Thread: Halloween, as the world knows it, is an Irish invention from ancient Hiberno-Celtic roots. It’s correct name is Samhain & marks the end of the Harvest. It was culturally appropriated by the Christian Church as All Hallows’ Eve 
Samhain was seen as the time when the concrete & the spirit worlds interacted & was a portal to the Otherworld. All sorts of spirits, particularly malevolent ones, walked amongst the living!
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Traditions associated with Samhain go back over 2,000 years in Ireland. These include the building of bonfires & the carving of turnips (pumpkins were not grown in Ireland). Turnips are scarier & tougher to carve!
Historians have suggested that carved turnips were used to scare away malevolent spirits on a night when they roamed the countryside. A similar rationale is given for Sheela Na Gigs - which guard the exterior of ancient churches established by Irish religious figures
Dressing up is also an Irish tradition. The Folklore Commission noted boys would dress up as old men or hags/Cailleach (the Cailleach is a key figure in ancient mythology & for instance the Banshee (Bean Sídhe) is a version of her. Dressing up confused evil spirits!
As children go door-to-door they request that households ‘Help the Halloween Party’ (due to Americanisation this is being replaced by ‘Trick or Treat’). Sweets, nuts & apples are the usual gift. The important thing was the portal element & offerings that were made
Simple games were often played after a traditional feast (feasta). One was the peeling of an apple in one continuous rind, others were snap-apple & apple-bobbing. Many centred on the divination of the future. Thus the Celtic harvest offering & prophecy tradition survived
An Irish fruitbread was & is made for Samhain. It’s called Barm Brack (Speckled loaf), which is a spicy fruit bread. The fruit celebrated the harvest. Inside, items were hidden for divination & fecundity. These included a ring (marriage), a coin (for wealth) & a pea (bad luck).
There were also superstitions associated with the festival. Many centre on the barriers between the real & spirit worlds breaking down. They often link to so-called ‘Fairy Forts’ which are liberally scattered over Ireland (in fact these are usually abandoned Iron Age hill forts)
Another spirit associated with Samhain is the Phooka (Púca) which is usually translated as a spirit or ghost. His or her role was often to kidnap the unwary who roamed abroad after midnight & take them away to the Otherworld. It was possibly Nordic in origin & is Puck in the UK
The Samhain feast has a rich & firm grasp of the Irish Imagination. It is, perhaps, no surprise that the scariest figure in the world’s imagination was invented by an Irish writer. Dracula, by Dubliner Bram Stoker (published in 1897). Happy Halloween! 👻
Samhain marked the end of the harvest & was a portal between the Otherworld & ours. Let’s have a look at some of the other aspects of the supernatural in the Celtic imagination (Boa Idol, Stowe Cludach & Fairy Tree)
Up until the cataclysmic Irish famine Irish was the common tongue. In the Great Hunger (1845-52) over 1 million died, 2 Million emigrated & English became the common tongue. Thus the Victorian English of calling, what had been Deities (Aos Sí) - ‘fairies’ (Pic: Nuada, c1000BC)
In Ireland it’s likely you’ll hear of the Little People or tales of a farmer having had no luck since he demolished an ancient ring fort or cut down a Hawthorn when speaking to the natives - Irish ‘fairies’ are not cute, don’t have wings & are human sized (Pic: Paul Henry)
These Little People (a name derived from Changelings which were the size of children) are believed to be folk memory of the ancient Celtic Gods, who were associated with trees, woods, wells, rivers, rocks, objects & places. Ancient Irish stone head. (Iron Age)
A common tradition was that you never mentioned the word ‘fairy’ (you called them the good or noble people). You didn’t want to excite their malevolent attention. Offerings of the first milk or home brewed whiskey were left to them to keep them happy!
Across the Island are Sacred Trees - Bile (pronounced ‘Bill-eh’). Some are said to be healing & others had roles in demarcation, divination & identity. Many were appropriated by the early Christian Church & Celtic Gods turned to Christian Saints (Pic: Ballyshannon Rag Tree)
One role of a Bile was as symbol of a kingdom or people. (Similar to the American view of their flag). It was a grievous act to chop down a sacred tree & meant all out, no holds barred, war. There’s an interesting summary of such scenarios in the link: irisharchaeology.ie/2013/08/sacred…
Fairy trees or Hawthorns were associated with fertility & healing - the Church appropriated some as May Bushes & dedicated them to the Virgin - even hanging them with fertility symbols - eggs. (This was Bealtaine) Bad luck is said to haunt those foolish enough to attack them.
A number of trees are scattered across the country, termed Rag Trees. They are associated with healing & have articles of those who wish to be cured hung from their branches. They are often associated with holy wells or ancient (3-4th C) graveyards. Pic: 7 Blessed Wells, Offaly
A feature of Sacred Trees was the power of prophecy or divination. A tree in the Midlands used to have coins pushed into it to ensure that the act would bring the migrant home (sadly it died of metal poisoning). The tree was beside a Relig circular shaped 3-4th C graveyard.
Sacred woods are mentioned in early medieval writings. These were places of sanctuary when people were attacked. We know of only one Daingean Choill (Fortress Wood) that survives & thats Reenadinna Yew Wood nr Killarney. It has an unearthly beauty
The Banshee (Bean Sídhe - Otherworldly woman) was a supernatural death messenger who warned by wailing & combing her long hair. She cries for Gaelic families & may have been a Tuatha Dé Danann or Sovereignty Goddess (representing the land of Ireland)
The Púca was a mischievous spirit who led travellers astray - sometimes as a black horse with red eyes. It seems to relate to Scandinavian tradition & became Puck in England. They were said to haunt bogland & wastes.
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