Halloween Is Not What Most People Think

Lisa Morton is no expert - or at least that's what she'll tell you - but she certainly knows more than most about Halloween, perhaps "the most misunderstood holiday."  As all our little ghouls and goblins - and probably zombies this year - prepare to suit up and storm the neighborhood front doors begging for a sugar fix, while threatening mayhem, Scott Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune profiles the woman who has literally written the books on All Hallows Eve.

Among the revelations Morton offers: trick-or-treating is only about ninety years old, the connection to Satanic worship is thin at best (and probably linked to one man's shoddy research), there is somewhat of a relationship to the Catholic tradition of All Saints Day, the holiday is spreading outside the United States, and Halloween's colors used to be brown and yellow.