At Samhain, it is believed that the veil between the physical world and the spiritual (or “other”) world is at its thinnest. This means spirits (fairies) can easily cross between realms and enter our world. The ancient Celts left food and drink  for the fairies for luck.  Souls of the departed were believed to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. In some cases, a place setting of food or drink was put on the dining table in anticipation of the visit. Mumming, or wearing disguises were part of the festival and involved people going door to door in costume or disguise, reciting verse in exchange for food. Trick-or-treating, anyone?

Samhain is a Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year. It falls on October 31, beginning at sunset and continuing until sunset on November 1 (All Saint’s Day), approximately halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Samhain is one of the four primary Celtic seasonal festivals, the others being Imbolc (February 1), Beltane (May 1) and Lughnasadh (August 1).  There is evidence that Samhain has been an important celebration since ancient times.

The tradition of carving pumpkins dates back to the 18th century. An Irishman blacksmith named “Stingy Jack” invited the Devil to drink with him at the tavern. Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin so Jack could pay for the drinks. Being a cheapskate, Jack pocketed the coin and left the tavern. Thus the Devil could not return to his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil in return for the promise that the Devil would not claim Jack’s soul when he died. Jack was denied entrance to Heaven, and the Devil also denied him entrance to Hell. The Devil gave Jack a lantern made from a carved turnip and sent him off to wander the land restlessly. The Irish referred to this ghostly figure as Jack of the Lantern, and then simply “Jack-O-Lantern”. 

The origin of the label of ‘witch’ and people who practice witchcraft is unknown.

“The terms witchcraft and witch derive from Old English wiccecraeft: from wicca (masculine) or wicce (feminine), pronounced ‘witchah’ and ‘witchuh,’ respectively, denoting someone who practices sorcery; and from craeft meaning ‘craft’ or ‘skill,’” according to Encyclopedia Britannica.  The earliest record of a witch is in the Bible, in the Book of Samuel, according to the History Channel.  “It tells the story of when King Saul sought the Witch of Endor to summon the dead prophet Samuel’s spirit to help him defeat the Philistine army,” according to the History Channel.