The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, symbolising the time when the veil between the living and the dead was thought to blur, allowing spirits to roam the earth.
To avoid these roaming entities harassing the living people would dress in costumes and disguises, often made of animal skins and skulls, to ward off or confuse any evil spirits.
The tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns started in Ireland, but the Irish used turnips, potatoes, or beets instead of pumpkins. It comes from the legend of Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil, resulting in his soul being denied entry to both Heaven and Hell.Instead, he was doomed to wander the earth with only a carved-out turnip and a glowing coal as his lantern. When Irish immigrants brought Halloween to America, they found pumpkins more abundant and easier to carve.
Bonfires (bone-fires) were central to Samhain celebrations and served as a gathering point for communities. People would throw offerings of crops and animals into the flames for good fortune. They would also jump through them in rituals of purity and fertility. Fires were also used for divination, seeking omens for the upcoming year.Traditional Halloween foods included the familiar barmbrack, containing hidden objects like a ring, coin, or piece of cloth. Each item had a fortune-telling significance. So finding a ring predicted marriage, a coin meant wealth, and a cloth signified poverty.Colcannon or curly kale was a dish of potatoes and onion with hidden coins wrapped in baking paper, usually meant for the kids to find. This predicted good financial luck (or a broken tooth!).
Apples were used for bobbing in water or tied on the end of a string to try and bite. But the fruit was also used for fortune-telling. You would peel an apple in one long strip and toss it over the shoulder. The shape it made on the ground was thought to reveal the initials of a future spouse. Sometimes, wax dripped into water was thought to produce a similar result.
And the best part of course was Trick-or-Treating. This has its origins in “Mumming” or “Souling”: This started out with people in disguises going door-to-door, reciting verses or songs for food. The practice evolved into “souling,” where children would ask for “soul cakes” in exchange for prayers for the deceased and souls in purgatory.Oíche Shamhna shona daoibh go léir!
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