As a Celtic-American, I like to research my ancestral roots, passions and rituals.
What a terrific find! Samhain, aka Halloween, is actually a pre-Christian, distinctly pagan, AND Celtic celebration of the change of the seasons. During this astronomical moment between summer and winter, the spirits of the dead are most likely — according to the hyperactive imaginations of my wild Celtic predecessors – to walk the earth.
Not only ghosts, but all of those other fanciful spirits beloved of the Celts — demons, fairies, goblins, sprits and all the Little People. Whether the Druid priests who led the Samhain rites actually carved pumpkins is a matter of speculation, but they did build bonfires to ward off evil spirits, and worshipped trees as powerful spirits of the forest. Which of course they are.
Remember all those Celtic priestesses when you dress up as a witch and practice some “tricks†on October 31 – Samhain, All Hallow’s Eve.
