What did people really do to celebrate Samhain before pumpkins, trick-or-treating and modern Halloween?

Join Paula Rolls of Roaming Raven for Part Three of our five-part Samhain Special as we step back into the homes and villages of old Ireland to discover the fascinating traditions, strange superstitions and magical customs of the season.

From roaring bonfires and traditional Halloween feasts to barmbrack fortune telling, apple divination, midnight mirror rituals and the rather dangerous game of Snap Apple, we uncover a world where food, laughter, romance and a little supernatural mystery went hand in hand.

Discover why turnips were carved into terrifying lanterns, how young people attempted to predict their future marriages, and why Halloween was once a night of mischief, disguises and community celebration.

Blending historical accounts, Irish folklore and atmospheric storytelling, we explore how these traditions developed through the centuries and why so many still influence our celebrations today.

So pour yourself something warming, light a candle and join us for another journey into the history, folklore and magic of Samhain.

Roaming Raven – A Witchlore & Mystical Tales Podcast.

www.roamingraven.co.uk

As the nights grow darker and the veil between worlds is said to grow thin, join Paula Rolls of Roaming Raven for the second instalment of our four-part Samhain Special.

This week, we step into the mysterious and supernatural side of Samhain, exploring ancient Irish folklore, the powerful Aos Sí, the mischievous Púca, the Otherworld and the belief that spirits of the dead may return to visit the living.

Discover eerie tales, forgotten superstitions, protective traditions and the origins of ancestor remembrance at this magical time of year.

So light a candle, settle in and join us for another journey beyond the firelight, where history, folklore and witchcraft intertwine.

Roaming Raven – A Witchlore & Mystical Tales Podcast.

Imagine for a moment that there are no electric lights.

No street lamps. No headlights coming along the road. No central heating waiting when you get

home.

The sun has gone down, and when darkness arrives, it really is dark.

Behind you lies summer. The crops have been gathered, the days of growth are ending, livestock

are being brought closer to home and the land itself appears to be retreating. Ahead lies winter -

cold, hunger, storms and months in which survival will depend upon what has been stored and

prepared.

And somewhere in that transition, we find Samhain.

Tonight, we're going back to the beginning.

Not to modern Halloween, not yet to pumpkins and trick-or-treating, and not even to the Samhain

rituals that many witches and Pagans practise today.

We're going much further back, into Ireland and the world preserved for us in early Irish stories.

And we're going to begin with the name itself.

Samhain.

www.roamingraven.co.uk