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In the original folklore, the man called Jack O'Lantern was a ghostly figure of the night who roamed the lands with a burning lump of coal inside a hollowed out turnip. During Samhain, people would carve out turnips to create their own lanterns as a means of scaring away evil spirits. By the 1800s, Scottish and Irish communities immigrated to the United States and brought their Halloween traditions with them but around this time they adapted the practice of using turnips to pumpkins which are easier to carve.In the original folklore, the man called Jack O'Lantern was a ghostly figure of the night who roamed the lands with a burning lump of coal inside a hollowed out turnip. During Samhain, people would carve out turnips to create their own lanterns as a means of scaring away evil spirits. By the 1800s, Scottish and Irish communities immigrated to the United States and brought their Halloween traditions with them but around this time they adapted the practice of using turnips to pumpkins which are easier to carve.
In the original folklore, the man called Jack O'Lantern was a ghostly figure of the night who roamed the lands with a burning lump of coal inside a hollowed out turnip. During Samhain, people would carve out turnips to create their own lanterns as a means of scaring away evil spirits. By the 1800s, Scottish and Irish communities immigrated to the United States and brought their Halloween traditions with them but around this time they adapted the practice of using turnips to pumpkins which are easier to carve.

Halloween in Scotland: 13 ancient customs and concepts of Celtic Halloween lost in today’s world, remembering Samhain

Halloween may be celebrated worldwide nowadays, but its origins started with the Celts - one of Scotland’s ancient ancestors that celebrated the frightful festival with customs completely unique to what we see in today’s world.
Thomas Mackay
By Thomas Mackay
Published 20th Oct 2022, 15:03 BST
Updated 31st Oct 2022, 13:35 BST

Modern customs like carving pumpkins or ‘trick-or-treating’ that we see in today’s Halloween do not originate from the Scots nor our Celtic neighbours in regions like Ireland. Halloween (or ‘Samhain’ as it was known) was serious business in ancient Scotland as it marked the weakening of the barrier between our world and the spirits’ which posed the very real threat of ghosts or demons threatening people or their land.

According to the Celtic calendar, this festival ushered in the dawn of winter associated with death while marking the end of the harvesting season of summer associated with life. This is also why the colours orange and black feature so prominently during Halloween as orange symbolises the warmth of the harvest season while black represents the bitter cold winter.

Here are 13 ancient customs or concepts of Halloween to show how it was traditionally celebrated in Scotland unlike what we see today in places like the US; Oidhche Shamhna shona dhut (Scottish Gaelic for Happy Halloween!)

Here are 13 ancient customs or concepts of Halloween to show how it was traditionally celebrated in Scotland unlike what we see today in places like the US; Oidhche Shamhna shona dhut (Scottish Gaelic for Happy Halloween!)

Unlike nowadays where you may just see some small candles lit, our ancestors would light massive bonfires on Halloween. It is said that these fires were started by Druids or 'Celtic priests' and the massive light from them would entice people from all over the land to gather around them before dancing and feasting together.

5. Ancient Druids would light massive bonfires on Samhain

Unlike nowadays where you may just see some small candles lit, our ancestors would light massive bonfires on Halloween. It is said that these fires were started by Druids or 'Celtic priests' and the massive light from them would entice people from all over the land to gather around them before dancing and feasting together. Photo: Nikolai Astrup via Wikimedia Commons

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Nowadays black cats are a novel symbol of the Halloween season but this concept is rooted in Celtic mythology with the idea that black cats were witches. Also known as 'Cait Sith' (Scottish Gaelic: Fairy Cats) these black cats that also often were adorned with a white patch on their chest were said to be the animal forms of witches that could be malevolent to humans as they would feed on the souls of the dead.

6. Black cats being witches is an idea rooted in Celtic mythology

Nowadays black cats are a novel symbol of the Halloween season but this concept is rooted in Celtic mythology with the idea that black cats were witches. Also known as 'Cait Sith' (Scottish Gaelic: Fairy Cats) these black cats that also often were adorned with a white patch on their chest were said to be the animal forms of witches that could be malevolent to humans as they would feed on the souls of the dead. Photo: Raphael Tuck and Sons 1908 via Wikimedia Commons

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Bobbing for apples (or "dookin" for apples as we say in Scotland) is merely a fun game for kids to play on Halloween nowadays. In the past, however, apples were considered important in mysticism and fortune telling. For example, young women would peel an apple in one paring then throw it over their shoulders on Samhain Eve, the peeling would then take shape in the first initial of the man they were destined to marry.

7. Apples were used in ancient fortune-telling methods

Bobbing for apples (or "dookin" for apples as we say in Scotland) is merely a fun game for kids to play on Halloween nowadays. In the past, however, apples were considered important in mysticism and fortune telling. For example, young women would peel an apple in one paring then throw it over their shoulders on Samhain Eve, the peeling would then take shape in the first initial of the man they were destined to marry. Photo: Submitted via Scotsman

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Unlike today's society with its modern conveniences, the life of our ancestors was fraught with peril and great difficulty to survive - the outcome of crops and other farm stock in the year would dictate the survival of your friends and family. Therefore, since farming communities would celebrate Samhain it is understood that natural elements often appeared in costumes from their past - demonstrating a gratitude to Earth as their giver of life.

8. Costumes reflected how the culture was "close to Earth"

Unlike today's society with its modern conveniences, the life of our ancestors was fraught with peril and great difficulty to survive - the outcome of crops and other farm stock in the year would dictate the survival of your friends and family. Therefore, since farming communities would celebrate Samhain it is understood that natural elements often appeared in costumes from their past - demonstrating a gratitude to Earth as their giver of life. Photo: Alis Ballance via Seanchas

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