Samhain

Samhain is pronounced "sah-win" in English.

​Did you know that the Halloween we celebrate today has Irish origins?
That no blarney!

The date was set in stone, literally, by the ancient Irish in the building of a passageway at the Hill of Tara, where Irish kings were buried, about 5,000 years ago.  It marks the end of the harvest season and is the first month in the
Celtic calendar (happy new year!).

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Over the millennia, traditions of feasting, bonfires, and divination of life, death, and marriage were added to the celebrations.  It was a time to honor the dearly departed or hallowed dead.  Sometime after the year 800, the Church began honoring their Saints on November 1, and October 31 became All Hallos Eve or Halloween.

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A more "recent" tradition of wearing costumes to scare off the bad spirits became began in the 1500s.

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Before the Irish emigrated to America they carved turnips. These turnips had candles placed inside and were used as lanterns.  You've heard of the Jack O'Lantern, right? The Irish in America found pumpkins easier to carve...and the rest is history!​​​​​​