1.   But now we have some in the ministry demanding the observation be halted because Halloween derives from a pagan celebration.

2.   Halloween has its roots in the pagan celebration of Samhain, the night when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest.

3.   The roots of the Christmas celebration are pagan, pagans contend -- the decorated evergreen tree, yule log and mistletoe were all part of pagan celebrations.

4.   However, centuries of work by Roman Catholic priests has substituted Christian saints for Mayan gods and layered a veneer of Christianity over pagan celebrations.

5.   The Taliban banned the holiday as offensive to Islam, saying it was a pagan celebration.

6.   Noruz is preceded each year by the Feast of Fire, a pagan celebration on the last Tuesday before the start of the new year.