Halloween came from what Celtic celebration?

rosa	Samhain, the Celtic New year and beginning of winter Nov 24 00, 3:56 PM

--simone--

The modern holiday of Halloween may have its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (from the Old Irish samain). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes erroneously regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the alive and the deceased would merge and the dead would become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween Mar 19 08, 5:46 PM