Halloween

The Halloween holiday has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”), which was celebrated by the Celts over two thousand years ago, marking the transition from the vibrant and bountiful summer months to the darker, colder days of winter. This significant pagan religious celebration was deeply intertwined with the agricultural calendar, as it coincided with the end of the harvest season. During Samhain, communities would come together to honor the cycle of life and death, acknowledging the belief that the boundary between the living and the dead was particularly thin at this time of year. It was thought that on the night of October 31st, the spirits of the deceased could return to the earth, leading to a mix of reverence and fear among the living. To protect themselves from these wandering spirits, people would light large bonfires, which served both as a…