It looks like the whole tradition of Halloween goes back thousands of years, which makes me feel so much better when I’m walking around looking diabolical.
Mummery, or the art of disguise was supposed to confuse the spirits of evil by imitating them and confusing their dark hearts, rendering them useless.
Gotta love those Pagans, whose Gaelic heritage was plundered by the invention of christianity, and our loveable horny, primitive Satyr (the hairy drunken guy who will do anyone for a laugh) gets cast as Satan, Lord of Darkness. Sounds like a bum deal to me. Some of my best nights have been with Satyrs.