UNSOLVED: Katherine Armstrong & Derek Grain

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Halloween dates back over 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sown). November 1st, the Celtic new year, marked the end of summer and harvest and the beginning of a long, cold, dark winter for Celts, who inhabited areas that are now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. This time of year in particular was associated with human death and Celts believed that on the night before new year, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead became murky and blurred. On the evening of October 31st, Celts and Druids would celebrate Samhain, where it was believed that the ghosts of the deceased returned to earth, by building large bonfires where people gathered to burn crops and animals as a sacrifice to the Celtic deities. The Celts wore costumes, such as animal heads and skins, they attempted to tell each other’s fortunes and when the celebrations were over, the fires were re-lit to protect them during winter.

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