Embassy of Ireland Ireland: The birthplace of Halloween

[Irish Embassy] Ireland: the birthplace of Halloween ​
Irish Embassy Press release: October 24, 2024 Ireland: the birthplace of Halloween ~Happy Halloween from the Irish Ambassador to Japan, Damian Cole, to everyone in Japan~ Image
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Ireland: Home of Halloween (C)Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland Halloween, a Celtic festival in ancient Ireland In celebration of Halloween, which originated in Ireland, Damian Cole, the Irish Ambassador to Japan, sends a message. “Halloween is celebrated all over the world, including Japan, but many people may not know that it originated on the island of Ireland about 2,000 years ago.Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the Irish word “end of summer”. Samhain, an ancient Irish festival, marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter with bonfires, feasts, and pagan rituals.” Ancient Irish traditions spread around the world Ancient people believed that Sawin was a time when the boundaries between this world and the next were weakened, and the souls of the dead would rise from their graves and wander the countryside before returning to their hometowns. The souls of the dead took the form of ghosts, fairies, goblins, demons, etc., and in order to avoid offending them when they returned home, people at the time would serve them food and drinks and dress up in spooky costumes themselves. and hid. Later, when Christianity came to Ireland, it somehow coexisted with a number of supernatural ideas, and the festival remained popular. Over the past two centuries, Irish immigration brought this Halloween tradition to America, where it became popular worldwide. Here in Japan, people of all ages embrace Halloween.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-da55b451630420278fb6d5a169a9f1ee-1800×1200.jpg Halloween, Belvedere House Gardens & Park, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath (C)Failte Ireland Like in Japan, ghost stories and folklore are popular in Ireland. The most famous Irish writers in the ghost story genre are Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, and Lafcadio Hearn, author of Ghost Stories and other works. From the fall of 2025, NHK’s TV drama series “Bakebake”, based on Hearn’s wife Setsu Koizumi, will begin broadcasting. Ambassador Cole continues: “The night of Oiche Shamhna (Halloween in Irish) is special for people of all ages. Japan is one of the countries that celebrates Halloween in a big way, so I hope everyone in Japan will have fun learning about the authentic culture of Halloween. Happy Halloween from Ireland, the birthplace of Halloween! ” More [Modern Irish Halloween] Halloween is still celebrated in homes across Ireland. Children prepare for Halloween costumes and games for weeks in advance. At dinner on Halloween, traditional bread (fruit cake) called “burn black” is cut into pieces and eaten, and the items that come out are used to predict the person’s fortune. The whole family also enjoys traditional games and storytelling, and many communities organize large bonfires on dark winter nights.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-215c2a64111d79749d22abd74cd04105-1582×1061.png Barmbrack [Main Halloween events held in Ireland] The birthplace of Halloween hosts a thrilling and fun festival. Ancient Celtic traditions, banshees that sense the death of a person and screams of grief, supernatural phenomena caused by ghosts, the author of the novel Dracula, pranks, sweets, many festivals… The island of Ireland is famous for its Halloween season. It’s a fascinating place to visit. Bram Stoker Festival (Friday 25th – Monday 28th October 2024, Dublin) Website: https://www.bramstokerfestival.com/ About Dublin and Dracula author Bram Stoker:
https://www.ireland.ie/en/japan/tokyo/news-and-events/news-archive/dublin-and-bram-stoker-the-author-of-dracula/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-ba3901c7368a7b8403916d124afe5c44-1600×1200.jpg Bram Stoker Festival 2022, Dublin Castle (C)Failte Ireland Derry Halloween (Monday 28th to Thursday 31st October 2024, Derry, Northern Ireland) Website: http://derryhalloween.com/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-57c068222de3e7edd4edb6c4fd5b0933-1004×628.jpg Derry Halloween (C)Derry City & Strabane District Council Puka Festival (Thursday 31st October – Sunday 3rd November 2024, County Meath) Website: https://www.pucafestival.com/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-3930079e817ae6072b3737c2ef6d53ba-1600×1066.jpg Púca Festival 2022, Trim, Co. Meath (C)Harris PR [Irish culture related to Halloween] Animation video “Ireland, the birthplace of Halloween” https://x.com/IrishEmbJapan/status/1848137118989861367 Traditional Halloween dish “Burn Black” Article:
https://www.ireland.ie/en/japan/tokyo/news-and-events/news-archive/barmbrack/ Recipe video: https://youtu.be/65u4bZ5XxC8 Other dishes/sweets Article: https://ippin.gnavi.co.jp/article-11543 Traditional Halloween games Games using apples are popular, such as “Apple Bobbing,” where you take out an apple floating in water using just your mouth, and “Snap Apple,” where you use only your mouth to take out an apple suspended from a string. Video: https://youtu.be/J-QzSZgXloE Irish fairies and ghosts Halloween has long been associated with
otherworldly creatures. If you go outside on Halloween night, you will be taken away by a fairy…this is a story that has been passed down since ancient times. On our museum’s X and Instagram, we introduce animated videos of “Water Horse,” “Headless Carriage,” “Sea,” “Banshee,” and “Pooka,” among other stories. Please take a look.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-826f53fcafe43c025496690547e8c211-2134×1200.jpg Púca Festival 2022, Choir, Trim, Co. Meath (C)Failte Ireland Ireland in Japan in 2025 Ireland is preparing to open a new embassy building in Yotsuya, Tokyo, and to exhibit a pavilion at EXPO 2025, the Osaka/Kansai World Expo. In 2025, we will celebrate the growing relationship between Ireland and Japan through two major events. [Website/Social Media] Throughout October, we’ll be sharing Halloween traditions, games, food, and more on our social media. Website: https://www.ireland.ie/tokyo X: https://x.com/IrishEmbJapan | https://x.com/IEAmbJapan Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/irelandinjapan Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/irelandinjapan
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-8c9db6e52dd9d8365e0676b4cd3286b8-1600×1200.jpg Samhain Festival, Limerick City (C)Failte Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-7444f85d2425e158b93b46ebf0fccdba-1800×1200.jpg Pumpkin Patch, Irish Military Museum, Collon, Co. Meath (C)Failte Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-d7f80e335a71c26923929d06efd9e73c-1800×1200.jpg Halloween, Irish Military Museum, Collon, Co. Meath (C)Failte Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-51b705ed1b5ce57e2e0519597d71f841-1800×1200.jpg Bram Stoker Festival 2022, Face Painting, Dublin (C)Failte Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-03f43dc1aa4cb56099cbc610b6d2d3e0-1616×1080.jpg Púca Festival 2023 (C)Harris PR
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-db079b4a7a57b3a0b8e76f37f5225c4c-1024×682.jpg Púca Festival 2022, Fire Performer, Trim, Co. Meath (C)Harris PR Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-8fe9805dc92bd4df394f90868fdd7978-1600×1200.jpg Lumen Street Theatre, Samhain Festival, Limerick City (C)Failte Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-a94281f2b1558b3e5bb0d5a905d39ba3-1600×1200.jpg Samhain Festival 2023, Longford (C)Failte Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-79821f10bcfa36e9bf408ce87f772cf9-942×628.jpg Derry Halloween (C)Derry City & Strabane District Council Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-28e677b8d50397449cb16ffa5676db48-1800×1200.jpg Derry Halloween (C)Derry City & Strabane District Council Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-61ceee946e70225cf5fc22dd29139ad0-1788×1200.jpg Derry Halloween (C)Tourism Ireland
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/17681/49/17681-49-0c33c8a1ef2e658013b3094ca6a43ea0-1800×1200.jpg Samhain Festival, Waterford (C)Failte Ireland