Halloween pumpkin for Samhain

Despite his not being a fan of Halloween my partner Chris got me a pumpkin to carve so here's the result.

Not sure why I like Halloween (my mum hates it) but I like its pagan associations and any excuse to dress up! Like most festivals it's become a marketing exercise & it's meaning has been lost.

"According to many scholars, All Hallows' Evening was originally influenced by western European harvest festivals and festivals of the dead with possible pagan roots, particularly the Celtic Samhain.

Samhain (like Beltane) was seen as a time when the 'door' to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings such as fairies, to come into our world.The souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes on Samhain. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them.

However, harmful spirits and fairies were also thought to be active at Samhain. People took steps to allay or ward-off these harmful spirits/fairies, which is thought to have influenced today's Halloween customs. Before the 20th century, wearing costumes at Samhain was done in parts of Ireland, Mann, the Scottish Highlands and islands, and Wales.

Wearing costumes may have originated as a means of disguising oneself from these harmful spirits/fairies, although some suggest that the custom comes from a Christian or Christianized belief. In Ireland, people went about before nightfall collecting for Samhain feasts and sometimes wore costumes while doing so.

The modern custom of trick-or-treating may have come from these practices."