After all this feasting the adults usually party on into the ‘wee small hours’ while the children go upstairs to terrify each other with tales of wailing Banshees and ghosts that walk the corridors of their schools and all things creepy and scary that go bump in the night. Celtic Halloween called Samhain in Gaelic is a traditional Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season. This was thought to bring good fortune during the long dark winters. It was once believed that at Samhain, the Celtic New Year, the veil between our world and the spirit world was very thin. Today Halloween is a holiday devoted to fun and pranks, feasting and dressing up and of course trick or treating. This tradition was known as ‘Souling’. What’s your favorite part of Samhain? Top Irish Halloween traditions. Old May Day Customs & Traditions in Ireland, How To Make A Hot Toddy (Irish Whiskey Punch). The All Saints Day soon fused some of the traditions of Samhain. Essentially a farming and agricultural people, the Pre-Christian Celtic year was determined by the growing seasons and Samhain marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning … Samhain, which translates to "end of summer," occurred around the end of October, when the weather started to get cold. Until 2,000 years ago, the Celts lived across the lands we now know as Britain, Ireland and northern France. All this food would need to be washed down and an old drink that was consumed was called Lambswool. Irish Halloween Traditions. Today, we continue the ancient practice of disguising ourselves and going door to door for food with trick or treating. The Celts celebrated what they perceived as the New Year at the end of the summer and harvest season, every first of November, with a festival known as Samhain, which translates to “summer’s end.” 'Help the Halloween Party' and 'Trick or Treat' were the cries to be heard at each door. Your email address will not be published. Traditionally Halloween was a day that feasts were held and this tradition has not died out. Bits of toast can be added if desired. Halloween has its roots in Samhain, but they are not the same thing. To entertain spirits, ancestors, and neighbors alike, children would travel door to door and sing songs. Various recipes exist for this drink but the bases of it are Roasted crushed apples, which are added to milk, hot spiced ale, cider and or wine. Samhain was considered the Celtic New Year, celebrating the ending of the … Many modern Halloween activities are rooted in old traditions. Over 2,000 years ago in Ireland, there were four fire festivals to mark the turning of the seasons, Samhain being important as it was the start of the dark half. The celebration marked the end of Summer and the start of the Winter months. Sugar is then added according to taste. RELATED: 10 Places All Halloween-Lovers Have To See. They’d retell the adventures of Nuada, or tell of Finn Mac Cumhail and how he defeated Ailleen. Tlachtga was the location of the Great Fire … Celtic Halloween - Happy New Year! On the special night when the living and the dead were at their closest the Celtic Druids would dress up in elaborate … The Divine Comedy is one of Ireland’s most respected indie-pop bands. Required fields are marked *, ©Copyright 2019, Irish Traditions. Some follow the old tradition of building two bonfires, which celebrants and animals then pass between as a ritual of purification. The Irish … The Aos SÍ It was also a time to honor the dead and gods using pagan rituals. It is not unusual to see houses in Ireland decked out in all manner of decorations from ghosts and witches to Vampires and Banshees. Halloween in Ireland has been celebrated for centuries and first originated from the festival of Samhain which dates back over 2,000  years. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. While the traditional Samhain festivities still took place, they began to merge with these holy days (or All Hallows Days, for holy hallowed saints). The custom of dressing up in costume comes from an old Celtic tradition when people used to dress in costumes that resembled evil spirits in order to placate them. Some of the spookier characters from the Otherworld to visit included the Dullahan (predecessor for our headless horsemen), Pukah the shapeshifter, and Lady Gywn, the headless woman in white. As Christianity began to spread in Ireland, the leaders of the young Christian church hoped to guide their flock away from pagan rites. These fires also discouraged the Aos SÍ who were out on the hunt. Turnips were carved with faces to spook spirits away (as opposed to today’s pumpkins). The hill was named after a powerful druidess called Tlachtga who died giving birth to triplets, she was the daughter of Mug Ruith the druid. This tradition of wearing costumes also dates back to Celtic times. Between the last day of the harvest and the first day of winter,  Celtic cultures believed the veil between the spirit world and our world was at its thinnest. Children will run from door to door, dressed in wonderful colorful costumes from evil witches to nasty little hobgoblins all shouting, “trick or treat” and they will receive sweets, fruit or nuts so ensuring that the house will be safe from any tricks the children wish to play. The Jack-O-Lantern today is usually carved out of a Pumpkin; this has been passed over from America but in days long ago the Irish would have used a vegetable typically a turnip or swede as these would have been widely available and this tradition was taken to America along with the Irish immigrants. The Celts celebrated Halloween as Samhain, 'All Hallowtide' - the 'Feast of the Dead', when the dead revisited the mortal world. Samhain was the time of year many great legends took place. Although in Ireland, Halloween used to be a time of abstinence when no meat was eaten so foods that were typically eaten would have been homemade Apple Pies and of course Toffee Apples but first you would have Colcannon, Potato Farls and not forgetting Barmbrack which is a bread that contains fruit, a slice of which has to be left outside before you go to bed so that any passing Faeries or Spirits may feast as well and bestow good luck upon your household. Irish immigrants brought their Halloween traditions with them to the new world. Sometimes this meant the spirits of ancestors past, and sometimes this meant fairies intending to steal people away, back to their world. At Halloween when the veil between the living and the dead is at it thinnest men would have … At its heart, Samhain was an observance of all the important things that were happening during this change of seasons. These traditions relate to the use of masks, carving vegetables (gourds), and other celebrations of the fall harvest. Halloween has become a children’s favourite because of the opportunity to dress up, play games with friends and get free sweets and candies. Samhain ( pronounced /sow-ween/ in Irish) is the final fire festival of the Celtic year. These customs carry on to-day and these foods are still typically eaten although the not eating of meat is no longer observed and Irish Stew is a common dish to feast on before heading out into the cold to watch the fireworks and go trick or treating. An ancient Celtic tradition, this game remains a firm favourite at Halloween parties. Site Designed by. Turnips, apples and apple cider, mulled wines, gourds, nuts, beef, pork, poultry, ale – the Samhain recipes concocted from the harvest brought the community together as work halted, feasting started and the Celts ate the fruits of their labour, told … The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the … To find the origin of Halloween, you have to look to the festival of Samhain in Ireland's Celtic past. Your email address will not be published. Skilled frontman, Neil Hannon, indisputable talent for writing, arcane and witty personality, and his…, COPYRIGHT 2019 YourIrish.com | Made in Ireland. Eight Irish Dishes Perfect for Thanksgiving, Bloomsday – Celebrating James Joyce in Dublin. The name Lambswool is believed to be a corruption of the Irish Gaelic, “La Mas Nbhal” meaning ‘Feast of the Apples’, it was pronounced “Lammas-ool” and this eventually evolved into Lambswool. 3 - Treacle Scones The Celts were mostly farming and agricultural people and the Pre-Christian Celtic year was structured based on the growing seasons. The city of Derry has become the best place to visit for Halloween according to a USA Today poll in 2015 for the top 10 destinations to visit for Halloween. Halloween Costumes: On Halloween night children would dress up in scary costumes and go house to house. Then, they would join their community for great bonfire festivals or Samghnagans. Our celebration of Halloween is closely related to many of the Celtic Samhain traditions from medieval Ireland and Scotland. Many of these dishes would contain a coin as a ‘lucks penny’ which the finder kept safe and fortune would follow them in the coming year. In keeping with the Celtic tradition of the ghosts of the dead returning on Samhain, Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome on May 13, 609 AD, in honor of all Christian martyrs and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs' Day was … Their traditions include saining the home and lighting bonfires. Through time other traditions have blended into Halloween, for example the American harvest time tradition of carving pumpkins. Halloween has it’s origins in the Pagan Celtic tradition of Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-inn’ or ‘sow-een’). After the festivities, Irish families would go home with a flame from the great bonfire and relight their hearths. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. traditions Here are some other old fashioned Halloween traditions from Scotland that you might want to incorporate into your own festivities this year: Fires and ‘neeps lanterns’ – To ward off potentially malevolent entities, large bonfires were lit in communities and it is believed that this practice survives today in the tradition of carving pumpkin lanterns with creepy grimaces. Serena is a cat lover and writer, in that order. The flames of old fires had to be extinguished and ceremonially re-lit by druids. Being the end of the harvest, Samhain meant it was time to collect food for the winter. The Grea… The custom of ‘trick or treat’ was founded in Ireland when children and the poor went from door to door at Halloween. Its a long tradition of Derry to celebrate Halloween with thousands taking to the streets to celebrate one night of being in fancy dress. Samhain had three distinct elements. The holiday has always celebrated the strange and scary, but festivities as … Halloween - Celtic Day of the Dead . Let us know in the comments! A Holiday that Ireland gave to America. Between October 31st and November 1st, the harvest season comes to a close and winter is ushered in. Halloween is traditional thought of as an American holiday for children, but it originated from Celtic traditions in Ireland revolving around the … The evening before All Saints Day was known as All Hallows Eve, which we now call Halloween. In its place, Halloween became the main festivity although some of the traditions of Samhain remained. For example, pumpkin carving began in America but has Celtic roots. It is considered a kids festival but the original halloween involved the whole community. BY: Harry Brent September 30, 2019. shares 300. It' … The one thing that remains consistent across … Samhain is traditionally celebrated at sunset on October 31st and lasts until sunrise on November first. 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