The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #105621 Message #2176607
Posted By: Declan
22-Oct-07 - 01:54 PM
Thread Name: Origins of Samhain
Subject: RE: Origins of Samhain
Haloween is known as Oiche Shamhna (the eve of Samhain) in Irish Gaelic.
The feast had many traditions associated with it, mostly around dressing up and eating and plying games with fruit (it being a harvest festival). Halowe'en night was the Irish bonfire night (as opposed to 5th November in England) and is associated with fires and fireworks (although these are mainly illegal in Ireland). The Month of November is called Samhain in the Gaelic Calendar, which also includes Bealtaine (May)and Lunasa (August).
By the way Samhain is pronounced in gaelic roughly as Sow (as in Pig) In and definitely not Sam Hane.