The season of witches, black cats, pumpkins, and Halloween is back again for more costumes and candy. But, where did Halloween come from? How did it start? Who started it? Well, Halloween gets its spooky roots from the ancient festival called Samhain (pronounced sah-win).
Samhain is an ancient Celtic pagan festival which began around 3,000 years ago in Ireland before spreading to Western and Central Europe. This festival was celebrated from October 31 to November 1 and was used to mark the end of harvest season, start of winter, and the beginning of the new year. “Samhein marks the beginning of the dark half of the year,” says Kevin Donohue, an Irish tour guide with EF Go Ahead Tours, which offers Samhain-inspired itineraries. During this celebration, people believed this was when the veil between the spirit realm and our realm were the thinnest, allowing the spirits of loved ones to roam freely. Bonfires were lit to welcome the spirits home and cattle were sacrificed to appease the gods.
Bonfires & Candles
Fire is a special part of this festival because it is one of the four fire festivals of the year. Fires in the hearth of homes were left to burn while people went out to harvest the crops.
After the harvest, ancient Druid priests would use a wheel which produced a spark that would light a massive communal bonfire. This bonfire is where cattle were sacrificed to appease the gods. Once the sacrifice was over, people would light torches with the fire to bring back to their homes and relight their hearths.
Samhain & Spirits
Samhain has a deep connection with spirits because people believed that the spirits of their loved ones would return home. “The witches believed that the veil between our world and the spirit world was very thin during this time and that loved ones would come back to visit them,” Donohue tells Spoon.
To welcome the spirits of departed relatives, families would set an extra place at the table and prepare their favorite dishes, enticing them to share a meal with the living. Sharing the fruits of their harvest with the spirits was called Dumb Supper, allowing families to be with the spirits of their loved ones until they departed after dinner. At night, they’d leave their doors open and encourage the spirits to enter and eat the cakes set out in their honor. Children would even play games with the dead to keep them entertained and adults would tell the dead of all the troubles from last year.
But, with good spirits, comes bad spirits. To keep away the bad spirits, the Celtic people would light massive bonfires for protection and dress in costume to disguise themselves. “Some wore masks made of animal heads and skins to avoid the evil spirits,” says Donohue. They believed that costumes would make sure the evil spirits confuse the spirits and prompt them to leave them alone.
Samhain Food
Barmbrack (Báirín Breac) is a fruit-filled bread heavily associated with Samhain because it’s tied to communing with spirits. A small token, ring or piece of cloth was baked into the bread, each representing different fortunes for the new year. For example, finding a ring in the bread meant the new year would bring you marriage, while finding a piece of cloth meant you’d have financial troubles.
Another dish enjoyed during Samhain was Colcannon. This was a dish of warm mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, and butter. This dish also had coins hidden inside, highlighting the playfulness of the meal. This meal was a staple during the winter months because it is warm and nourishing, helping families survive throughout the winter.
Apples were very special in Irish myths and they were a symbol of Samhain. Apples were, and still are, plentiful during the autumn months. However, during Samhain, apples were used for games and rituals such as bobbing for apples. They were even a staple on the feasting table, being made into tarts, pies, and ciders connecting to the spiritual world.
Jack-O-Lanterns
The tradition of carving Jack-O-Lanterns originated with this festival. In Ireland, they’d carve turnips instead of pumpkins, carving these lanterns to ward off evil spirits because of an ancient legend.
Legend says, a man named Stingy Jack repeatedly trapped the Devil and only let him free when he promised to keep Jack out of Hell. However, when Jack inevitably died, he learned that neither heaven nor hell wanted his soul, so he had to walk the Earth as a ghost. But, the Devil gave Jack a glowing lump of coal in a hallowed-out turnip to light his way for eternity. It wasn’t until the Irish traveled to the Americas, that they’d begun using pumpkins instead.
“Turnips were easy to plant back then and so they used it to carve Jack-O-Lanterns. Then they switched pumpkins because pumpkins are easier to work with,” Donohue says.
Trick-Or-Treating
There are a few different origins of trick-or-treating, but there is one which connects most to Samhain in Ireland. Since families would leave food on their doorsteps to attract spirits, this practice eventually transformed into people dressing in costumes and walking up to doors asking for similar offerings of food and drink. These costumes were meant to mimic the spirits which were supposed to walk the Earth on Samhain.
Another theory coming from Scotland says that on All Souls Day (the day after Samhain) poor children and adults would collect food and money from local homes in exchange for prayers. Over time, the prayers were dropped for those who aren’t religious, but were substituted with jokes, songs, or tricks.
To the ancient Celtic people, Samhain marked the end of the harvest, honoured the dead, and welcomed the beginning of a new year. As winter approached, rituals were performed to appease the gods, while the harvest provided food for the months ahead. Meals were deeply connected to spirituality, allowing families to honour the dead, seek good fortune, and predict what the coming year might bring. During Samhain, food connected seasonal survival with family, community, and beliefs about the spirit world. So, the next time you’re out collecting candy on Halloween, perhaps your ancestors might just come back for a bite.