Halloween is nearly here, and for the first time, I’m going to be spending it outside of the US. Halloween originated as Samhain (pronounced Sow-een), a Gaelic festival that celebrated the harvest and marked the beginning of the dark half of the year. Samhain was a liminal time, when the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld thinned. The Daoine Sídhe, powerful fairies who are reflections of the ancient Celtic gods, were free to wander the earth. The Daoine Sídhe had to be propitiated with food, drink, and crop gleanings, to insure that people and livestock would make it through the winter and to prevent any curses the Fair Folk might otherwise inflict. If one had to go abroad on Samhain night, it was wisest to carry salt and cold iron, or take other measures to ward off any fairies intent on doing mischief. It was also thought that the souls of the dead would visit their homes on Samhain, and so it was common practice to set a place for the dead at the table and beside the hearth. Young people would impersonate the fairies and spirits, traveling from house to house and demanding offerings on their behalf. Those who refused to donate were sure to be the victim of pranks or other mischief, to say nothing of what the fairies or spirits of the dead might do. Bonfires, especially those started using friction, were lit as a form of protection from malignant forces and as a way to divine the future.
Though Samhain is a Gaelic word, the other Celtic peoples had their own versions of what must have been a pan-Celtic festival. The Welsh had Nos Galan Gaeaf while the Irish held Samhain. The Welsh also believed that it was a night when spirits were abroad and held their own bonfires. The villagers would all inscribe their name on a stone, placing it within the bonfire. When the fire began to die, everyone would run home as fast as they could—for once the fire died, terrible, disfigured spirits would chase them to devour their souls.
Halloween became popular in the US in the 19th century, when there was a large influx of immigrants from Ireland and Scotland. In the states, the old practice of carving a face from a turnip became our pumpkin carving tradition and need to propitiate the spirits or face their wrath became wrapped up in the phrase “trick or treat”. The transmission of Halloween to the US caused many of the old traditions to become forgotten or softened into less ominous forms. Despite the loss of some the old Halloween meanings or traditions, Americans have our own flavor to the holiday. We have our own harvest traditions like corn mazes, hayrides, and pumpkin patches but far more in what we’ve contributed to Halloween’s spooky side. We have our own ghost stories to tell, and tales of witches, haunted houses, monsters, and murders. The Salem Witch Trials, the Headless Horseman, and Lovecraft have firmly identified New England as the American center for all things spooky and mysterious, a reputation which a thousand subsequent books, movies, and TV shows have solidified.
I’ve come to identify Halloween so much with New England that it seems strange to think that the holiday actually originated among the Celts of the British Isles. The holiday feels so American now, that I’m a little sad to be spending it in Britain. It’s also quite bizarre how the American interpretation of Halloween has influenced how its celebrated in its old homeland. American pumpkins are common here, as are the cheap polyester costumes and plastic decorations for sale in the stores. Once the day arrives, I’ll be interested to see how it is similar or different to our familiar American celebrations. Maybe we’ll carve our names on a stone and give them to our own Nos Calan Gaeaf fire.