In England Samhuinn from Scottish Gaelic or Samhain from Irish Gaelic, both pronounced ‘sow-inn’, is formed from the old Celtic words for ‘summer’s end’.  It is the most ancient of Druidic festivals and marks the start of the Celtic New Year. It is one of the four fire festivals of the Eight-Fold Wheel of the Year marking the end of the Harvest and Summer.

The modern name of Hallowe’en combines the Christian All Hallowes Eve on the 31st of October, All Saints Day on November 1st, and the Catholic All Souls Day on November 2nd.

During these three days, the Celts and Druids considered the Veil of Time was lifted to enable communication with the Otherworld.

This festival marked the end of the harvest when the final crops were brought in and the livestock reduced, and was therefore associated with change, transience, and death. The ending of Summer and the beginning of Winter were symbolized by the boundary between the lighter half of the year and the darker, colder half.

Over the past two thousand years, Samhuinn has gradually evolved from a day to remember and honour our ancestors to a tacky commercial event.  The spooky concept of ghosts, witches, and the other supernatural beings associated with Halloween stems from the ancient Celts’ beliefs about the thinning of the veil between the living and the dead, allowing spirits to enter the physical world.

The Druids and Celts would honour their ancestors and dead loved ones together with those who laid the foundations for us to exist today such as farmers, potters, teachers, healers and wise women. They would celebrate this time by offering food and drink for the returning spirits, which has now turned into trick or treating.

Druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures, played a central role in Samhain rituals such as lighting huge bonfires to honour the deceased and ward off evil spirits. Villagers used the bonfire ashes to bless and protect their homes for the coming winter.  The Druids also practised divination, using the festival’s spiritual energy to predict the future and to seek guidance on matters of health, wealth, and relationships.  The lighting of fires has now shifted to Bonfire Night in celebration of Guy Faulks.

The Roman invasion in the first century AD started the process of replacing our indigenous traditional customs to make their new system of control, the Christian religion, more palatable. The Roman festival of Feralia honoured the dead, and another, Pomona, celebrated the goddess of fruit and trees. The incorporation of Pomona, symbolized by the apple, is thought to have influenced the modern tradition of apple bobbing.

As Christianity spread across Europe, the church modified and merged the ancient indigenous festivals. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, also known as All Hallows’ Day, to honour saints and martyrs. The night before, October 31, became known as All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually evolved into Halloween.  The Catholic All Souls’ Day, observed on November 2nd, was introduced to honour the dead, further blending traditions.

In medieval Europe, people went ‘souling’, going door to door offering prayers for the souls of the dead in exchange for food, particularly soul cakes. This practice is believed to be an early precursor to modern trick-or-treating.  ‘Mumming’ and ‘guising’ were also popular, where people would dress in costumes and perform songs, plays, or tricks in exchange for food or drink, another precursor to Halloween customs.

Halloween has replaced the ancient Celtic spiritual event of honouring our ancestors with modern adaptations emphasising costumes, parties, trick-or-treating, and spooky themes.

I wish you and your loved ones a Blessed Samhuinn. May you be protected from all harm, both seen and unseen throughout the dark half of the year during the depths of Winter to emerge again at the Winter Solstice reborn into the new light.

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