celtic halloween

Celtic Halloween called Samhain in Gaelic is a traditional Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season. It also marks the beginning of winter also known as the "darker half" of the year because the days get dramatically shorter. Samhain is traditionally celebrated at sunset on October 31st and lasts until sunrise on November first. This is considered the halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. This time during Samhain was seen as a transitional time, when the vail between this world and the other side could be crossed without difficulty allowing Aos Sí, or the 'spirits' like the 'fairies' into our world to create mischief. The Irish have many Celtic Halloween Traditions to ward off these spirits.

Celtic Anti-Fairy Measures for Halloween

On Halloween night children would dress up in scary Halloween costumes and go house to house. Phrases like "Help the Halloween Party" and "Trick or Treat" were the cries to be heard at each door. Halloween beliefs, customs, and costumes migrated with the first wave of Irish and Scottish immigrants that arrived in the United States in the 18th century. These immigrants came from Ireland and Scotland.

Believe it or not, Ireland is the country that gave birth to Halloween, and many of the modern-day practices associated with the holiday are derived from the more than two thousand years of history, culture, and tradition that the Irish has cultivated. Every year on October 31st, people celebrate All Hallows Eve, which has its roots in the Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced "Sow-when" like the word "sound" without the d and you should have it!). Samhain was a celebration honoring the dead.