Samhain: The Ancient Celtic Origins of Halloween | Turnips, Ghosts & Celtic Mythology

0:00 Speaker 1: Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to the Strange History Podcast, where history is terrifying, occasionally hilarious, and usually running around in a badly carved vegetable mask. I'm your host, Amy, and today we're venturing back into the ancient Celtic festival of Sowen, the original Halloween. This was the night when spirits walked, fairies kidnapped people, druids lit bonfires the size of Walmart parking lots, and turnips were carved into the most horrifying lanterns you've ever seen in your life.

0:33 Speaker 1: Forget candy corn. This is the true story of why Halloween exists. But first Tonight's episode is brought to you by turn up lanterns. Forget those soft, cuddly pumpkins. Real horror is when you spend six hours chiseling a face into a root vegetable, only to have it wrought overnight into a demon potato. Turn up lanterns guaranteed to terrify your neighbors, confuse your pets, and possibly summon an angry Celtic deity. Available now wherever vegetables fear to grow.

1:09 Speaker 2: The harsh reality of iron Age Winter.

1:13 Speaker 1: Two thousand years ago Ireland in October was no pumpkin spiced paradise. It was cold, it was damp. It was basically the original Game of Thrones winter, except without dragons to warm you up. Sam Hein marked the end of harvest. The Celts were like, hope you stored enough grain, because if not, you're about to invent intermittent fasting the hard way. This was also when animals were slaughtered, not just because everyone loves a good steak, but because it was better to eat the cows than let them eat you out of winter supplies.

1:46 Speaker 1: Plus, some of those cows ended up sacrificed in great fire pits because nothing says please don't kill us gods quite like throwing a perfectly good cow on the grill.

1:59 Speaker 2: The Druidds and fire magic.

2:02 Speaker 1: The Druids, those mystical Iron Age influencers, ran the se In show. They lit massive bonfires, declared prophecies, and probably smelled strongly of smoke and goat. Every family extinguished their hearth fire, then ReLit it from the communal blaze. It wasn't just about fire safety. It was a way to spiritually reset the household. Basically, new year, new me, new fire, and the druids. They may have practiced divination by staring into flames. Try it sometime. Sit in front of your stove, stare at the gas burner and wait until you see your future spoiler.

2:42 Speaker 1: Your future is probably calling the fire department. Our next sponsor.

2:49 Speaker 2: This sew in.

2:50 Speaker 1: Do you want your house to smell like freshly burned cow? Try druid fresh, the only incense guaranteed to summon your ancestors and repel unwonted fairy available in SnSe charred Goat, mystic bog, and everyone's favorite sacrificial brisket. The Veil fins at So and the Celts believe the veil between worlds grew thin. Ancestors could visit, Fairies could snatch you, Ghosts could spit blood on you. Yes, really, ask poor Nara from the myths? How did people cope? Offerings? Bread, nuts, milk basically ghost door dash disguises, wear animal skins and masks to trick the spirits.

3:35 Speaker 1: Nothing says don't eat me like a teenager in a dead cow costume. Turnip lanterns ah Yes. The piece de resistance terrifying little veggie heads carved with jagged teeth and empty eyes let me be clear, Celtic turnip lanterns make modern pumpkins look like Disney characters. These things belong in horror movies. Imagine walking home at night and seeing a glowing human faced root vegetable grinning at you. That's not festive, that's trauma.

4:07 Speaker 2: The Legends of Sowen, the myths.

4:10 Speaker 1: Tell us Soen was prime haunting time. Iilen the burner every sewin. He lulled people to sleep with harp music and then set Tara on fire. The insurance premiums must have been outrageous. Finally, Fion McCom hail killed him. Thank you, Irish Hercules.

4:28 Speaker 2: Nara's night Out.

4:29 Speaker 1: Nara accepted a dare to tie a twig around a corpse's ankle. The corpse came alive, asked for water, and then spit blood on people in their house. Lesson, never do dares on Halloween. They always end badly. The Morrigan, the terrifying goddess of war and fate who showed up at Sowen to predict death and doom. She was basically the Iron age Siri. If Siri also scared the absolute hell out of you. A word from our sponsor.

4:58 Speaker 3: Is your turnip lantern not horrifying enough, Try New Pumpkin Deluxe, the soft car friendly alternative. Carve it in five minutes flat without losing your will to live pumpkins, because sometimes you want your Halloween decorations not to cause permanent psychological damage.

5:19 Speaker 2: The Church rebrand.

5:21 Speaker 1: The Church eventually stepped in with its favorite strategy, the Holy rebrand. By the ninth century, Pope Gregory was like, we see your Sowen and raise you all Saints Day. Sowen became all hallows Eve, then Halloween, but people kept their turnips, disguises and bonfires. Christianity just put a halo sticker on it and called it good.

5:46 Speaker 2: The Irish and the pumpkin upgrade.

5:49 Speaker 1: When the Irish immigrated to America, they found pumpkins soft, hollow, bright orange pumpkins compared to a rock hard turnip. Pumpkins were like carving through butter. Thus the American Jack o' lantern was born. Pumpkins became Halloween's poster child. But don't forget the pumpkin is just the intern. The turnip is the CEO of fear Swen. Today, modern Wickens and Pagans still celebrate Sowen. Honoring ancestors, practicing divination and lighting bonfires. Meanwhile, the rest of us buy twelve bags of candy for the kids and then eat them ourselves before Halloween even arrives.

6:32 Speaker 1: Either way, the spirit of Swen lives on. So there you have it, dear listeners, the History of Sowen, a festival of ghosts, gods, fire fairies, and the vegetable that could give you nightmares. Next time you light a pumpkin, remember you're participating in a tradition older than most empires, a holiday born not in candy isles, but in the cold, smoky nights of Iron Age, Ireland. This has been the Strange History Podcast. Until next time, Stay curious, stay spooky, and, for the love of the gods, carve a turnip once in your life.

7:13 Speaker 1: It builds character.