Episode 18 - Halloween - From Pagan, to Christian, to Party

Here used to stand a lofty idol, that saw many a fight, whose name was the Cromm Cruaich; it caused every tribe to live without peace.

Alas for its secret power! the valiant Gaedil used to worship it:

He was their god, the wizened Cromm, hidden by many mists: as for the folk that believed in him, the eternal Kingdom beyond every haven shall not be theirs.

For him ingloriously they slew their hapless firstborn with much wailing and peril, to pour their blood round Cromm Cruaich one Samhain eve.

Excerpt from the Dindsenchas

Today we cover the development of Halloween - its development from a Celtic harvest festival, which may or may not have involved the ritual slaughter of infant children, and its merger with the Christian holy days of All Saints and All Souls, emerging from the melting pot of American society as something new and old, traditional and commercial.

Many thanks to Joe from the 80 Days - An Exploration Podcast for lending his voice to today’s intro quote. Find his fantastic show on Facebook, Twitter, and 80dayspodcast.com

Today’s show primarily relies on the following works:

Rogers, Nicholas, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, 2002

Santino, Jack (ed.) Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, 1994