In Northern England, men paraded with noisemakers. In Wales, men tossed burning wood at each other in violent games and set off fireworks. The Inuit Woman Who Survived Alone on an Arctic Island After a Disastrous Expedition As well as taking place on Samhain, it features descriptions of the hero’s holiday gatherings. Samhain also figures into another Fionn mac Cumhaill legend, where the hero is sent to the Land Beneath the Wave. Samhain figured into the adventures of mythological Celtic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill when he faced the fire-breathing underworld dweller Aillen, who would burn down the Hall of Tara every Samhain. One of the most famous Samhain-related stories is “The Adventures of Nera,” in which the hero Nera encounters a corpse and fairies, and enters into the Otherworld. The myths state that the battle unfolded over the period of Samhain. One of the most popular Samhain stories told during the festival was of “The Second Battle of Mag Tuired,” which portrays the final conflict between the Celtic pantheon known as the Tuatha de Danann and evil oppressors known as the Fomor. Similar are the Sluagh, who would come from the west to enter houses and steal souls. Riding flame-eyed horses, their appearance was a death omen to anyone who encountered them.Ī group of hunters known as the Faery Host might also haunt Samhain and kidnap people. The Dullahan sometimes appeared as impish creatures, sometimes headless men on horses who carried their heads. Cattle were sacrificed, and participants took a flame from the communal bonfire back to their home to relight the hearth. The wheel was considered a representation of the sun and used along with prayers. During this time of year, hearth fires in family homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered.Īfter the harvest work was complete, celebrants joined with Druid priests to light a community fire using a wheel that would cause friction and spark flames.

READ MORE: Halloween: Traditions, Rituals, Origins Ancient SamhainĪncient Celts marked Samhain as the most significant of the four quarterly fire festivals, taking place at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. In modern times, Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”) is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld. Samhain is a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition.

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