Samhain is the ancient name for Halloween and historians have traced its origins back to Celtic times.
This spooky holiday festival was designed so that people could get together and actually celebrate the dead who could then interact with the living. After this, the dead would move on to the afterlife as their souls were set free.
This was a time to celebrate as the dead could finally move on.
During Samhain, people would eat fruit and drink alcohol, maybe lighting bonfires and sacrificing animals. Eventually, Christians began to have a problem with this and they tried to change the Celtic mindset. Gradually, the notion of Halloween or All Hallows Eve) emerged. This is still celebrated on the night of October 31st which is the day before All Saint’s Day. Over time, this led to the veneration of Saints rather than being concerned with the dead and ghostly spirits.
However, we still enjoy dressing up on Samhain and a Halloween ghost costume is in keeping with the spirit of this atmospheric time of the year.
