Gather ’round, ghosties, witches and restless souls! As the veil between the worlds grows thinner, it’s time to dive into the eerie origins of Halloween and its ancient Celtic twin, Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”). Whether you’re donning costumes for candy or conjuring spirits under the midnight moon, this holiday is steeped in history, magic and a healthy dose of fright. Let’s take a broomstick ride through the past, where sacred fires burned, spirits wandered and ghoulish mischief began!
Once upon a spooky night…
Long before Halloween became a candy-fueled carnival, the Celts of ancient Ireland, Scotland and Wales celebrated Samhain, a festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year. It was believed that on the night of 31 October, the boundary between the world of the living and the dead blurred. Spirits, both friendly and foul, roamed the earth, paying visits to old haunts. To stay on the good side of these wayward souls, people offered food and drink, kind of like an early form of Trick-or-Treat… but without the fun-sized Snickers.
Samhain wasn’t all mischief, though. It was also a time to honour ancestors. Families set extra places at the table, inviting the spirits of departed loved ones to join the feast. If your Aunt Bethy came back from the dead, you’d better believe she was getting the good silver.
The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain as the most important of their four quarterly fire festivals, marking the halfway point between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this time, families allowed the hearth fires in their homes to extinguish while they gathered the season’s harvest. Once the harvest was in, the community came together with Druid priests to kindle a sacred bonfire using a spinning sun-wheel, a symbol of the sun that sparked flames through friction. Prayers were offered alongside the fire, and cattle were sacrificed to ensure protection through the coming winter. Each household took a flame from the communal fire back home to relight their hearths, reconnecting with the festival’s shared spirit.
Samhain wasn’t optional—early accounts describe it as a ‘mandatory gathering’ lasting three days and three nights. People were expected to appear before their local kings or chieftains, as failing to attend could invite divine retribution in the form of illness or death. The festival had a military edge as well: holiday thrones were prepared for commanders of soldiers, but anyone who committed violence or drew weapons during the celebration faced a swift death sentence.
Samhain was also known for its feasting and drinking, with some sources mentioning six days of revelry, during which mead and beer flowed freely. Given the belief that the veil between worlds grew thin, villagers left offerings of food outside their homes and fields to appease fairies (or Sídh) and spirits.
To avoid being kidnapped by fairies, Celts dressed as animals or monsters, blending in to avoid unwanted attention from otherworldly beings. Some specific creatures haunted Samhain mythology:
Púca, a shape-shifter, received the last of the harvest offerings left in the fields.
The Lady Gwyn, a headless woman in white, chased night travellers with the help of a black pig.
The Dullahan could appear as headless horsemen, riding horses with flaming eyes. Their presence was a harbinger of death.
The Sluagh, a host of phantom hunters, swept in from the west, stealing souls and spiriting people away into the Otherworld.
Samhain was also the setting for many Celtic legends. One tale tells of The Second Battle of Mag Tuired, a conflict fought during Samhain between the Tuatha Dé Danann (Celtic gods) and the Fomorians, malevolent supernatural beings. Another popular myth,“The Adventures of Nera”, recounts how the hero Nera encounters both a corpse and fairies before journeying into the Otherworld.
The mythic warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill also faced legendary foes during Samhain. In one story, he battled Aillen, a fire-breathing creature from the underworld who burned down the Hall of Tara every year during the festival. In another tale, Fionn was sent to the Land Beneath the Wave—a watery realm—where his Samhain adventures were filled with magical encounters and festive gatherings.
As the mediaeval ages arrived…
As the Middle Ages unfolded, the customs surrounding Samhain evolved, becoming more localised and personal. Families lit smaller bonfires, called Samghnagans, closer to their farms to ward off witches and mischievous fairies. These fires symbolised both protection and connection with the spirit world.
This era also saw the rise of the Jack-o’-lantern, with carved turnips tied to sticks and filled with glowing coals. As Irish traditions migrated, the humble turnip was later swapped for the easier-to-carve pumpkin, giving birth to the iconic orange faces we know today. In Wales, things got fiery—men threw burning logs at each other in chaotic games and launched fireworks in raucous celebrations. Meanwhile, in Northern England, revellers paraded with noisemakers, warding off spirits with sound and light.
During the Middle Ages, families introduced the eerie custom of the “dumb supper”—a silent feast where guests ate only after inviting their departed ancestors to join. This ritual allowed the living to interact with the dead through shared meals, news updates, and quiet reflection. Children played games to amuse the spirits, while adults recounted the events of the past year. As a final gesture of hospitality, doors and windows were left open that night to allow the spirits easy access to cakes left for them as offerings.
As Christianity spread through pagan communities, church leaders tried to recast Samhain in a Christian light. The first attempt came in the 5th century, when Pope Boniface moved the festival to 13 May, proclaiming it a day to honour saints and martyrs. However, the autumn fire festivals continued, ignoring the decree. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III strategically shifted the church celebration back to 1 November, rebranding it as All Saints’ Day to align with the traditional Samhain timing. The evening before was called All Hallows’ Eve, which later came to be known as Halloween. He added All Souls’ Day on 2 November to commemorate the dead, but even these changes couldn’t extinguish the pagan practices that lingered on 31 October.
Wicca, witch trials and the burning times
From bubbling cauldrons to broomsticks flying across the night sky, witches have fascinated and frightened the human imagination for centuries. But the history behind the witch trials and burnings isn’t just spooky—it’s filled with persecution, fear and social panic.
Witchcraft accusations gained momentum in Europe during the late Middle Ages and reached their peak between the 15th and 17th centuries. This was a time of profound social, religious, and economic upheaval, with people searching for scapegoats to blame for plagues, crop failures and personal misfortunes. Church officials and rulers alike believed that witches were in league with the Devil, conducting sinister rituals to harm communities. In 1486, the infamous book Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) fanned the flames of hysteria. Written by Heinrich Kramer, a Dominican inquisitor, the text claimed that women were more susceptible to demonic temptation—leading to the belief that witchcraft was predominantly a female crime.
Accused witches were subjected to gruesome trials.
Torture devices used to extract confessions included:
The Strappado: Victims were suspended by their arms, which were tied behind their backs, often resulting in dislocated shoulders.
The Witch’s Bridle: A metal gag was placed over the mouth to prevent witches from speaking spells.
Thumbscrews and the Rack: These devices crushed bones, eliciting confessions through agonising pain.
Many accused witches confessed simply to end their suffering—though confessions did not guarantee mercy.
Once found guilty, the sentence was often execution. In most parts of Europe, the preferred method was burning at the stake, as fire was believed to purify the soul. In England, however, witches were usually hanged, though their bodies might still be burned posthumously.
Witch hunts across Europe
The Trier Witch Trials (1581–1593) – One of Europe’s largest, resulting in the deaths of 368 people, including noblemen and priests.
The Würzburg and Bamberg Trials (1626–1631) – These notorious German witch hunts claimed over 900 lives, spreading through multiple communities.
The Pendle Witch Trials (1612) – In England, twelve people from Pendle Hill were accused of witchcraft; ten were hanged after a sensational trial.
In Scotland, witch trials were particularly fierce—nearly 4,000 people were executed for witchcraft between the 16th and 18th centuries. Accused women were often stripped and searched for “the devil’s marks”—any mole or blemish was considered evidence of a pact with Satan.
The Salem Witch Trials: America’s dark chapter
Across the Atlantic, colonial America had its own tragic episode of witch hysteria—the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in Massachusetts. What began with the strange behaviour of a few young girls spiralled into a full-blown panic, leading to 19 executions by hanging and the death of several more in prison. In Salem, accusations came from neighbours and children, and the trials often relied on “spectral evidence”—the claim that spirits or apparitions of the accused had caused harm.
Blessed be and beware—witches are still here
The overwhelming majority of those accused were women, often poor, widowed or socially isolated. Women who didn’t conform to societal norms—those who were outspoken, knowledgeable about herbs or lived alone—were easy targets. The idea that women were more likely to consort with the Devil reflected the patriarchal beliefs of the time, which viewed women as both morally and spiritually weaker than men. Some men were accused as well, but the stereotype of the old, cunning witch remained overwhelmingly female. Midwives, herbalists and healers—once respected members of their communities—found themselves branded as sorceresses, paying a deadly price for their knowledge.
History says that the first divinity we worshipped, the Mother Goddess, was a witch. “Is that bad? No, not at all, because the word ‘witch’ comes from the old English word ‘wicce’ or ‘wicca’, meaning ‘wise’”, says Wiccan Priestess Ipsita Roy Chakraverti.
In her book Way of the Witch, she says that Wicca and the goddesses of Wicca go back a long time. Society was matriarchal. Wicca was not a religion; it was a path, a way of life. “They are a part of the universal, animastic paganism,” she writes, while later mentioning how in Rome, Diana, the huntress, was worshipped by Wiccans for her independent attitude. “It is interesting to note that the word ‘dayan’ used in our part of the world, in a negative way which is deeply steeped with superstition, came from the name of this very respected and beautiful goddess,” she says.
So, next time you see a witch’s hat or a glowing Jack-o’-lantern, remember: these symbols carry with them centuries of fear, resistance and transformation. Witches were hunted and burned, but their magic endures, woven into the fabric of history—and alive in every spell, ritual and Halloween cackle.