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Samhain was the Celtic New Year! Samhain divided summer from winter… and we think our seasons change quickly in Ohio!   The Celtic Samhain was the precursor to today’s Halloween according to most sources. Oidche Shamhna  means Night of Samhain.

Happy Halloween Columbus Ohio!  Most local children are trick or treating on Halloween for the first time in a looooooong time.

The Celts were pagan. They were druids in pre-Christian time.   Pagan does not equal wicca but if you are opposed to Halloween you might as well not read this as I will be talking about magic, spirits and a curse.   Before you go here is an Irish Christian Blessing for Halloween.

At all Hallow’s Tide, God keep you safe
From goblin and pooka and black-hearted stranger,
From harm of the water and hurt of the fire,
From thorns of the bramble, from all other danger,
From Will O’ The Wisp haunting the mire;
From stumbles and tumbles
and tricksters to vex you,
May God in His mercy, this week protect you.

Visit My website for a new Irish  Blessing each month.

Celtic Spirit has information about ‘dooking for apples” and other Halloween and Samhain holiday Traditions.  ”Dooking” means bobbing.

Also from Celtic Spirit:  And  getting an answer to a question with an Apple and a Mirror…. “Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.  (When you look in the mirror, let your focus go “soft,” and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.) “

Celtic Halloween Traditions has more info about the origins of the holiday. Wikepedia’s entry on Halloween..

As  promised earlier on Columbus Best Blog Friday October 7, 2005  Worthington HER Real Living celebrated Lee Denim Day.  Contributions of $338 were collected for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

There were Lee Jeans, Levi Jeans, no name jeans and designer jeans.  There were jeans jackets and denim coats and dresses. The youngest jeans wearer was seven week old Eden Bronder who made a guest appearance in a pair of  jeans from The Gap.  The oldest jeans wearer declined to identify herself.  Generous contributions were made by agents wearing jeans and agents who could not wear jeans alike.

Contributors were fed their choice of a ’lite healthy breakfast’ or  “mimosas and doughnuts”  in a challenge.   Thanks to Scott Bentley of Real Living Mortage,  Dorothy Khorasani of Chicago Title  and Tom Holcombe manager of Worthington HER Real Living for providing the breakfast choices.

“Lite and healthy” beat “alcohol and greasy”!

This was first posted on the original Columbus Best Blog and transplanted to ColumbusBestBlog.com when that blog was shut down.

An Irish Blessing for Halloween!

Is it any wonder with a name like Jack O’ Lantern that it is the Irish who gave us the carved pumpkin?  O’Brien, O’Shaunessy, O’Doyle, O’Lantern…. O’ means “of”  as in son of.  “Mc” also means of as in “son of.”  Son of Cabe?   Caba is hood, cape  or cloak?  I believe they were soldiers, mercenaries.

I have read in Ireland they carved gourds, squashes and turnips for Halloween.

Click on the Jack O’ Lantern and use your mouse to carve a face.  Then click on Done!

Visit my website for Central Ohio Celtic links.

Shamrock Club of Columbus

Daughters of Erin

Columbus Feis

Dublin Irish Festival

Gealic League of Central Ohio

This was published first on the orginal Columbus Best Blog.  Lots of the klinks are old and broken.

Beggars Night is on Halloween for the first time in many years in most Central Ohio communities.  According to the Columbus Dispatch Beggars night being before Halloween was because Columbus historically had a Halloween Party on October 31!

Columbus

Dublin

Hilliard

Powell

Riverlea

Westerville

Worthington

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Columbus Halloween party was discontinued in the 1950’s because it got out of hand!

An Irish Blessing for Halloween

At all Hallow’s Tide, God keep you safe
From goblin and pooka and black-hearted stranger,
From harm of the water and hurt of the fire,
From thorns of the bramble, from all other danger,
From Will O’ The Wisp haunting the mire;
From stumbles and tumbles
and tricksters to vex you,
May God in His mercy, this week protect you.

Celebrating Halloween comes from the Celts who lived in Ireland long ago.

This was first posted on the original Columbus Best Blog on Realtown blogs