A
downloadable presentation:
"From earliest recorded history in Ireland, Halloween (All Hallows Eve), or Oíche Shamhna was considered a turning point in the calendar.
Samhain (November 1st), meant the start of winter, when cattle were
brought down from summer pastures, tributes and rents paid, and other
business contracted.
Samhain, marks
the close of the season of light and the beginning of the dark half of
the year, and was therefore perceived as a liminal moment in time when
movement between the otherworld and this world was possible. ... "
