Dublin Goes Bonkers on Halloween

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When I was in Dublin for Halloween last year (2010), I spent it at the infamous pub Johnnie Fox just outside Dublin’s center. Who knew that the Irish celebrate Halloween with force? They even have a website dedicated to pubs you can go to on Halloween night to celebrate, and celebrating doesn’t stop until 6 in the morning. I ended up there again this year, and the ambiance and celebratory attitude was no different as people took to the streets in costumes with Guinness and lagers in hand.

The celebration of Halloween started in Ireland around 100AD. Back then, Halloween was a pagan festival celebrated by the Celts of Ireland who called it “Samhain”, an old Irish word meaning the ‘end of Summer’. They believed that on the eve of Samhain (Halloween), the dead spirits would revisit the mortal world, so huge bonfires were lit to keep away any evil spirits. It is known in Gaelic as ‘Oíche Shamhna’ and is celebrated on the 31st of October each year, which is All Souls Day, so in Ireland it is often referred to as the Feast of the Dead.

The below video shows just one lively street in Dublin’s city center where musicians played, people danced and drank and nearly everyone was dressed up in costume. (taken on the night before Halloween, October 30, 2011).

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