By Bonnie Mccain
Short Story: The Festival of Samhain
By Bonnie McCain
Staff Writer
“Why is there Halloween?” asked ten-year-old Sean one day while visiting his grandfather, who loved to tell stories. His grandfather pondered a few moments, then started the story, the way Sean likes it best.
“Once upon a time, a long time ago, before there were computers, TV’s, cars, or electricity . . . a time when people went from one place to another by walking, or by riding a horse. A time when families gathered near the fire to stay warm as the weather turned cold. A time when children like you would listen to stories, stories that answered their curious questions. Long before people were called Christians or Pagans, there was a fair-skinned, dark haired clan called Celts lived on a beautiful green island. On this island, at the end of each summer harvest they would have a huge party called the Festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). It marks the end of the year, when the skies darken early and the weather turns cold. They know that some among them would not survive the winter. They gather and build a giant bonfire; share the harvest with neighbors and talk with friends. For entertainment during the celebration, the Celts would wear costumes and try to tell each other’s fortunes. They had fun dancing, singing and playing all sorts of games. At the end of the celebration, they carried embers from the bonfire in a turnip to light their fireplaces at home, to help protect them during the winter.
Then, one day the Romans conquered the Celtic lands. The Romans combined two of their festivals with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. One was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans honored the dead. The other honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The apple is the symbol of Pomona.”
“Is that why we play “bobbing” for apples on Halloween, Grampa?” asked Sean.
“Yes, that’s right,” said Sean’s grandfather.
“Many years later, Christianity spread to Celtic lands. The Pope replaced the Celtic festival with a religious holiday. November 1 became All-hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day. The night before, which was the night of Samhain, became All-hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween. The celebration remained similar to Samhain. They still had bonfires, costumes, parties and parades.
When Europeans came to America, they brought their Halloween traditions with them. As all the traditions of the different ethnic groups meshed, an American version appeared. Dressing up in costumes, going from house to house, and asking for food or money are customs from Ireland and England. These customs became America’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. When the Irish (the original Celts), came to America, they found pumpkins to be more plentiful than the turnips they used for Jack-O-Lanterns. So a hollowed-out pumpkin became the American Jack-O-Lantern.”
Sean’s grandfather stopped to look at his watch. “Time to go put on your costume, Sean. The party will be starting soon.”
“Thank you, Grampa. You tell such good stories,” said Sean as he ran upstairs to find his costume.
