Halloween (also spelled Hallowe’en)[1] is an annual festival celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints, but is today largely a secular celebration.

Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while “some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, [it is] more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)”.[2] The name is derived from Old Irish and means roughly “summer’s end”.[2] A similar festival may have been held by the ancient Britons, corresponding to the Welsh festival of Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf). It is arguable that similar festivals may have been held at this time by all those people for whom Druids were the priesthood.
Snap-Apple Night by Daniel Maclise showing a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland, in 1832. The young children on the right bob for apples. A couple in the center play a variant, which involves retrieving an apple hanging from a string. The couples at left play divination games.

The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”, and is sometimes[3] regarded as the “Celtic New Year”.[4]

The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.[5][6] Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.[7] Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Another common practise was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.

The name ‘Halloween’ and some of its present-day traditions derive from the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval eras in Britain.[8][9][10][11]
Origin of name

The term Halloween (also spelled Hallowe’en) is shortened from All Hallows’ Even – e’en is a shortening of even, which is the origin of the words “evening” and “eve”. This is ultimately derived from the Old English Eallra Hālgena ǣfen.[12] It is now known as “Eve of” All Saints’ Day,[citation needed] which is November 1st.

In the 800s, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints’ Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were once celebrated on the same day.
Symbols
A traditional Irish halloween Jack-o’-lantern from the early 20th century on display in the Museum of Country Life, Ireland.

Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time encompassing customs of medieval holy days as well as contemporary cultures. The souling practice of commemorating the souls in purgatory with candle lanterns carved from turnips, became adapted into the making of jack-o’-lanterns.[13] In traditional Celtic Halloween festivals, large turnips were hollowed out, carved with faces and placed in windows to ward off evil spirits.[6] The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America where pumpkins are both readily available and much larger – making them easier to carve than turnips.[14] Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their doorstep after dark. The American tradition of carving pumpkins preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration[15] and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 1800s.[16][17]
Halloween spiders at a row house in Washington DC

The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely a mix of the Halloween season itself, works of Gothic and horror literature, in particular the novels Frankenstein and Dracula, and nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists,[18] and British Hammer Horror productions, also a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, evil, the occult, magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include the Devil, the Grim Reaper, ghosts, ghouls, demons, witches, goblins, vampires, werewolves, zombies, skeletons, black cats, spiders, bats, and crows.[19]

Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films (which contain fictional figures like Frankenstein’s monster and The Mummy). Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween.

The colours black and orange are associated with the celebrations,[20] perhaps because of the darkness of night and the colour of fire, autumn leaves, or pumpkins.
Trick-or-treating and guising
Main article: Trick-or-treating
Typical Halloween scene in Dublin, Ireland.

At the time of substantial Irish and Scottish immigration to North America, Halloween had a strong tradition of “guising” – children disguised in costumes going from door to door for food.[21] The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street “guising” on Halloween between 6:00 and 7:00 P.M., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs.[22]

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween in the US. It has in recent years caught on in the UK due probably to the effect of American films and television. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, “Trick or treat?” The word “trick” refers to a (mostly idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In some parts of Ireland and Scotland children still go guising. In this custom the child performs some sort of show, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, in order to earn their treats.
Costumes
Main article: Halloween costume

Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. They are said to be used to scare off demons. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows, movies, and other pop culture icons.
Costume sales

BIGresearch conducted a survey for the National Retail Federation in the United States and found that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween 2005, spending $38.11 on average (up $10 from the year before). They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.[23]
UNICEF
Main article: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

“Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” has become a common sight during Halloween in North America. Started as a local event in a Philadelphia suburb in 1950 and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, corporate sponsors like Hallmark, at their licensed stores) to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $118 million (US) for UNICEF since its inception. In Canada, in 2006, UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, citing safety and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, they instead redesigned the program.[24][25]
Games and other activities
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In this Halloween greeting card from 1904, divination is depicted: the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband.

There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties. One common game is dunking or apple bobbing, in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin.[26] A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple[27]. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a very sticky face.

Some games traditionally played at Halloween are forms of divination. A traditional Irish and Scottish form of divining one’s future spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over one’s shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse’s name.[28] Unmarried women were told[who?] that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards[29] from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday, while new horror films are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere.
Haunted attractions
Main article: Haunted attraction
In front of haunted house during Halloween season, Northern California.

Haunted attractions are entertainment venues designed to thrill and scare patrons; most are seasonal Halloween businesses. Origins of these paid scare venues are difficult to pinpoint, but it is generally accepted that they were first commonly used by the Junior Chamber International (Jaycees) for fundraising.[30] They include haunted houses, corn mazes, and hayrides,[31] and the level of sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown. Haunted attractions in the United States bring in an estimate $300–500 million each year, and draw some 400,000 customers, although trends suggest a peak in 2005[30]. This increase in interest has led to more highly technical special effects and costuming that is comparable with that in Hollywood films.[32]
Foods
Candy apple

Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel or taffy apples are a common Halloween treat made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.

At one time, candy apples were commonly given to children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples.[33] While there is evidence of such incidents,[34] they are quite rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free x-rays of children’s Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children’s candy, and there have been occasional reports of children putting needles in their own (and other children’s) candy in need of a bit of attention.[citation needed]

One custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish: báirín breac), which is a light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin and other charms are placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the tradition of king cake at the festival of Epiphany.

List of foods associated with the holiday:

* Barmbrack (Ireland)
* Bonfire toffee (Britain)
* Candy apples
* Candy corn (North America)
* Caramel apples
* Caramel corn
* Colcannon (Ireland)
* Pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread
* Roasted pumpkin seeds
* Roasted sweet corn
* Soul cakes
* Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc.

Around the world
Main article: Halloween around the world

Halloween is not celebrated in many countries and regions of the world and among those that do the traditions and importance of the celebration vary significantly. A much celebrated holiday in Ireland and Scotland, mass transatlantic Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century popularized Halloween in North America.[35] The promotion of the celebration in the United States has, in recent times, had a significant impact on how the festival is observed in other nations; for example in England, Halloween was not celebrated in the 1960’s or 70’s, and was overshadowed by bonfire night on 5th November, yet now the two events are of similar popularity. This larger American influence, particularly in iconic and commercial elements, has extended to places such as South America, Europe, to Japan under the auspices of the Japanese Biscuit Association, and the Far East.[36]
Religious perspectives
See also: All Saints and Samhain

Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day,[37][38] while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation.[39][40]

Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely secular holiday devoted to celebrating “imaginary spooks” and handing out candy. Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having a Christian connection.[41] Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, “[I]f English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that.”[42]

Most[citation needed] Christians hold the view that the tradition is far from being satanic in origin or practice and that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners’ heritage.[43] Other Christians feel concerned about Halloween, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) “the occult” and what they perceive as evil.[44] A response among some fundamentalists in recent years has been the use of ‘Hell houses’ or themed pamphlets (such as those of Jack T. Chick) which attempt to make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism.[45][dead link]

Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith[46] because of its origin as a pagan “Festival of the Dead.” In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a “Saint Fest” on the holiday.[45] Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween because they believe anything that originated from a pagan holiday should not be celebrated by true Christians.[47]

Religions other than Christianity also have varied views on Halloween. Celtic Pagans consider the season a holy time of year.[48] Celtic Reconstructionists, and others who maintain ancestral customs, make offerings to the Gods and the ancestors.[48]

Some Wiccans feel that the tradition is offensive to “real witches” for promoting stereotypical caricatures of “wicked witches”.[49]

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Tags: "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In some parts of Ireland and Scotland children still g, "[I]f English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, 000 customers, a coin and other charms are placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the tradition of king cake at the festival of E, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation.[39][40] Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards[29] from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films a, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off har, also a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, although trends suggest a peak in 2005[30]. This increase in interest has led to more highly technical special effects and costuming that is comparable with that in Hollywood films.[32] Foods Candy ap, an activity that inevitably leads to a very sticky face. Some games traditionally played at Halloween are forms of divination. A traditional Irish and Scottish form of divining one's future spouse is, and crows.[19] Particularly in America, and devils. They are said to be used to scare off demons. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, and draw some 400, and get candy. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween because they believe anything that originated from a pagan holiday should not be celebrated by true Christians.[47] Religions other than , and hayrides, and is sometimes[3] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[4] The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld, and nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists, and other pop culture icons. Costume sales BIGresearch conducted a survey for the National Retail Federation in the United States and found that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a costume for Hallow, and others who maintain ancestral customs, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual. Another common practise was divination, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) "the occult" and what they perceive as evil.[44] A response among some fundamentalists in recent years has been the use of ', and scarecrows, and the Far East.[36] Religious perspectives See also: All Saints and Samhain Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage.[43] Other Christians feel concerned about Halloween, and there have been occasional reports of children putting needles in their own (and other children's) candy in need of a bit of attention.[citation needed] One custom that persists in modern-day Ire, and was overshadowed by bonfire night on 5th November, and watching horror films. Historian Nicholas Rogers, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. The colours black and orange are associated with the celebrations, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, at their licensed stores) to trick-or-treaters, autumn leaves, bats, became adapted into the making of jack-o'-lanterns.[13] In traditional Celtic Halloween festivals, black cats, bonfires, but is today largely a secular celebration. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, but it is generally accepted that they were first commonly used by the Junior Chamber International (Jaycees) for fundraising.[30] They include haunted houses, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples.[33] While there is evidence of such incidents, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), candy apples were commonly given to children, caramel or taffy apples are a common Halloween treat made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, carved with faces and placed in windows to ward off evil spirits.[6] The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America where pumpkins are both readily available and much larger – m, carving jack-o'-lanterns, citing safety and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, corn husks, corn mazes, corporate sponsors like Hallmark, corresponding to the Welsh festival of Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf). It is arguable that similar festivals may have been held at this time by all those people for whom Druids were the priesthoo, demons, divination is depicted: the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband. There are several games traditionally associated with Hall, etc. Around the world Main article: Halloween around the world Halloween is not celebrated in many countries and regions of the world and among those that do the traditions and importance of the cel, Europe, evil, exploring the origins of Halloween, ghost tours, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, had a significant impact on how the festival is observed in other nations; for example in England, Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en)[1] is an annual festival celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints, Halloween had a strong tradition of "guising" - children disguised in costumes going from door to door for food.[21] The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking Nor, Halloween was not celebrated in the 1960's or 70's, has extended to places such as South America, has said, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple[27]. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using han, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, if they were destined to die before marriage, in 1832. The young children on the right bob for apples. A couple in the center play a variant, in 2006, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, in order to earn their treats. Costumes Main article: Halloween costume Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as ghosts, in particular the novels Frankenstein and Dracula, in recent times, in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin.[26] A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair, in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $118 million (US) for UNICEF since its inception. In Canada, into which a plain ring, Ireland, Ireland. At the time of substantial Irish and Scottish immigration to North America, Ireland. Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time encompassing customs of medieval holy days as well as contemporary cultures. The souling practice of commemora, large turnips were hollowed out, magic, make offerings to the Gods and the ancestors.[48] Some Wiccans feel that the tradition is offensive to "real witches" for promoting stereotypical caricatures of "wicked witches".[49], many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant. At the peak of the hysteria, mass transatlantic Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century popularized Halloween in North America.[35] The promotion of the celebration in the United States has, movies, near the border of upstate New York, Northern California. Haunted attractions are entertainment venues designed to thrill and scare patrons; most are seasonal Halloween businesses. Origins of these paid scare venues are difficult to pin, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 1800s.[16][17] Halloween spiders at a row house in Washington DC The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely a mix of the Ha, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, Ontario, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include the Devil, or pumpkins. Trick-or-treating and guising Main article: Trick-or-treating Typical Halloween scene in Dublin, particularly in iconic and commercial elements, play games, pranks, pumpkin bread * Roasted pumpkin seeds * Roasted sweet corn * Soul cakes * Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkin pie, pumpkins, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street "guising" on Halloween between 6:00 and 7:00 P.M., skeletons, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day, some hospitals offered free x-rays of children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their ow, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts. At one time, spending $38.11 on average (up $10 from the year before). They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, spiders, such as pumpkins, such as those of characters from television shows, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films (which contain fictional figures like Frankenstein's monster and The Mummy). Elements of the autumn season, telling scary stories, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, the goddess of fruits and seeds, the Grim Reaper, the occult, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish: báirín breac), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday.[45] Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having a Christian connection.[41] Father Gabriele Amorth, the two holidays were once celebrated on the same day. Symbols A traditional Irish halloween Jack-o'-lantern from the early 20th century on display in the Museum of Country Life, then toss the peel over one's shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name.[28] Unmarried women were told[who?] that if they sat in a darkened ro, there is no harm in that."[42] Most[citation needed] Christians hold the view that the tradition is far from being satanic in origin or practice and that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of , they instead redesigned the program.[24][25] Games and other activities Ambox content.png This section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Please help add inline citations to guard against copyr, to Japan under the auspices of the Japanese Biscuit Association, treating it as a purely secular holiday devoted to celebrating "imaginary spooks" and handing out candy. Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic parochial schools throughout North Ameri, UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.[23] UNICEF Main article: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" has become a common sight during Halloween in North America. , vampires, veiled or blackened faces.[5][6] Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were, visiting haunted attractions, visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs.[22] Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween in the US. It has in recent ye, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, werewolves, when a newspaper in Kingston, which involves retrieving an apple hanging from a string. The couples at left play divination games. The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the , which is a light fruitcake, which is the origin of the words "evening" and "eve". This is ultimately derived from the Old English Eallra Hālgena ǣfen.[12] It is now known as "Eve of" All Saints' Day, which often involved the use of food and drink. The name 'Halloween' and some of its present-day traditions derive from the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval eras in Britain.[8][9][10][11] Origin of name The, while new horror films are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere. Haunted attractions Main article: Haunted attraction In front of haunted house during Hal, witches, with the question, works of Gothic and horror literature, worms, yet now the two events are of similar popularity. This larger American influence, zombies, [18] and British Hammer Horror productions, [20] perhaps because of the darkness of night and the colour of fire, [31] and the level of sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown. Haunted attractions in the United States bring in an estimate $300–500 million each year, [34] they are quite rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, [37][38] while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, [citation needed] which is November 1st. In the 800s, [it is] more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)".[2] The name is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".[2] A similar festival