Today is Hallowe’en in case you were unaware.
The traditions surrounding All Hallows eve are rooted in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, (pronounced Sah-win or Sew-in). This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. Samhain was one of the four major seasonal festivals, the others being Imbolc in February, Beltaine on May 1st, and Lughnasa on August 1st.
It was also considered one of two Liminal festivals, the other being Beltaine. The ancient Celts believed that the doorways to the otherworld opened during these festivals. According to Irish mythology, one of the best known leaders of the Fianna Fail, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), killed the fire-breathing Tuatha de Danann, Aillen with a magical spear on Samhain. Aillen had burned down Tara, the capital of Ireland, every year for 25 years.
In 609 AD, Pope Boniface IV moved All-Saints day to November 1. By 900 AD, Christianity had spread in the Celtic lands, and the traditional Celtic celebrations were combined with Christianity.
Pumpkin carving, trick or treating and costumes all trace their existence directly back to the Samhain traditions. Another samhain tradition, bonfires, has fallen to the side, at least in the US. They remain popular in parts of Europe however.
Samhain sona daoibh go léir!