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Spooky Reads

The Hoffman Family Library created this guide for your entertainment and for scholarly research.

Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland. November 1 was considered the end of the summer period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures were renewed. It was also a time when the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes. People set bonfires on hilltops for relighting their hearth fires for the winter and to frighten away evil spirits, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present. It was in these ways that beings such as witches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons came to be associated with the day.

Taken from the entry for Halloween in Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Halloween

Fun Facts expanding upon the Samhain festival:

  • "Considered by the ancient Celts to be a passage between Ireland and its devil-infested 'otherworld', Oweynagat (pronounced 'Oen-na-gat' and meaning 'cave of the cats') was the birthplace of the Samhain festival, the ancient roots of Halloween, according to Irish archeologist Daniel Curley" (O'Connell, R., 2021, p. 2). 
  • Oweynagat lives "in Rathcroghan, a former Celtic center buried beneath the farmland of Ireland's County Roscommon... hub of ancient Irish kingdom of Connaught" (O'Connell, R., 2021, p. 2-3).
  • "...Rathcroghan boasts 240 archeological sites... [ranging] from burial mounds to ring forts, standing stones, linear earthworks, an Iron Age ritual sanctuary, and Oweynagat, the so-called 'gate to hell'" (O'Connell, R., 2021, p. 4).
  • "Festivalgoers also made ritual offerings... directed to the spirits of Ireland's underworld... a murky subterranean dimension, also known as Tír na nÓg  ('Teer-na-nohg'), was inhabited by Celtic devils, fairies, and leprechauns. During Samhain, some of these demons escaped via Oweynagat cave" (O'Connell, R., 2021, p. 9). 
  • "Samhain was when the invisible wall between the living world and the otherworld disappeared" (O'Connell, R., 2021, p. 10).
  • "Thankful for the agricultural efforts of these spirits, but wary of falling victim to their fury, the Celts protected themselves from physical harm by lighting ritual fires on hilltops and in fields. To avoid being dragged deep into Tír na nÓg   by the devils, they disguised themselves as fellow ghouls" (O'Connell, R., 2021, p. 11).

In a hard driving society like the United States, holidays are islands of softness. Holidays are times for creating memories and for celebrating cultural values, emotions, and social ties. All Together Now considers holidays that are celebrated by American families: Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Halloween, and the December holidays of Christmas or Chanukah.

Boasting a rich, complex history rooted in Celtic and Christian ritual, Halloween has evolved from ethnic celebration to a blend of street festival, fright night, and vast commercial enterprise. In this colorful history, Nicholas Rogers takes a lively, entertaining look at the cultural origins and development of one of the most popular holidays of the year. Drawing on a fascinating array of sources, from classical history to Hollywood films, Rogers traces Halloween as it emerged from the Celtic festival of Samhain (summer's end), picked up elements of the Christian Hallowtide (All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day), arrived in North America as an Irish and Scottish festival, and evolved into an unofficial but large-scale holiday by the early 20th century.