Of course, the spooky truth about tomorrow’s festivities is that Halloween is as Irish as St. Patrick’s Day.
Blarney, you say?
Never you mind, lads and lassies! I have history and folklore on my side as well as a wee bit of Irish in me blood.
Samhain, the Celtic festival for honoring the dead, took shape sometime during the first century B.C. when honoring the dead simply involved sitting around a bonfire and sharing spooky stories. But man being Irish with the gift of blarney, it was only natural that honoring the dead would evolve into dressing in costume and leaving “treats” by the front door to appease the ghosts roaming the Earth.
Of course, eventually everybody wanted in on the action. The Scottish have their All Hallow’s Eve, the Mexicans Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the Brits Guy Fawkes Day. I could go on, but I expect if treats are not forthcoming now that you’ve come knocking on my door, tricks will be the order of the day.
Chuckles rather than chocolate are all I have to offer, but if you’re as resourceful as I am you bought chocolate candy to hand out on Halloween anyway. Lots and lots of chocolate candy, if you follow my drift.