Here in Madison, Halloween doesn't even feel like Halloween this year, because the big Halloween party downtown, Freakfest, was held last Saturday, almost a full week ago. I did see a few people dressed up in costume today, but only a few; most people around here, it would seem, got it out of their system last week. No loss, in my opinion.
One thing that does seem vaguely Halloween-y is that the weather outside is crummy. I remember more than a few Halloweens from my youth that were undermined by some combination of cold weather or precipitation. Right now we have the latter, but not the former. In fact, I'd say it's unseasonably warm today.
October 31 is also Reformation Day, the anniversary of the day on which Martin Luther is said to have nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. Some Protestants celebrate Reformation Day as a religious alternative to Halloween, which some conservatives Christians believe to be sinful because of its supposedly pagan origins and because it glorifies witches and demons and occult practices in general. My personal opinion is that such beliefs are nuts, but I'm not going to stand in the way of anyone who doesn't want to celebrate Halloween. Like I say, I'm all for that.
