Samhain means, roughly, "summer's end." For the ancient Celts, Click on Jack~o~Lantern to read story.
the October 31st holiday marked not only the end
of the harvest, but the end of the year. It was also known as
"the day between years" and "the time which is no time."
Samhain was believed to be the annual juncture
when the veil between the living and the dead was momentarily
lifted, allowing inhabitants of the two worlds to commune.
There are many folk traditions associated with Halloween.
It is possible that some had their origins in Celtic times.
Jack-o'-lantern: The term "Jack-o'-lantern"
came from an Irish folk tale of the 18th century.
The use of Jack O'Lanterns as festival lights for Halloween
is a custom that descended from the Irish,
who used carved out turnips or beets as lanterns. On Halloween,
these lights represented the souls of the dead or goblins freed from
the dead. When the Irish emigrated to America, they could not find
many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an
abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute
for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential
part of Halloween celebrations ever since.
Click on the haunted house to visit some Monsters.
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