Ireland.

How we celebrated in our school.

This year to celebrate Halloween we decorated the school, our younger classes cut out punkins and enjoyed a scary movie with some treats.  The movie was a fund raiser to raise money for Breast Cancer Ireland.  It was a huge success.

Did Halloween Originate in Ireland?

Evidence gathered from archaeology digs, legends, myths and Celtic history have all been examined to unearth the story of the authentic origins of Halloween in Ireland.

According to Irish folklore, Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic tradition.

The celebration of the Celtic new year involved lighting fires, feasting on the crops of the harvest, music, gathering together and storytelling, a very vibrant and long-lasting tradition in Ireland.

At ancient New Year when light turns to dark, the veil between realities draws thin, rules can be broken, and the spirits move between worlds.

Wearing costumes and masks offered protection. The fairies couldn’t abduct you and you got to frighten your neighbours.

Tricks were played on the unsuspecting, which may be the origin of the ubiquitous trick or treating.

Carving out Punkins comes from an Irish Tradition.

Turnips and other root vegetables were carved with grotesque faces and lit with candles to scare and to protect. When the Irish emigrated to America, they adapted the tradition to pumpkins, because turnips were a lot harder to come by.

Often carved pumpkins are referred to as jack-o’-lanterns, after the Irish legend of trickster Jack, who is caught between Heaven and Hell and must roam the earth with nothing but a lantern to light his way. His light was a distraction that led people astray and into the unknown.