Halloween in Ireland: How it all began

Prepare for the scare of a lifetime here on the island of Ireland this Halloween, in the land where it all began!

Discover more at https://www.ireland.com

The boundary between our world and the Otherworld is at its thinnest at Halloween… are you brave enough to spend the spookiest night of the year in the land where it all began 3,000 years ago? Prepare for the scare of a lifetime here on the island of Ireland this Halloween!

FAST FACTS:
Despite the fact that Halloween celebrations are more commonly associated with movies from America, its origins are rooted in Ireland, according to History.com. Going back to a pagan Ireland, the Celts would celebrate the festival of Samhain on October 31...
– Around 3,000 years ago, the Celts believed that the dead returned to earth on Samhain, so people would light bonfires, offer sacrifices and pay homage to the deceased.
– Some celebrations saw villagers disguise themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away phantom visitors. The precursor to dressing up?
– Banquet tables were prepared and edible offerings were left out to placate unwelcome spirits.
– In later centuries, people began dressing as ghosts, demons and other malevolent creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This custom, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages and is thought to be an early form of trick-or-treating.

The tradition of carving pumpkins began in Ireland in the 18th century. The story goes that a wicked blacksmith named Jack died, but couldn’t go to heaven. He was doomed to wander the earth, so he asked the devil for a light. The devil gave him a candle, which he carried in a turnip that he had carved out. The Irish carved turnips and placed lights in their windows to keep away roaming spirits and Jack on Halloween night. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found that turnips were less common, so they substituted pumpkins for their Halloween tradition.

Voted the Best Halloween Destination in the World, head to the city of Derry~Londonderry for the spook-fest known as DerryHalloween!

Spook yourself silly with our Halloween Quiz.. or simply practise your most ghoulish voice and find out what else is going on around the island of Ireland at Halloween….