Halloween didn't begin in America. It began in Ireland — 2,000 years ago, on the night the ancient Celts called Samhain (pronounced Sah-win).
The jack-o'-lantern, trick-or-treat, costumes, carved turnips, the fairy folk roaming freely — all of it traces back to one night on the Celtic calendar. Irish emigrants carried it to America. America made it global.
Take the 8-question quiz. How much do you know about where Halloween really came from?
Question 1 of 8
1. What is Samhain?
2. Where did the jack-o'-lantern originate?
3. What does "trick or treat" most closely mirror?
4. Which Irish county has the oldest recorded Samhain celebrations?
5. What were the original Halloween "monsters"?
6. When did Halloween become an American tradition?
7. What is the name of the most famous Samhain mythological battle?
8. Which is a genuine Irish Samhain tradition still practiced today?
Your Samhain result is ready
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