1.   The Bible never gives the date of the birth of Christ, and most Puritans considered Christmas a pagan festival.

2.   The concept began with an ancient Druid pagan festival honoring the dead, when witches and warlocks were said to fly overhead and evil spirits danced in the night.

3.   With the first of the Mardi Gras parades beginning this weekend, the final journey of the Chicken Man was an appropriate prelude to the season of pagan festivals.

4.   Carnival is rooted in pagan festivals celebrating the coming of spring.