Halloween: Get the facts fright

A year ago I was at Edinburgh Airport, heading back to Sweden after 1,5 week in Carlisle. I found an issue of The Scottish Sun in which they wrote about Halloween. They said, most people had a vague idea about Halloween and what it's all about, that is ghastly ghosts and witches.

The Scottish Sun, October 29th 2013

Maybe you have bought a suit to scare the hell out of everyone you meet. Maybe you have
cut out a pumpkin. Maybe you have filled up your storage with a lot of sweets to restrain all the horrible monsters at your door, screaming trick or treat. But why?

As said, most people have a vague idea what Halloween is all about, but there are more than ghosts and witches. There are theories about this period of the year is a sort of a thin line between our profane world and the so called other side. Medium Joan Charles says: "It has long been one of the most important times of the year when our departed loved ones come close and can connect with those they've left behind" (The Scottish Sun, 2013).

American tradition, many would say, but in fact, Halloween has roots a lot older than that. The Celtic festival Samhain (or Samain as the festival could be spelled as well) underlies Halloween (Cunliffe, 1997 / The Scottish Sun, 2013).

During this festival Celts made fires as sort of cleansing ritual. Summer was at its end and winter was about to start (The Scottish Sun, 2013). Barry Cunliffe (1997, p 189) writes in his book The Ancient Celts that the festival Samhain more was about the year was at its end and new year was about to start.

Samhain fell on November 1st, and as said above, it was a line between two years, end of the year that passed and beginning of a new year, and as such, it was a dangerous time: spirits from people who had died were about to roam freely (Cunliffe, 1997, p 189).

A theory, according to The Scottish Sun (2013), is that Celts' cleansing fires during Samhain, attracted insects with its light, and insects in turn attracted bats - a fantastic feast for them, all insects at one place.

Celts were really superstitious (The Scottish Sun, 2013), noted also by Roman Julius Caesar, who wrote about it in his text Commentaries on the Gallic War (Cunliffe, 1997, p 185). He imagined that bats feasted out of Celts' deceased ones. That is one theory of how the vampire developed.

Trick or treat-part of Halloween can be traced back to Middle Ages, where beggars occupied themselves with "souling". They went from door to door and begged for food. They said something like they would beg for people who felt sorry for them. 19th century kids to Scottish and Irish travellers picked this up. They danced outside houses for money and cookies (The Scottish Sun, 2013).

All Hallows Day, All Saints Day, where we're honouring our deceased, are also originated with the Celts Samhain. But it is the Christian variant (Cunliffe, 1997, p 189).

Resources:
Cunliffe, Barry (1997). The Ancient Celts. London: Penguin Books.
Get the facts fright (The Scottish Sun, October 29th 2013)