The History of Hallowe’en

In the time of the Celts, summer ended on October 31 st. They called this festival Samhain. Samhain was the Celtic new year. 31 st

The Celts believed that the spirits of the people who died would come back to Earth and look for a body to live in for the next year.

So to make their houses less appealing to the spirits, the Celts would extinguish fires and dress up in scary clothes to frighten the spirits away.

They would make a fire from the bones of cattle to celebrate the year of food and harvest. What word do we use now that comes from the words “bone” and “fire?”

They would also parade around the village, making lots of noise and breaking things.

Are any of these Celtic traditions similar to how Hallowe’en is celebrated by some people nowadays? In what ways is it different?

Where does the Jack-O-Lantern (Hallowe’en pumpkin) come from? Listen to this old Irish tale