The Ancient Heart of Halloween: The Bonfire of Samhain

The evenings grow longer. The air turns crisp. Somewhere, a candle flickers behind the carved face of a pumpkin. It’s a familiar sight across much of the modern world, yet its origins are far older than the holiday we now call Halloween. Once, this was the night when fires marked the turning of the seasons, and people stood between light and darkness, celebrating the quiet power of transition.

Something Familiar, or Something Forgotten

Halloween is so easy to recognise! Dim lanterns glowing in windows, the silhouettes of ghosts and bats, the playfulness of fright. Yet few pause to wonder where it began, or what it once meant. Beneath the surface of a modern celebration lies an ancient festival that spoke not of fear, but of reverence. It is the Celtic Samhain, when the year itself crossed into shadow.

From Samhain to Halloween

Over two thousand years ago, the Celts of Ireland, Scotland, and parts of northern France celebrated Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”), a festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, or the “dark half” of the year. It was both a practical and spiritual boundary: the crops were gathered, livestock brought in, and fires lit to protect homes against the chill and the spirits thought to wander freely on this liminal night.

A man representing the Winter King is photographed during the Samhain celebration in Somerset, England. Photo: Matt Cardy

Samhain was a time when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. The living honoured their ancestors with offerings of food and drink, while bonfires were lit to ward off malevolent forces. People wore disguises. Not to amuse, but to confuse wandering spirits.

Centuries later, as Christianity spread through Celtic lands, All Hallows’ Eve was introduced, the evening before All Saints’ Day. Over time, “All Hallows’ Eve” softened linguistically into Hallowe’en, the word first appearing in the mid-16th century. Yet beneath this Christian observance, the ancient spirit of Samhain endured. Reshaped, renamed, but never entirely forgotten.

Today, Samhain is still celebrated in Ireland and Scotland, often quietly, as a cultural or spiritual remembrance rather than a public festivity. Bonfires are lit once more; people gather to tell old stories, and the line between past and present briefly blurs again.

The Symbols and Their Stories

Many of Halloween’s most recognisable symbols can be traced directly back to Samhain. The bonfire, once a sacred beacon of protection, became the candle in the pumpkin: a smaller flame, still flickering against the dark. The costumes, once worn to hide from wandering spirits, evolved into playful disguises. Even the act of offering food, once meant to appease ancestral souls, transformed into the cheerful exchange of sweets.

Pictured: Advertising card, Winnipeg, 1910.

Some symbols, however, did not make the transition. The Celtic wheel of the year, with its seasonal rituals, and the honouring of household deities were gradually lost. The deep spiritual significance of marking the year’s turning gave way to more symbolic and social forms of celebration.

In the modern age, Halloween continues to evolve. Many now use its imagery not only for fright, but for satire and reflection by carving dashboard warning lights into pumpkins or dressing as symbols of current events. The essence remains: light in the darkness, humour in the face of fear, and storytelling as a way of understanding the unknown.

The Echo of Old Fires

It’s fascinating, isn’t it, how a single night can carry the weight of centuries, with sacred fire rituals, family costumes and doorstep laughter. When we trace these traditions back to their roots, we begin to see how our world is layered with meanings inherited from those who came long before us.

So, as you light your pumpkin this year, remember that its glow reaches further than your doorstep. It flickers with the memory of ancient fires, of a people who looked into the dark and chose to celebrate it. Not with fear, but with understanding.

Because the more we uncover the stories behind our traditions, the more we see the world not as a collection of isolated moments, but as a tapestry, woven through time, culture, and belief. And that, perhaps, is the real magic of Halloween.