2. Scotland and Ireland – Samhain
Samhain, pronounced SOW-win, is the progenitor of many of the United State’s Halloween customs. Samhain is an ancient Gaelic pagan festival with elements that persisted through time to modern Ireland. Samhain was celebrated from October 31st through November 1st and marked the end of harvest and beginning of winter. The period of massive immigration from Ireland due to the potato blight famine brought a wealth of Irish customs to the United States, including elements of Samhain.
Recognizable elements of modern Halloween owing their lineage to Samhain include jack-o’-lanterns and the concept of mischief night. Traditionally, lanterns were made from turnips, as pumpkins are a New World food, but they had the same face-like appearance as modern pumpkin jack-o’-lanterns. Playing pranks as part of the festivities dates back as far as the 16th century and included the wearing of costumes, though this element did not spread until closer to the 20th century.
Wiccan and neopagan practitioners have revived many of the traditional elements of Samhain into their religious practices. These include the lighting of bonfires and fortune telling during the window of the thinness between this life and the next. Like many of the macabre festivals around the world, Wiccans focus on the Samhain sabbath as a time to honor the dead.