BATS: They eat mosquitoes and cause little harm, but these small nocturnal mammals have a bad reputation because of their infamous cousin, the vampire bat. The only mammal that feeds on blood, this native of Central and South America uses sharp incisor teeth to cut the holes needed to suck blood from its victim. No wonder bats have been linked to death, vampires and occult rituals in the West. But in the East, they often represent good luck

BROOMSTICK: Now more exciting than ever because of Harry Potter and his high-flying Firebolt, it has been linked to witchcraft and magic for centuries.

BLACK CAT: In ancient religions, black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise or a familiar, resulting in many black cats being thrown into fire. The throwing of cats into a bonfire used to be a folk custom in France, Switzerland and Belgium and was done on St. John's Eve in June. The custom was abolished by King Louis XIV in 1648, though it continued in the provinces until as late as 1796.

GHOSTS: A universal symbol for departed spirits and occult visitations. These cookies, like the ghost-shaped sweets served at Mexico's Day of the Dead celebrations, tend to minimize the reality of spiritual warfare in post-Christian America. The decorative ghosts may be cute, but to the countless victims of demonic bondage and oppression, the spirit world is no joke.

GRAVESTONE: Christians may see it as a memorial to those who died, but others see it as an exciting symbol of death -- and as the place where the world of the living meets the world of departed spirits. Since Halloween, like the Mexican Day of the Dead, celebrates visits from the spirit world, these gravestone sayings fit both feasts.

PUMPKIN: On the British isles, the scary face of the jack-o-lantern was used to frighten away evil spirits and cast a "spell of protection over the household." The Celts carved the frightening faces into gourds or turnips, not the American pumpkin.

SKULLS, BONES & SKELETONS: Symbols of death, disease and the shortness of earthly life. The skull & crossbones -- whether pictured on a bottle of poison or printed on the black flag of a pirate ship -- raised fear of death. This detail from a Tibetan painting shows Yama, the Buddhist Lord of Death, with five skulls over his head.

WITCH: The meaning of witch and witchcraft have changed with the centuries. To many, it means an old, ugly woman with moles and straggly hair casting evil spells on children and silhouetted in front of a full moon on her broomstick. Whether they join groups such as the Bay Area Pagan Assemblies in California or the Pagan Federation in England, they are want to be called Pagan, Witch or Wiccan. They share a common interest in spells, magic ("white", not black) and full moon rituals.