Samhain is really not the celtic new year. Most farmers celebrate the beginning of the new year on February I the beginning of Imbolc and St. Brigid's day. One of the essentials of celtic celebration is that each quarter of the year is itself a unit. Actually the feeling is that there is no really one new year. the current popular fad movements of pagans have been preaching the samhain=new year rubbish for some time. Most of their lore is also fabricated and exagerated. I am all for evolution of the tradition but please do not link exagerations and fabrications to the ancient celtic past from which we really do not have so much detail. Those wishing to know of the celebrations of the Irish year can go here:

http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bj333/HomePage.season.html

Conrad