This is Halloween!

Did you know that Halloween originated in old Ireland?

To understand the origin of Halloween, we have to go back to the festival of Shamhain in old celtic times.
Samhain was a fire festival celebrated on the evening of 31 October and throughout the 1st of November. It carried the idea of getting rid of the old and embracing the new. For the celts, this festival also involved the gathering of the crops, placed in storage for the cold winter ahead.

This was also the last day of the year for them, when the souls of the dead would return to their homes, bad spirits came from the 'other world' and could be seen by mortals. For the Celts, the year started on the 1st of November with the arrival of winter and its long and cold nights. The evening before this day was known as Hallows' Eve (Hallow means sacred or holy) and this word evolved into Halloween.

For the Celts, this day was very spiritual as it was a transition between years. This day meant the boundaries between the two worlds were weaker, so all the spirits and fairies could come to our world. To protect themselves, the Celts used bonfires and wore ugly disguises and masks on their faces so that the spirits could not identify them. They also made lots of noise to drive the spirits away from their homes. Another way to protect their homes was by creating scary faces on turnips with a lit candle inside. Nowadays, pumpkins are being used instead.

The origin of Halloween's 'trick or treat' was a ritual of collecting food (eggs, nuts, fruits...) from homes. Those who gave food received protection from bad luck, while those who didn't give anything would have a trick played on them.
Also, if you remember Irish history, thousands of Irish emigrated to America during the famine years and they took their traditions with them, including Halloween. 

Now that you know more about the origin of Halloween, let's get ready for this year's Halloween!

There will be lots of costume parties in pubs all around Ireland and also other types of events, for example:
-Run For Your Lives (a zombie marathon in Malahide Castle on Sunday 25) 
-'90s Horror Film Festival at the Light House Cinema