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Podcast: The Peoples Voice Podcast
Episode: Haunted or Harmless? The Debate Over Halloween in Schools
Description: Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the start of winter. People believed that on the night of October 31, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, so they lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off spirits. When Christianity spread, the holiday blended with All Saints’ Day, eventually becoming the Halloween we know today. But in schools, some people have pushed back against celebrating it—saying the holiday’s spooky or supernatural themes, and its religious or cultural origins, might not be appropriate for everyone. Becaus...