Fascinating facts about Halloween in Ireland

Halloween’s history is fascinating, thanks in large part to the Irish.

Here are the most interesting Irish Halloween facts, ranging from the system behind apple bobbing to why we wear orange and black on Halloween.

Halloween was invented in Ireland. The roots of Halloween can be traced back 2,000 years to the Celtic Samhain festival, which celebrated the end of summer.

Fact #1 – Origin

Although today, Halloween is celebrated practically all over the world, its origin lies in the pagan Celtic festival of ‘Samhain’, around 100 A.D. approximately. It was observed on the evening of the 31st of October, with a big fire, marking the end of the harvest season and thus the beginning of winter. What’s more, it was the moment when Celtics stored supplies to overcome winter.

For the Celts, this period was very spiritual. They believed that old ghosts would return to the mortal world on that night. To confront them, they lighted big fires to drive away the evil spirits. They also wore scary dresses and masks to resemble them and avoid being taken away to the underworld.

When the Irish emigrated to the United States, they brought this tradition with them, and now it has become very popular.

Fact #2 – Fireworks

In Ireland, where Halloween originated, people celebrate by setting off fireworks.

They also eat barmbrack, a traditional fruitcake, and light bonfires to celebrate the Holiday.

Fact #3 – Jack o’lantern

“Jack o’lantern” comes from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack.

Legend has it that Stingy Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him, but Jack didn’t want to pay for the drink, so he convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin. Instead of buying the drink, he pocketed the coin and kept it close to a silver cross in his house, preventing the devil from taking shape again. He promised to let the devil go as long as he would leave Jack alone for a year – and that if Jack died, the devil wouldn’t claim his soul. After a year, Jack tricked the devil again to leave him alone and not claim his soul. When Jack died, God didn’t want such a conniving person in heaven and the devil, true to his word, would not allow him into hell. Jack was sent off into the night with only a burning coal to light his path. He placed the coal inside a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the earth ever since. People in Ireland and Scotland began creating their own creations of Jack’s lanterns out of turnips, beets, and potatoes. The tradition travelled to the United States along with the immigrants and people began to use pumpkins, native to North America, for the lanterns instead.

Fact #4 – Trick or treat

Mostly celebrated by children, this tradition involves going from door to door with a terrifying costume asking for sweets or money. When people open the door, the children ask ‘trick or treat’. This means that they have to give them sweets, or they will suffer a horrible mischief.

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