Here's wishing you guys a Merry Samhain, and don't eat too much candy =P

The ancient Celts divided the year into four quarters: Samhain (the winter quarter), Imbolc (the spring quarter), Beltane (the summer quarter), and Lughnasadh (the autumn quarter). Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Celtic year began in November, with Samhain. The Celts were influenced mostly by the lunar and stellar cycles that ruled the agricultural year - which begins and ends in late autumn when the crops have been harvested and the soil is prepared for the winter.

Samhain not only marks the beginning of the Winter Quarter -it also marks the beginning of the dark half of the year.

Literally, it means "summer's end". The ancient, wandering Celts marked their ceremonies by the stars and it is believed that the Celtic "day" began at sunset, thereby reinforcing the influence the moon and stars had on the culture. Hence, the Celtic New Year celebration would begin each year on the Eve of November 1st. The atmosphere of the eve of Samhain is one of introspection and ancestral communion. The Celts believed that the doorway between this world and the otherworld was especially thin on the eve of Samhain. During this time, it was believed that fairies and the spirits of those who have died were able to come back to our realm and trick humans into getting entrapped in the fairy mounds where they would be lost forever. Sometimes people got into the spirit of things by playing tricks on each other as well.

When the Roman Empire reached Celtic lands, they added their own feast of the dead to Samhain. The Christians reassigned the meaning of Samhain to honor the saints, as All Saint's Day on November 1st. They also named October 31 as All Hollow's Eve. Although using different nomenclatures, all of these festivals and feasts are celebrating the accessibility, veneration, awe, and respect of the dead.

Many of our modern-day Halloween traditions have their roots in these ancient rituals. In order to ward off spirits, candles were placed in hollowed-out and carved turnips, the forerunner of our (pumpkin) jack-o-lanterns. The carvings were to scare away spirits that might mean you harm, while the candle's flame would invite those spirits that know you to come closer. The wearing of costumes or donning clothing of the opposite sex was a popular means of tricking the spirits as well. A few rituals have contributed to the fun of trick or treating. The custom of "soul-caking" was when children would go from door to door around the village, begging for cakes and in return would pray for the souls of the dearly departed. It was also believed that this was not a night to be alone, so villagers would go door to door collecting food for a community feast. In the center of the Celtic Otherworld is an apple tree of magical powers. Old stories tell of crossing the sea to reach the magical apple tree- this could be the origin of our Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples.

The Celts believed in a cyclical timeline, wherein the ending is also a beginning and the night of Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, exists on a point outside of normal time. Divination and superstitions are part and parcel of Samhain, with many rituals existing to tell the future. With so much mysticism shrouding the festival, Samhain - or Halloween - remains one of our magical holidays that still incorporates the ancient flavor of its origins.