Halloween excitement is starting to build on the farm as we get ready for the first weekend of pumpkin picking. The long term weather forecast is for crisp clear autumn weather. Ideal for a trip to our pumpkin patch. Opening from Saturday 20th of October, the first time slot is 11.30 am.
Its an Irish Thing
Pumpkins & celebrating Halloween comes from a place deep inside us. The Celts celebrated four festivals every year. None of them was connected in anyway to the sun’s cycle. The origin of Halloween comes from the Celt’s Autumn festival which was held on the first day of the 11th month, the month known as November in English but as Samhainin Irish.
The festivals are known by other names in other Celtic countries but there is usually some similarity, if only in the translation.
In Scottish Gaelic, the autumn festival is called Samhuinn. In Manx it is Sauin.
The root of the word – sam – means summer, while fuin means end. And this signals the idea of a seasonal change rather than a notion of worship or ritual.
The other group of Celtic languages (known as Q-Celtic) have very different words but a similar intention. In Welsh, the day is Calan Gaeaf, which means the first day of winter. In Brittany, the day is Kala Goanv, which means the beginning of November.
The Celts believed that the passage of a day began with darkness and progressed into the light. The same notion explains why Winter – the season of long, dark nights – marked the beginning of the year and progressed into the lighter days of Spring, Summer and Autumn.
So the 1st of November, Samhain, was the Celtic New Year, and the celebrations began at sunset of the day before ie its Eve.
Why Pumpkins?
The Irish brought the tradition of carving pumpkins into Jack O’Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O’Lantern was not a pumpkin. Pumpkins did not exist in Ireland. Ancient Celtic cultures in Ireland carved turnips on All Hallow’s Eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits.
So our pumpkin patch is really a trip fully circle from Ancient Ireland, to the New America and back to modern Ireland.
We look forward to seeing you over the coming weeks The team from The Town Cafe are busy prepping Halloween treats for you all.
Ronan Byrne
The Friendly Farmer
