Saoil a bheil fios aig mòran gur e rud Albannach a bh’ ann an Oidhche Shamhna bho thùs? B’ e fèis Ceilteach a bh’ ann a’ comharrachadh deireadh an fhoghair agus tòiseach a’ gheamhraidh, ged a tha freumhan na fèise a’ dol nas fhaide air ais gu amannan Pàganach. Air 31 Dàmhair, bhiodh daoine a’ creidsinn gun robh sìthichean is spioradan a’ siubhail eadar an dà shaoghal. Gu dearbh fhèin ’s e An t-Samhain a th’ againn fhathast air a’ mhìos sa Ghàidhlig.

Snèap eagalach / A scary turnip by Emily MacDonald

Air Oidhche Shamhna, bhiodh daoine a’ feuchainn ri faighinn a-mach dè bha a’ dol a thachairt san àm ri teachd – gu h-àraidh nuair a bha iad a’ feuchainn ri duine no bean a lorg! Bhiodh crodh air an toirt às na h-àirighean chun talmhainn ìseal agus bhiodh teintean air an lasadh gus rudan olca a chumail air falbh agus dìon a thoirt dhaibh. Chuireadh daoine aghaidhean-choimheach orra son gan dìon fhèin bho chreutairean olca. ’S ann às a seo a thàinig ‘guising’ mar a tha sinn eòlach air an-diugh.

Sna 18^mh is 19^mh linntean nuair a bha gu leòr Albannaich is Èireannaich a’ dèanamh imrich a dh’Ameireaga a Tuath, thug iad leotha cleachdaidhean Oidhche Shamhna agus dh’fhàs an fhèis gu bhith gu math mòr taobh thall an Atlantaig.

A’ cumail spioradan olca air falbh / Keeping evil spirits away, by Ahmad Dalloul, Creative Commons

Gu dearbh fhèin dh’fhàs e cho mòr-chòrdte gu bheil Albannaich òga san latha a th’ ann air cleachdaidhean Ameireaga a Tuath a thogail mar a’ dèanamh lanntairean à piumceanan agus a’ cleachdadh am briathrachas ‘trick or treat’. Ann an Alba, b’ e daonnan snèap a chaidh a snaidheadh gus lanntair dhèanamh, bhiodh clann a’ dol ‘guising’ agus ‘dooking for apples’. Ceart gu leòr, feumaidh tu a bhith caran foighidneach gus ar snèap dùthchasach a snaidheadh, ach nach e a tha nas freagarraiche do dh’Oidhche Shamhna ann an Alba? Chan eil mions, buntàta is puimcean a’ dol uabhasach math còmhla a bheil? Agus nach e an snèap a tha nas eagalaiche coimhid na a co-ogha sona am puimcean?!

An do dh’fheuch duine sam bith snèap a snaidheadh bho chionn ghoirid?

Clann eagalach / Scary children by vdrg dansschool, Creative Commons

How many people know that Halloween (Samhain in Gaelic) has its roots in Scotland? Halloween originates from a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, with roots dating as far back as Pagan times. It was believed that on 31 October the boundaries between this world and the otherworld overlapped, allowing spirits and faeries to move freely between the two. Today,  An t-Samhain (un tav-een) remains the Gaelic name for the month of November.

This was also the time of year when cattle were brought down from their high summer pastures to lower ground for the winter. Fires were lit to ward off evil spirits and to protect the cattle with customs varying from place to place. People would also wear disguises to provide protection from otherworldly creatures; this is the root of the guising tradition we know today.

During the 18^th and 19^th centuries when many Scots and Irish emigrated to North America, they took their Halloween traditions with them and the festival became hugely popular across the Atlantic.

Dooking for apples, by libertygrace0, Creative Commons

So popular, in fact, that Halloween has now gone full circle and young Scots have adopted North American Halloween customs, such as pumpkin lanterns and the term ‘trick or treat’.  In Scotland it was turnips which were traditionally carved into lanterns and when children went guising they ‘dooked’ for apples. Admittedly, it takes some patience and hard graft to hollow out our native turnip, but doesn’t it somehow seem better suited to the spirit of Halloween? Turnip definitely  goes better with mince and tatties than pumpkin and its gnarly appearance is certainly more sinister looking than its jovial cousin the pumpkin! Anyone tried ‘howking’ out a turnip to make a lantern recently?

Puimcean sona / A jovial pumpkin, by HarshLight, Creative Commons