A BRIEF HISTORY

4

The number of annual fire festivals celebrated by the Celts. Of these, Samhain (Gaelic

for ‘summer’s end’) was the most important. Begun around 2,000 years ago, it marked the end of the harvest and the start

of the Celtic New Year.

3

The number of days and nights after 31 October that the veil between the living and the dead lifted, according to the ancient Celts. They believed spirits roamed the earth freely

in this time, which made predicting the future easier.

9th

The century in which Christianity incorporated Samhain into its own calendar,

with the inclusion of All Hallows’ Day (1 November) and All Souls’ Day

(2 November).

4m

The number of Irish people who emigrated to the US in the postFamine era (1850-1929), taking their Christian-Pagan traditions with them and introducing Halloween (as Samhain was renamed by the Church) to the

world at large.