Happy Halloween/Samhain everyone!

[Gandalf]

Some extra info on Samhain/Halloween:

The Irish pronounciation is 'SOW-en'. In Scottish Gaelic it is pronounced 'SAV-en'.

Now called Halloween, the festival has always been, and continues to be, a very popular festival in Ireland and Scotland, where it goes way back, originating in the Celtic new year.

Irish and Scottish immigrants took the festival with them when they went to the US, and changed to using pumpkins as they were much easier to hollow out than the old practice of using turnips and cabbages.

Up until recently here in Scotland, people were still using turnips but now the american takeover of halloween has resulted in pumpkins becoming the main choice here too, although many die-hards (including myself) still adhere to the turnip lantern even if it is damn hard work!

The spooky lantern is used to scare off evil spirits who may be abroad on this night.

large fires were lit in local neighbourhoods on this night, and continue to be. This practice was to see in the celtic new year and the transition from summer to winter; sacrifices may be thrown on the fire, including a manikin, called the 'Guy'. In recent centuries, in Britain, this old practice was usurped by the november 5th bonfire celebration which reflects an attempt to blow up the houses of parliament in london. However, it should be obvious to most people that this is just a thin disguise to excuse the continued practice of a much older festival.

However the practice of having the fire on november 5th instead of october 31st is now common practice in Scotland, although this is fine as it actually serves to extend the Halloween/Samhain festival.

Halloween is now becoming increasingly popular in England, although mainly through the adoption of the vulgarised American version, which is sadly also threatening the traditional Irish and Scottish practices.

For example, in Scotland up until recently people did not 'trick or treat'.
Rather the practice, called 'guising', involved children dressing up and going round doors and performing songs in the hope of getting some money. There was no implied threat involved. However, due to the influence of the Americanised version, many children have stopped the traditional practices of singing songs and now simply 'trick or treat', which is nothing short of blackmail!

There is a greater move to preserve the more traditional practices these days however, but it remains to be seen if it will be possible to turn the tide!

However you celebrate it, Happy Halloween everyone!

Doug

[MisterJingo]

Happy Halloween!

[mactombs]

Thanks for that post, Gandalf!

Your posts about the fires reminds me of a clan story:

Finegand is a corruption of the Gaelic 'Feith nan Ceann' meaning 'burn of the heads' and refers to the time when some tax collectors were attacked by some clansmen, who cut off their heads and threw them in a nearby burn.

Now there's the modern version of the spooks you're trying to scare off with flaming heads/turnips.

Which I could be in Scotland to celebrate Halloween ... maybe I should try getting out of body and zipping over ...  

[alex_21]

its a day late, but Happy Halloween to everyone.