™When the earth was young, there were two seasons. Summer and winter. Summer was warm, and the animals and the people played. There was plenty to eat, the plants were green and everything grew. Summer loved to play with the animals. He loved the people, and the plants.
Winter was cold. Animals did not like Winter. People had to hide from her, the plants buried themselves underground. Winter wanted to play with everyone, but everyone was afraid. Winter had her own friends. Wind chased Winter as she ran, the people were afraid of the sound of Wind�s whistling. Ghosts also lived with Winter.. In those days, people would say that summer was the time of the living, and winter... the time of the spirits.
Summer slept when earth was with Winter, but Summer wanted people to be comfortable with Winter. So Summer gave us Fire. Fire was very moody. Sometimes he was warm and comfortable. Sometimes he was wild and dangerous. People liked fire. They were kind to him, and he was kind to them.
Winter did not like Fire. The spirits were afraid of Fire and asked Winter to help them. The ghosts reminded Winter that this was their season to have the earth. Winter came to fire to talk.
Winter asked Fire not to be so moody. Fire grew angry. Fire roared. Wind heard the angry voice of fire and came to help Winter. Wind saw Fire and thought Fire was beautiful. Wind danced with Fire.
This made Winter angry. She threw snow on to Wind and Fire to cool them off. The snow spun around between Wind and Fire and became Spring. Spring began as a trickle of water, then more, and still more, until Fire was afraid of Spring and ran away.
All the ghosts were happy with Spring. They flew around and howled, Wind whistled. The people were frightened. The next day was October thirty-first. That morning Fire challenged Spring. They were to meet that night. The spirits sang that they would be there routing for Spring. People wanted to show their support for Fire, they wanted to watch, but the whistling of Wind, the howling of the ghosts, the haunting of the spirits frightened them.
Thats when farmer Davey, who had a farm where he grew pumpkins offered up an idea. He said, "You know, Pumpkins are Orange just like is fire. They�re shaped like heads too. I�ve noted myself how they can be really scary. We could even carve them up like faces."
And everyone thought that was a good idea. Davey gave away pumpkins, and the people set to carving them. That�s when someone said, "But the spirits will still know that we�re people. What if the fighting gets ugly?"
Another person answered, "We�ll dress up so the ghosts don�t recognize us."
Well thats just what they did. They dressed up in costumes. They even lit candles in the pumpkins so ghosts could see the faces, and flames. Then they went out to the field where Spring and Fire had said they would meet.
Fire was there waiting. Spring came rushing. The ghosts howled and folks cheered, and all was a ruccous. Spring and Fire met, watched each other and circled. They locked up and Fire roared. Spring bubbled and sizzled. Spring threw fire into some trees, and they began to burn. The spirits howled and the people were frightened. The trees called to Summer for help, and Summer heard them and awoke from his slumber. Fire came roaring at spring and they locked again in battle. Spring sizzled and sizzled, became steam, then cloud, and fell down again as rain.
Thats when Wind came in whistling at Fire. "Don�t you see Fire," said Wind, "that Spring is your child."
Fire heard this and listened, then let go of Spring. There was a moment of silence..."You�re right wind, I don�t know what I was thinking." They made peace, Spring with Fire. Everyone cheered, spirits and people.
By then Summer had come to see what was the matter. And Winter came soon after and they stood together. Summer was still angry with Fire. He saw the trees burning and shouted, "What have you done.?" Summer got Spring�s help to put out the burning trees. They danced around the trees and sprayed them with water. Steam rose up and fell back down as rain. It rained and it rained and it rained until the fire was out.
When Summer looked at the poor trees he felt sad. He turned the trees into evergreens so they would never again turn brown and dry in Winter. Summer was happy then, and the people cheered. Wind whistled through the green needles of the trees. And that�s how evergreens were made.
Then Summer turned to Fire. Summer said, "Fire, you are too moody. I am taking away your powers and giving fire to the people to take care of." Summer took the flame away from Fire and gave it to the people. Fire cried. Summer saw this and was sad. Fire, don�t be sad. I am going to make you into a season. Summer touched Fire, and Fire became Autumn. That is why leaves turn orange and red and yellow in Autumn, because that is the color of Fire.
Then Winter said, "We will have four seasons." Winter walked up to Spring and touched Spring, and Spring became the fourth season. That is why it always rains so much in Spring, because Spring was once water.
And the only one that was left out in the cold was Wind. But Wind still has the ghosts, and whistles with them when they howl with Winter. That is the story of why we celebrate Halloween.