Samhain and signs of Winter

At 7pm on Radio 4 extra there is three hours all about Samhain and the Irish origins of Halloween.
(I seem to be plugging R4 extra an awful lot!)

Storm Aiden is out there - it's windy, dark and wet.
I don't even have a pumpkin to lighten the darkness this year. ?

Any outdoor celebrations will be a washout.

However, brighter, colder weather is promised for next week when the children go back to school, as is usual. ?

I think that Hallowe'en is one of the celebrations which retains more of its pagan origins than others.

Sounds of Halloween here with the crows cawing loudly, it's eerie. It was the seagulls earlier. Why can't we have songbirds ?

The Welsh term for Halloween is "Nos Galan Gaeaf" which translates as Winter's Eve. This has been in use for hundreds of years.

It's the Celtic New Year in the Isle of Man.

Can someone tell me how to pronounce Samhain please. Irish words are full of pitfalls.

Samhain blessings to you all. Jackie B: it's pronounced SAwain or, if you want to be proper Gàidhlig in which it's spelled samhainn, SAvoin.

As a child on the Wirral the day meant fun things with apples at home: bobbing for them blindfold as they dangle from a string, or ducking for them in a bowl of water using a fork in your mouth. I wonder why I haven't heard that as a suggestion for things to do on Covid Hallowe'en instead of going round the neighbours begging for sweeties?

For my friends in Mexico it's The Day Of The Dead!

Local people take flowers to family graves, have a pubic or even barbecue and celebrate their lives.

images.app.goo.gl/ix8iWhiekiCMmHJj8

Meant to say here is a poem for Samhain.

We usually go to a Winter Solstice party, the beginning of Yuletide - I suppose that will be off this year