The story of Halloween begins with the ancient Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. For them, the year was split into two halves: light and dark. Samhain, pronounced 'SAH-win', was the festival that marked the end of the light half. It was the end of the harvest and a crucial time for a pastoral people. As the days grew shorter, communities brought their cattle down from summer pastures for the winter. Excess livestock were culled, and on hilltops across the land, great communal bonfires were lit. These were 'bone-fires', named for the cattle bones cast into the flames. The fires were believed to have cleansing powers, and people would drive their remaining animals between two blazes to protect them through the coming darkness.
The Origins of Halloween
Halloween's roots are in Samhain, a Gaelic festival where carved turnips, not pumpkins, first lit the night.
Chapter 1
The Fires of Samhain
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Frequently Asked Questions
Was Samhain a Celtic god of death?
No, this is a popular myth from an 18th-century writer named Charles Vallancey. Samhain is the Old Irish name for the festival marking the end of summer, not a deity. No ancient texts mention a god of this name.
Why do people carve pumpkins for Halloween?
The tradition began in Ireland with carving faces into turnips to ward off a spirit from folklore. When Irish immigrants came to the US, they discovered that native pumpkins were much larger and easier to carve, and adopted them instead.
Where does the phrase "trick or treat" come from?
The phrase was first recorded in a Canadian newspaper in 1927. It was promoted as a way to manage Halloween pranks by giving homeowners the choice to offer children a treat to avoid a harmless trick.
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