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winter months, were cast into the flames of the Samhain Fire for prosperity for the next year's crops.

These fires were also lit to honour the ancestors and to guide them safely on their way back to the Summerland's.

Embers from the Samhain Bonfire were taken home by participants to light the family cooking fires. This was believed to keep the home happy and free from evil spirits in the coming year.

A further tradition of these times was the practise of leaving gifts of food outside front doors to attract the souls of dearly departed loved ones.
This is thought to be the explanation behind the now popular Trick-or-Treat', since it was thought that you must be kind to your ancestors or they may play tricks on you.

The ancients also wore masks and costumes on this night to scare off evil spirits, and also as a disguise so that the benevolent spirits would think they were of the same ilk.

This was thought to be easiest way of communicating with the souls of the dead; which is why dressing up is still a huge part of the Halloween' festivities today.

Jack-O'-Lantern' is another of the most popular symbols of Samhain which is still used today.

The name Jack O' Lantern comes from the tale of a mischievous spirit who carried a lantern at night; the light from which he used to lure unsuspecting travellers into marches or bogs - which were the dwelling places of the faeries.

In Ireland and Britain a hallowed out turnip was used to make Jack O' Lanterns. These were left on the doorsteps of homes after dark as another talisman intended to ward off evil spirits.

The pumpkin was later adopted as Jack-O'-Lanterns' by the immigrants introduced to America in the 19th century, because it was more readily available and a lot easier to carve.

Since then the pumpkin has become an icon for Halloween'.
There are a lot of other ancient traditions, customs and old wives tales' associated with Samhain night that are not so widely known as tick-or-treating' and Jack-O'-Lanterns':

Personalised stones were often thrown into the Samhain bonfire. These were retrieved from the ashes the day after to ensure luck for the following year. If your stone was missing or damaged, however, it was considered a sign of forthcoming bad luck.

It was also popular to throw nuts into the bonfire. If your nut burned brightly it meant you would stay healthy throughout the year. If your nut flared up it meant you would find your true love and/or be married within the next twelve months.

Places were laid for the souls

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