Hallowe’en

We all anticipate with great joy, though not in any haste, the prospect of being reunited with our sainted loved ones. To help us achieve our goal, we have outstanding examples of great saints like St Patrick, whose feast day we celebrate with colourful parades, music and dance.

There are countless unknown saints whose virtue is celebrated on November 1, and on the day prior to that, the universal celebration of Hallowe’en, which originated in Ireland about 100 AD, occurs. It is the end of the Celtic Summer and was titled ‘Samhain’.

In ancient Celtic religion, Samhain was one of the most important and sinister festivals of the year, when they communicated with the dead, but also celebrated the harvest.

Once you are prepared to open your mind to the spiritual world and face the consequences with courage, you will escape from mundanely and embrace fantasy. I take pride that an island of almost seven million people has originated two worldwide festivals. Samhain does not require compliance with any formula – use your imagination and be cautious when in proximity to the unknown.

Children are the most boisterous; parents release them from normal bedtimes to venture into the dark, fearful, excited and giggly. They knock on doors and shyly declare: trick or treat; the householder rewards their fantastic apparel, girls as witches, boys as Dracula or any weird clothing that embraces the spirit of abandon.

In house parties, there is feasting and party games. ‘Hide and go seek’, ducking for apples which float in a tub and with hands behind back, immerse your face to trap a treat: three saucers, one has a con, two a ring and three clay. Blindfolded, the participant approaches the array to test the future – wealth, marriage or death. The onlookers usually groan a warning if the risk of death appears to be imminent. While all the excitement progresses, couples hold hands in the background or purloin a cake or piece of fruit. Every occasion brings its opportunities.

After Hallowe’en, it was a tradition in Tipperary that one did not eat wild fruit because the Púca was said to have spat on them on his travels. The Púca is a demonic gift of the imagination, known to appear only at night, and is feared by humans as he often brings ill fortune. Púca has been described as having human and horse-like features.

In recent times the sculptor Aiden Harte created a model and offered it to Ennistymon for €30,000. A majority of the residents disliked the two-metre-high statue. Eventually the Púca sculpture found a home near the cottage of Michael Cusack at Carron, County Clare. Michael Cusack is the founder of the GAA. At the unveiling, Auden Harte, the sculptor said: ‘The Púca has found a home in a quiet and magical place near the home of Michael Cusack.’

The Púca has been described as scary, hideous, grotesque, beautiful: where would you like to see it erected in Mullingar?

So, be assured that the bloody lips, the fangs, the moans, the nasty odours, the blood curdling screams are all props to scare you silly; the only thing that is real is that your pants are dirty and wet and you are embarrassed beyond belief. Enjoy…

(Hallowe’en: The “e’en” is a contraction of ‘even’. an archaic alternative to ‘evening’ or ‘eve’. “Hallow” originally meant saint or holy person. Hallowe’en is a shortening of Allhallows or evening before Allhallows, that is All Saints Day on November 1.)

Brendon Colvert is a member of Inklings Writing Group, who meet on Tuesdays at 10.45m in the Annebrook House Hotel.