A Micro History of Halloween

Bound for the New World, they boarded ships, away from Ireland, away from famine. Their belongings were scant, but their lore was plenty and Halloween arrived in America. The Celtic Festival of Samhain (sow-wen) absorbed by the church. 

All Saints' Eve, All Hallows' Eve, Halloween; Samhain is at its core. 

The end of a lunar year. 

The split between the light time and the dark. 

The thinning veil between this world and the Other. 

Samhain, three nights of ritual and revelry under a full, autumnal moon.

Turnips now pumpkins, commercialized, plasticized and much-loved, Halloween returned home as an American holiday.