Chelsea Staub - Camp Ronald McDonald For Good Times’ 17th Annual Halloween Carnival, Universal Studios Backlot x6 HQ

Chelsea Staub - Camp Ronald McDonald For Good Times’ 17th Annual Halloween Carnival, Universal Studios Backlot x6 HQ

Halloween has origins in the ancient festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sau-an), which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly “summer’s end”. This was a Gaelic festival celebrated mainly in Ireland and Scotland. However, similar festivals were held by other Celts – for example the festival of Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf) which was held by the ancient Britons.

The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”, and is sometimes regarded as the “Celtic New Year”