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The majority of visitors to this website will positively relish October 31st, or Halloween. If you fall into this category, you won’t find Halloween scary or spooky – you’ll see it as magical. And you’ll know that it was an old Celtic festival devoted to honoring the ancestors and to marking the coming of winter.
Halloween is short for “All Hallow’s Eve” and has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marked the arrival of winter and the beginning of the new year – for the Celts this was November 1st, not January 1st as it is today.
On the Isle of Man, off Northwest England, where Celtic language and lore survived the Anglo-Saxon invasions, November 1st continued to be regarded as New Year’s day up until Victorian times.
In fact, Manx mummers (folk performers) used to go around on Halloween singing a Hogmanay style song which began: “Tonight is New Year’s night, Hogunnaa!”
At Halloween, the pagan Celts took stock of their supplies and slaughtered livestock for winter stores. It was also a time for divination and looking to see what the year ahead had in store.
Otherworld
The Celts believed that the barriers between this world and the “otherworld” (realm of the spirits and “faery peoples”) were at their weakest on the night of October 31st. Because of this, Halloween was not without risk – and, yes, it was a little spooky! The dead, for example, could pose a threat to the living. They could cause sickness and blight crops.
To drive away any evil spirits that might be abroad on Halloween night, the Celts would dress up in ghoulish masks and scary costumes. They also lit huge bonfires to bring light to the darkness and banish any entities looking to do harm or mischief.
Souls of the dead
Halloween has long been celebrated throughout Europe – going right back to the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Danes. It was believed that the souls of the dead would leave the bare fields and leafless woodlands to revisit their old homes and warm themselves by the fireside with those still living.
But it wasn’t just the dead that were out and about on Halloween night. Witches were too – and were generally considered to be up to no good. According to folklore, they would sweep through the air on broomsticks, or gallop along the roads on tabby cats, which for Halloween night, would turn into coal black steeds.
Dining with my ancestors
As for me, well, I lay a table to six of my ancestors on Halloween night. We dine and drink dark rum together, reminiscing about times gone by and speculating about what the future might hold.
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