Memories of Celebrating Samhain in Ireland
Meabh: So I’m Irish, and, um, Halloween originated in my country, but we didn’t celebrate the American version of Halloween in my family, so we didn’t go trick-or-treating or any of those things.
Meabh: We celebrated the original holiday, which is Samhain.
Meabh: So basically what our ancestors believed was that at Samhain, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest point, so, um, for one night, the dead could return to the world of the living.
Meabh: So what we used to do was, we used to put a light in the window, and the idea of this was that, um, our ancestors or our deceased family members could follow the light and find their way back home to visit.
Meabh: Um, our grandmother was very, very strict about us putting water outside the house. We couldn’t throw any water outside the house, out of a cup, out of anything because, um, it would drive the dead away.
Meabh: Um, our grandparents had a very different view of death than a lot of people do.
Meabh: Um, the idea of ghosts or spirits visiting the house wasn’t a scary thing. It was actually a welcome thing because it meant that, um, our deceased family could be closer to us for one night of the year.
Meabh: Um, we would also celebrate by playing traditional games, uh, games for predicting the future, and, uh, having some special treats.
Meabh: We did have, um, toffee apples. But um, yeah, it’s quite different, and I feel like it was a lot more fun celebrating it the way we did.
Vocabulary:
originated in – started or began in a specific place, “The game of chess originated in India centuries ago.”
trick-or-treating – a Halloween activity where children dress up in costumes and visit houses to ask for sweets, “The kids wore superhero costumes and went trick-or-treating around the block.”
Samhain – an ancient Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, “Traditional customs of Samhain are still celebrated by some families in Ireland.”
ancestors – family members from a long time ago, such as great-grandparents, “Her ancestors moved to Canada from Scotland in the 1800s.”
veil between – a thin barrier or wall separating two different worlds or ideas, “Many cultures believe the veil between the living and the spiritual world drops during certain holidays.”
thinnest point – the narrowest or least thick moment or part of something, “The ice on the lake is at its thinnest point near the edge, so do not walk there.”
deceased – dead; no longer living, “We keep photos of our deceased relatives on the living room shelf to remember them.”
drive the dead away – to scare off or force the spirits of departed people to leave, “They lit large fires to drive the dead away from the village.”
ghosts or spirits – the souls of dead people that some believe can be seen or felt by the living, “The old castle is famous for its stories about ghosts or spirits roaming the halls.”
welcome thing – a pleasant or desirable event that people are happy to experience, “After a long, hot walk, a cold glass of water is a very welcome thing.”
traditional games – old-fashioned activities or sports that have been played by a culture for many generations, “At the festival, children played traditional games passed down by their grandparents.”
predicting the future – trying to guess or see what will happen in time to come, “She joked that her grandmother was excellent at predicting the future based on the weather.”
special treats – unusual or delicious snacks that you do not get to eat very often, “We bought some special treats from the bakery for the birthday party.”
toffee apples – fresh apples covered in a hard layer of sweet, melted sugar or caramel on a stick, “We always eat sweet toffee apples at the autumn fair.”