Halloween's dark history begins with the Celtic festival of Samhain. To understand Halloween's origins, we need to look at Ireland's Celtic past and the festival of Samhain. This festival had three main parts. First, it was a significant fire festival, celebrated on the evening of October 31st and throughout the next day. The old fires had to be put out, and the druids would ceremonially re-light them. It was also similar to modern New Year's Day, as it marked the end of the old and the start of the new. For our pagan ancestors, it marked the end of the farming cycle, when all crops were gathered and stored for winter, and livestock were brought in from the fields to be slaughtered or bred. But as the last day of the year, it was also a time when the spirits of the dead returned to their old homes, and malevolent spirits from the Otherworld were visible to humans.

     The Celts celebrated four main festivals each year, none of which were connected to the sun's cycle. Halloween originated from the Celts' autumn festival, held on the first day of the 11th month, known as November in English and Samhain in Irish. Although the festivals have different names in other Celtic countries, they share similarities. In Scottish Gaelic, it's called Samhuinn, and in Manx, it's Sauin. The word 'sam' means summer, and 'fuin' means end, signifying a seasonal change rather than a religious ritual. Other Celtic languages have different words but similar meanings. In Welsh, it's Calan Gaeaf, meaning the first day of winter, and in Brittany, it's Kala Goanv, meaning the beginning of November. The Celts believed that a day began with darkness and progressed into light. This idea explains why winter, with its long, dark nights, marked the start of the year, which would then progress into the lighter days of spring, summer, and autumn. So, November 1st, Samhain, was the Celtic New Year, and the celebrations began at sunset on the day before.