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Every year, streets across Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries fill with people in fancy dress, bright lights and an essential Halloween decoration – pumpkins of various shapes with whimsical carvings. Let’s explore the history of Samhain, an ancient festival and a precursor to modern Halloween, with 1xBet.ie.
Some people mistakenly believe the US is Halloween’s birthplace. Perhaps this is because huge sums of money are spent there during the celebrations. But Halloween has deep roots in Ireland, and behind the modern festivities lie ancient pagan traditions associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain.
Festival between two worlds
The traditional Celtic year was divided into two main parts: the light half, associated with summer, and the dark half, with winter. The name Samhain is often interpreted as ‘summer’s end’. The celebration itself marked the end of the harvest season and the onset of cold weather.
In Irish tradition, the boundary between the world of the living and the Otherworld was believed to grow thin on the night of 31 October. This was a time ‘between worlds’, when supernatural encounters were thought possible. Ancestral spirits could return, alongside shapeshifting beings and fairies of all kinds. The goddess known as the Morrígan also appears in Irish myths associated with Samhain.
Sacred fire and ancient rituals
To appease the spirits and protect their homes, people observed a range of rituals.
- Sacred bonfires. According to tradition, Tlachtga, now known as the Hill of Ward in County Meath, was a centre of Samhain celebrations. Druids lit a huge sacred fire there. Households would extinguish their hearth fires and then rekindle them from the main sacred flame, bringing blessings and protection throughout the winter.
- Costumes and disguises. People wore disguises in the hope of avoiding hostile spirits; later customs included masks and faces blackened with soot. The idea was that an evil spirit would mistake them for one of its own and leave them unharmed.
- Offerings. Food and drink were left out to honour deceased relatives and appease capricious fairies.
From pagan bonfires to Halloween
As Christianity spread in Ireland from the fifth century onwards, local pagan customs gradually became interwoven with Christian celebrations. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated 1 November as a day to honour all saints. The evening of 31 October came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve, which over time was shortened to the familiar word ‘Halloween’.
Many old traditions have survived to this day:
- The jack-o’-lantern, now familiar as a pumpkin carved with a face, was originally made from a swede or turnip. According to Irish legend, Jack, a miserly drunkard, tricked the devil and was condemned to wander the earth for ever, with only a glowing ember in a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. When Irish emigrants moved to the US in large numbers in the nineteenth century, they replaced turnips with pumpkins, which were easier to carve and more readily available.
- Trick-or-treating, the tradition of dressing up and going from house to house asking for treats, has roots in the custom of guising. Participants would recite poems or sing songs in exchange for food. ‘Soul cakes’ were given in return for prayers for the dead as part of a related custom known as souling.
How Halloween is celebrated in Ireland today
A busy programme of events begins in the run-up to Halloween.
- Dublin Halloween Festival, from 10 to 31 October: themed tours, ghost stories, pumpkin-carving workshops, exhibitions and other events.
- Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin, from 23 to 26 October: Gothic performances, theatre productions, family events and the Macnas parade.
- Púca Festival in County Meath, from 29 October to 1 November: celebrating the area’s ancient traditions, the festival features the lighting of the Samhain fire, a procession and tales from Irish mythology.
- Derry Halloween, from 28 October to 1 November: billed as Europe’s largest Halloween festival, it attracts tens of thousands of people every year. For several days, the city is immersed in an atmosphere of ancient legends, street theatre and fire shows.
Alongside the Halloween celebrations, numerous sporting events will take place on 31 October and 1 November 2026. Visit 1xBet.ie, claim your Halloween gift with a promo code for up to 20% and Crystal bets, and enjoy the sporting action. Bet responsibly, not superstitiously!
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