea of dressing in costumes, and preparing a feast for the dead turned into the practice of gathering food for the living! People in Ireland went from house to house begging for food. The leader of the group usually dressed in a white robe and wore a horse-head mask. In England, the poor went begging on All Souls' Day. Women baked and handed out "soul cakes." When the beggars got a soul cake they promised to say prayers for the dead.

     The early Americans didn't celebrate Halloween. The Puritans thought that it was good to be serious. Many felt that having fun was frivolous and sinful. But soon people from many countries, including Ireland, settled in the New World, bringing with them their own holiday customs. Pioneer families often celebrated Halloween with bonfires, barn dances, and house parties. Halloween became a time to play pranks on friends and neighbors. Soon families found they could be safe from pranksters by giving them treats! As pranks became less funny and more harmful, people cooperated in changing the custom to give more treats and fewer tricks.

     From the time of the Celts to the present, Halloween customs have changed little by little. The interesting parts, the enjoyable parts, have remained, but as people changed their beliefs, the customs slowly changed to suit the people.

     Halloween customs are still changing. In some areas, trick- or-treating isn't as safe as it used to be; kids are told to trick-or-treat only in daylight, and only at houses belonging to people they know.

     If you love the custom of going from house to house, try a Terrifying Tour of Horrible Homes. Ask five or ten of your friends to plan a surprise at their houses. Make some tickets to show the host or hostess. One house might be decorated like Dracula's castle, and the Count could invite you in for blood-red punch and hot cross buns, or a glass of tomato juice and a slice of hot garlic bread. (Vampires are afraid of crosses and garlic.)

     A second house could be a witch's den with a cauldron of bubbly brew as the central attraction. Another new twist to the old door-to-door Halloween trek is to hold a progressive supper. The idea is to have each course of your Halloween dinner at a different house. You'll need at least three houses. Several people can be in charge of one course, to save on effort and expenses.

     When planning your progressive Halloween meal, let your imagination run wild. Almost any menu can be "Halloweenized," but remember--you have to be able to eat what you serve!