For Pagans in OR, Halloween Provides Opportunity for Family and Tradition

October 29, 2004

Source: The Register Guard

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/10/29/a1.paganparents.1029.html

On October 29, 2004 The Register Guard reported, "in the countdown to Halloween, (Eugene, Oregon) harbors some distinct notions about witches and witchcraft. That's because Halloween ... is not just about costumes and trick-or-treating. It's about religious faith. As Wicca and related earth-based religions reach into the mainstream, more parents are passing down those beliefs to their children... Because formal membership doesn't exist, the exact number of Wiccan believers is impossible to know. An American Religious Identification Survey in 2001 found 134,000 self-identified Wiccans, a 17-fold increase from 1990. Web sites list more than a half-dozen pagan groups in and around Eugene."