Imagine an autumnal evening in ancient Ireland, with children playing games, families sharing sweet fruit bread, and the smell of seasonal treats in the air. This was Samhain (pronounced “sow-en”), the Celtic festival celebrated between October 31st and November 1st.1 This ancient festival inspired many of the Halloween traditions we celebrate today. Although movies and TV often make it seem like Halloween began in the United States, its roots are deeply Irish.
In this article, we’ll explore the history, foods, and games of Samhain. We’ll also share some ideas to bring more of these traditions to your Halloween. So that no matter where you live, you can create a celebration that feels more meaningful and connected to its roots.
How this ancient festival began
Samhain was a significant time for the Celtic people of Ireland. It marked the end of the harvest season and the start of winter.2 It was also the beginning of the Celtic New Year, a moment of change when the boundary between our world and the otherworld seemed thin.4 Long ago, Irish people believed that spirits from the past could cross over from the otherworld into ours on October 31st.1 To welcome these ghostly visitors, people came together during Samhain and offered food, gifts and treats. To ward off any dark forces, people lit huge bonfires and wore costumes and masks to hide their identities.1 It was a time for gathering, feasting, and respecting the spirits.
Harvest food was central to Samhain celebrations. But it was more than just eating food; it was about connecting with family, community, and remembering those who had passed away. Samhain was a major feast, almost as important as Christmas.24
People would make lots of preparations for communal feasts. Some people would keep their doors and windows unlatched to let the spirits come in. Others would leave offerings of fruit and nuts outside their homes to keep any mischievous spirits happy.3 Food was plentiful after the autumn harvest, so it was a time to celebrate and have a little fun. Late-growing potatoes, greens like cabbage and kale, as well as wild hazelnuts and bilberries (also known as blueberries), were part of many Samhain feasts.4
Some of these foods were used in games and were deeply connected to beliefs about the spirit world.
The traditional foods of early Halloween
No Samhain feast would be complete without foods with a touch of magic and playful games to match. Families ate foods that could predict their fortune, and played games to celebrate the bounty of the harvest. Here are just a few traditional foods and games that started at the Samhain festival.
Barmbrack
One of the most beloved Samhain foods is barmbrack, or bairín breac in Irish.1 Its name, “brack” means “speckled” in Irish. This refers to the dried fruit, such as raisins, currants, and sultanas, dotted throughout the bread. But barmbrack isn’t just a delicious fruit loaf, it’s also a fortune-telling treat!5
Traditionally, small objects were baked into the loaf. Whatever “surprise object” you found in your slice was believed to predict your future for the coming year.12
• A ring meant you would get married within the year
• A coin meant you would have wealth or good fortune
• A rag or a piece of cloth suggested bad luck or poverty
• A stick could mean an unhappy marriage
• A thimble predicted you would be an unmarried woman
• A button suggested you would be an unmarried man
• A crucifix meant you would become a priest or nun
Today, you can still find barmbracks in shops around Halloween in Ireland and the UK, often with a ring inside for good luck. Many people enjoy it sliced, especially toasted with a thick layer of golden Irish butter. Some modern bakers even get creative, soaking the fruit in different teas or adding various nuts and chocolates to their barmbrack.5
Colcannon
Another traditional Halloween dish is colcannon (cál ceannann). This hearty side dish is made from mashed potatoes mixed with seasonal greens such as cabbage or kale and enriched with creamy milk and butter. Colcannon became a popular food in Ireland by the mid-18th century. It was a nourishing dish that made good use of Irish staples such as kale, cabbage and potatoes.16 It was often served with slices of boiled ham, roast pork, or sausages.
Just like barmbrack, some families would hide small items like coins or rags in the colcannon for a bit of fortune-telling fun. You can still easily find the ingredients for colcannon today, especially in autumn when potatoes and cabbage are plentiful.6
The traditions of early Halloween
Jack-o'-lanterns, apple bobbing, and trick-or-treating are all traditions deeply connected to the festival of Samhain. Let’s take a look at how some of these ideas started in ancient Celtic Ireland.
It all started with a few turnips
The tradition of carving Jack-o’-lanterns started in Ireland. Irish people originally used turnips for these lanterns instead of pumpkins. Turnips were plentiful after the harvest, and pumpkins were not native to Ireland.1 People would carve scary faces into these turnips to create lanterns for walking with or placing on windowsills.2 They did this to scare away evil spirits believed to be roaming the earth on Samhain night.
When Irish immigrants brought their Halloween customs to America in the 19th century, pumpkins became the popular choice as they were widely available and easier to carve than turnips. It’s still possible to see an early “Ghost Turnip” from around 1900 at the National Museum of Ireland.1
Early “trick-or-treat” traditions
It’s thought that the idea of trick-or-treating came from the tradition of “guising” in Scotland and Ireland.2 Children would dress up in disguises and go from house to house, performing songs, jokes, or poems to earn a treat such as food, coins, apples, or nuts. In Ireland, children used to say “Help the Halloween Party” when they knocked on doors, before the phrase trick-or-treat came into fashion.7
Games with apples
During Samhain festivities, a harvest of fruit and nuts was gathered for celebratory feasts and used in children’s games. Apple bobbing was one of these common games, alongside “apples on a string.” There was often a surplus of harvest foods such as apples, so people could use them in games as well as eat them.1
How to play apple bobbing
Get a big bowl and fill it with water. Make sure it’s big enough for apples to float around.
Put some apples in the water. They should float on top. Line up the players and take turns. Each player leans over the bowl and tries to grab an apple with their teeth only. No hands allowed!
The goal is to grab an apple and bring it out of the water using only your mouth.
Take turns until everyone has had a go. Tip: Have a towel nearby for dripping faces.
Like many Samhain traditions, apple bobbing had a fortune-telling aspect. The outcome of these games was believed to reveal a future truth. For instance, the first person to successfully bite an apple while ducking their head in a basin of water was thought to be the next to marry.12
Today, traditional children’s games like apple bobbing are still played by children as part of Halloween celebrations in Ireland, keeping a link to these ancient customs.
How to celebrate a traditional Halloween
Many of these Samhain traditions are still alive and well in Ireland and beyond. Barmbrack and colcannon remain popular Halloween dishes, connecting people to their heritage. And the fortune-telling games continue to be enjoyed. One of the best ways to keep the tradition of Halloween alive is by gathering your friends and family and celebrating the foods of the season together. Even if you don’t live in Ireland, here are a few ideas to bring the spirit of Samhain into your home this year.
- Seasonal eating: Samhain was all about enjoying the fruits, vegetables, and nuts that grew locally. Apples, pears, and other harvest staples were traditionally eaten to celebrate the season. Choosing local, seasonal foods today is not just tradition but also a more sustainable choice. Depending on where you live, you might find pomegranates, figs, or even grapes in season. These are all perfect for a modern Samhain celebration. You can even add some fun with harvest games like apple bobbing to keep the spirit alive.
- Colcannon: try a traditional recipe, or just add some kale or cabbage (or even spinach) to your mashed potatoes for extra flavour and fibre. These delicious roots and greens are in season and great for our health.
- Barmbrack: While baking a barmbrack from scratch can be a fun challenge, you can also look for traditional teabreads and fruit cakes in bakeries or supermarkets around Halloween. It might not be a barmbrack, but it could be a German fruit bread or a French pain aux fruits.89 These sweet cakes are packed with delicious dried fruit, which is often healthier and more satisfying than Halloween sweets.
By recreating these simple, hearty dishes and playing games together, you’re participating in a centuries-old tradition.
Why these traditions still matter today
The food traditions of Samhain remind us that Halloween is more than just sweets and polyester costumes. It’s a celebration for us all to appreciate the harvest, the changing seasons, and our connection to history. These traditional foods help us to understand the lives of our ancestors. It also helps keep ancient Celtic culture alive. As the leaves change and winter approaches, enjoying a slice of barmbrack or a warm bowl of colcannon is a delicious way to remember where our Halloween traditions truly began.
