A Few Old Irish Halloween Traditions Colcannon for Dinner: Boiled Potato, Curly Kale (a cabbage) and raw Onions were provided as the traditional Irish Halloween dinner. Clean coins are wrapped in paper and placed in the potato for children to find and keep. (I can see why this tradition didnt last. I have visions of childern all over Ireand choking on their Halloween dinner). The Bonfire: The Halloween bonfire is a tradition to encourage dreams of who your future husband or wife is going to be. The idea was to drop a cutting of your hair into the burning embers and then dream of you future loved one. Halloween was one of the Celt fire celebrations. ( Potcheen is to blame for this one where else would you have people wandering around half bald giving each other the eye!) The Pumpkin: Carving Pumpkins dates back to the eighteenth century and to an Irish blacksmith named Jack who colluded with the Devil and was denied entry to Heaven. He was condemned to wander the earth but asked the Devil for some light. He was given a burning coal ember which he placed inside a turnip that he had gouged out. Thus, the tradition of Jack OLanterns was born - the bearer being the wandering blacksmith - a damned soul. Villagers in Ireland hoped that the lantern in their window would keep the wanderer away. When the Irish emigrated in their millions to America there was not a great supply of turnips so pumpkins were used instead. (I remember Dad scaring the crap out of us with this story when we were little. It didnt help that we lived on the bog. Probably explains a few things:) Happy Halloween everyone!
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 07:38:57 +0000
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