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     Happy Samhain! 

Samhain is the final harvest of the year. Crops left in the fields were sacrificed to Nature spirits. Supplies were counted and animals were slaughtered for winter. Huge bonfires were lit and people would dance around them. Cattle were driven between two fires as purification for the winter. The term bonfire comes from "Bone fires", as the bones of slaughtered animals were thrown into the fire as an offering for healthy livestock the following year.  Ashes from the fires were spread over the fields to bless the land for the next year.

According to the Druids, Samhain was one of two times of year when the veil between this world and the Otherworld was blurred and ghosts and otherworldly creatures could walk the earth. Food offerings were left on doorsteps and lit candles were placed in windows for guidance. Some would set extra chairs and place settings at the dinner table for ghostly guests. People went "souling" from door to door to pray for those who had passed in that home. They were given small cakes in exchange. This could be where trick-or-treating evolved from. Ghosts, goblins, and fairies would play pranks on humans and may take their souls back to the Otherworld. People would dress up like these creatures to trick them so they would not be taken. This was known as "guising".  

Turnips were carved into faces and placed on window sills with candles inside. Since the head was the most powerful part of the body, the "head" of a vegetable was used to frighten off spirits. If a spirit managed to get past the lantern's protection, offerings of food were given. As immigrants moved to North America, turnips were less abundant, so pumpkins were carved instead. According to Irish legend, "Stingy Jack", a greedy farmer, tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him there by marking it with a cross. The devil cursed Jack to forever wander the earth at night with a candle inside a hollowed turnip as his lantern. This is where Jack-O-Lantern comes from. 

Many games were played on Samhain. Since apples were an abundant fruit that could last well into the winter, it was commonly used in games. Snap Apple was a common game where apples were hung from a string and blindfolded children would try to bite the apples. If you could peel your apple in one go and then drop it onto the floor, it would reveal the initials of your future spouse. Blind date was a game where girls were blindfolded and sent out into the fields to pull the first cabbage they could find. If the cabbage had a large amount of dirt attached to the roots, their future husband would have money. They would then bite into the cabbage to see if their future husband would be bitter or sweet! 

Have a Happy Samhain!