Irish Halloween Traditions -
Halloween and Ireland
The ancient Irish celebrated Halloween which was known as Samhain or ‘All Hallowtide’. This day was called ‘Feast of the Dead’, and the Irish believed the dead visited the mortal world. All Hallowtide also marked the end of summer and as those who live in northern climes know also marks the change from fall to winter.
The Catholic Church in the eighth century designated November 1 as ‘All Saints Day’ or ‘All Hallows’. On this feast day Catholics venerate saints who do not have a specific feast day on the Catholic Calendar. October 31 became known as ‘All Hallows Eve’, and later shortened to Halloween.
Irish Halloween customs appear below.
Colcannon for Dinner: Yum! Yum! This dish composed of boiled
potatoes, kale and onions is known as a traditional Halloween dinner.
Keeping with tradition, clean coins are wrapped in baking paper and
placed inside the potato. Coins are for children to find.
The Barnbrack Cake: This fruit bread is traditional fare for an
Irish Halloween. Each family member gets a slice and sometimes objects
are baked with the bread. Each cake includes a rag, ring and coin. If
your slice has the rag then your financial future is uncertain. Find a
coin and you will have a prosperous year. The ring signifies romance is
in your future.
The Ivy Leaf: This one is for tea lovers. Each family member
places an ivy leaf into a cup water and leaves it there overnight. The
next morning you look at your cup. If the leaf is still perfect then
you can expect 12 months of perfect health. If the leaf has spots then
your health future is uncertain.
The Pumpkin: Carving Pumpkins dates back to the eighteenth century and to an Irish blacksmith named Jack who colluded with the Devil and was denied entry to Heaven. He was condemned to wander the earth but asked the Devil for some light. He was given a burning coal ember which he placed inside a turnip that he had gouged out. The tradition of Jack O'Lanterns was born. Villagers in Ireland hoped that the lantern in their window would keep the wanderer away. In America the Irish used pumpkins as they were in greater supply than turnips.
Halloween Costumes: On Halloween night children would dress up in
scary costumes and go house to house. This tradition of wearing
costumes also dates back to Celtic times. Druids dressed in elaborate
costumes in case they encountered evil spirits or devils on All
Hallowtide.
Snap Apple: Irish played Halloween games while visiting their friends and neighbors. One game was Snap Apple. There are two ways to play this game. First, an apple is suspended from a string and children are blindfolded. The first child to get a decent bite of the apple gets to keep their prize. Another way, and more common in the US, is filling a basin with water and placing apples in the water. Children then try to grab these apples with their mouth.
The Bonfire: A bonfire is traditional on Halloween. According to superstition you placed a cutting of your hair in the burning embers and in your sleep you would dream of your future husband or wife.
Anti-Fairy Measures: Fairies and goblins try to collect as many
souls as they can at Halloween. However, if you met a fairy you could
free these souls by grabbing dust under your feet and throwing it at the
fairy. Some farmers went as far as sprinkling holy water on their
livestock to keep them healthy. If your livestock showed signs of
illness, a farmer would spit on the animals to ward off evil spirits.
Blind Date: Blindfolded local girls would go out into
the fields and pull up the first cabbage they could find. If their
cabbage had a substantial amount of earth attached to the roots then
their future loved one would have money. Eating the cabbage would reveal
the nature of their future husband - bitter or sweet!