{"id":6787,"date":"2019-09-18T14:30:02","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T14:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.utalk.com\/news\/?p=6787"},"modified":"2019-11-06T10:35:36","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T10:35:36","slug":"samhain-a-festival-of-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/samhain-a-festival-of-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Samhain: A Festival of the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Halloween is the favourite holiday of many people all over the world, and its origins can be traced back to ancient traditions. It has, however, been deeply influenced by a traditional Celtic harvest festival: Samhain, where the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could be more easily crossed.<\/em>
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In the UK, at least, Halloween is the last big holiday holding back Christmas\u2019 encroachment even earlier into the year (though it doesn\u2019t seem to be stopping supermarkets stocking advent calendars in September!) and is fun for children and adults alike. Halloween\u2014or Hallowe\u2019en\u2014takes its name from All Hallow\u2019s Eve, the night before All Saints\u2019 Day; so, the 31st October. 
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However, Halloween\u2019s origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain\u2014and this includes everything from the date to trick-or-treating, which was carried across to the USA by Scottish and Irish migrants centuries ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beltane vs. Samhain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Samhain (check out how to pronounce it here!<\/strong><\/a>) is one of two big Celtic festivals that are still celebrated today; the other is Beltane, which is celebrated around the 1st May. Taking place on the 31st October, Samhain is around halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice, and celebrates the end of the harvest and the entrance into the \u2018darker half\u2019 of the year.
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Beltane, in comparison, takes part halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice, celebrating entrance into the \u2018lighter half\u2019 of the year. It was also, traditionally, when cattle were driven out to their summer pastures.
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Both festivals were also celebrated with the lighting of bonfires; though these are no longer held in every village, they can still be seen in several major cities that are participating in Samhain celebrations. The bonfires were believed to be protective and have cleansing powers\u2014especially important for Samhain, where it was also believed that the barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead was thinner and that the souls of the dead were returning home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Mexico and back!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, anyone who knows anything about the D\u00eda de Muertos<\/em>, or Day of the Dead, will notice the similarities between that festival and Samhain. D\u00eda de Muertos <\/em>begins on 31st October, but is a multi-day holiday, lasting until 2nd November, where families gather to support their dead relatives on their journey with prayer, offerings, and remembrance.
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Before Spaniards arrived in Mexico, however, D\u00eda de Muertos<\/em> was actually celebrated at the beginning of summer and shifted over time to coincide with the Christian holidays of All Saints\u2019 Eve, All Saints\u2019 Day, and All Souls\u2019 Day. Similarly to Samhain, D\u00eda de Muertos<\/em> can trace its roots back to indigenous observances and an Aztec festival which was dedicated to the goddess Mict\u0113cacihu\u0101tl, who was queen of the underworld. 
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Back to Samhain\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the bonfires, there were other rituals historically associated with Samhain that have survived into modern Halloween celebrations today.
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Guising: <\/strong>This was part of Samhain from at least the 16th century and involved children dressing up and going house to house to receive a gift, usually of apples or nuts\u2014but in more recent times, this has of course included chocolate. The key difference between guising and the modern-day tradition of trick-or-treating is that, when guising, the children are supposed to receive their gifts in exchange for performing a \u2018trick,\u2019 so, singing a song or reciting a poem, for example. Nowadays, children don\u2019t have to perform, and it\u2019s common in Scotland or Ireland (and the rest of the UK, for that matter!) for them to say, \u201cTrick or treat,\u201d too!
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Playing tricks:<\/strong> Although children going guising wouldn\u2019t say, \u201cTrick or treat,\u201d this doesn\u2019t mean they didn\u2019t play tricks\u2014in some places, Samhain was even nicknamed \u2018Mischief Night.\u2019 Playing tricks happened in the Scottish Highlands as far back as 1736 and was a strong tradition by the time mass emigration into the USA happened from Scotland and Ireland, meaning that this is likely where trick-or-treating originated.
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Dooking for apples:<\/strong> This is also known as \u2018apple bobbing\u2019 in other parts of the UK, and most often takes place on Halloween at childrens\u2019 parties. Apples are placed into a large bowl of water, where they float to the top; the children (or adults, if they\u2019re playing, too!) have to keep their hands behind their backs and try and catch an apple with their mouths. Apple bobbing was actually brought over by the Romans, but mixed into Celtic traditions, including Samhain and, later, Halloween.
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Pumpkin carving:<\/strong> In some areas, when guisers went out on Samhain, they would take with them a lantern to light the way. Turnips or mangel wurzels would be carved into grotesque faces and lit from within\u2014and, like the modern-day jack-o-lantern, they might also be set on windowsills. The turnip lanterns were said by some to represent spirits and supernatural beings and by others to ward off evil spirits. Either way, they spread throughout England during the 20th century and are a staple of Halloween today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about Halloween<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, those are some Samhain traditions that have survived to be represented in Halloween today, but how can you talk about Halloween, especially in Scottish Gaelic? We\u2019ve put together a list of vocabulary that you could try out this Samhain!
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