Halloween is a very American phenomenon, or so we’ve been led to believe, helped in part by Hollywood slasher movies.

But its origins can be found more than 3000km away across the Atlantic Ocean.

I’m in Ireland in the build-up to Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that arose several millennia ago and has enjoyed a boost in interest and popularity in recent years.

Held between the northern autumn equinox and the winter solstice, Samhain — also called Sauin — traditionally marked the last of the farmers’ harvests, the end of the “light” season, and the onset of the “dark” season.

Fuelled by flames, costumes, feasting and rituals akin to trick or treating, the festival sowed the seeds for Halloween after people from Ireland and Britain emigrated to America in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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