Sir, - Father Patrick Mulcahy (October 25th) attempts to claim Hallowe'en and Christmas as Christian feasts. Well, self-evidently they are. But it's not that simple. December 25th is the birthday of Mithras, an eastern deity very popular with Constantine's army. The only reason it is celebrated as the birthday of the Christ is that, when Constantine selected Christianity over Mithraism as the state religion of Rome, he wanted to keep his garrisons "on side". It was a mere diplomatic compromise. Most authorities agree that, if there was a historical Jesus, he was most likely born in March!
As for Hallowe'en, long before the Christian church introduced that festival it was known as Samhain and was a festival that celebrated the "other world". That is what is being remembered in "trick or treat" - the trick being a reminder of the propensity of the other world to play nasty.
Like Father Mulcahy, I despair at the commercialisation of these festivals of humanity, making cynics of us all and confusing value with price. But that is a function of a political or social system, and "reclaiming" these festivals for Christianity will do nothing to improve it. - Yours, etc.,
Cathal Tyner, New Row Square, Dublin 8.