This is October, the 10th month in our current calendar. October was the 8th month in the ancient Roman calendar and the name comes from the Latin word for eight. This month became the 10th month when the Romans moved the beginning of the year from March 1st, to January 1st.

In October, among other things, we in the United States celebrate Columbus Day on the second Monday of the month. This holiday celebrates October 12th, 1492, when Columbus accidently stumbled across a Caribbean island (while looking for a short cut to India--so the indigenous people living in the entire North and South Americas were given the collective name: Indians) and was mistakenly given credit for discovering America. At the time, no one in Europe knew that the Vikings had already established and then abandoned a settlement in Nova Scotia (which is in North America) several hundred years before Columbus even set sail for the 'New World.'

On October 31st, we celebrate a (to some) major holiday--that of Halloween. The custom of Halloween was brought to the U.S. in the 1840s by Irish immigrants fleeing the great potato famine in their country. October 31st is also (and was originally) known as Samhain (sow-en), which was and still is an important Celtic and pagan festival. To the ancient Celts, this holiday divided the year into two seasons--Winter and Summer. Samhain is the day on which the Celtic/pagan New Year and Winter begin, so it is a time of both beginnings and endings. Samhain is a time for change and a time to look to the future, with Summer being officially ended and the long, cold months of Winter beginning.

Happy Halloween!