The beginning of the two-day Gaelic Samhain festival, which is often considered the precursor to the Christian Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve). Pronounced “sow-in” in Irish, the festival is intended to mark the end of the harvest season and beginning of the darker half of the year. Samhain begins at sunset on Oct. 31 and ends at sunset on Nov. 1.
This Day in Halloween: The beginning of the two-day Gaelic Samhain (pronounced "sow-in") festival, considered the precursor to Halloween. / Illustration by David Ford