Papers by Allison Galbari
Samhain was one of four festivals celebrated in pre-Christian Irish culture. It marked the beginn... more Samhain was one of four festivals celebrated in pre-Christian Irish culture. It marked the beginning of the new year and the time when the veil was at its thinnest between the mortal world and the otherworld. With the arrival of Christianity the festival began to change, but did not disappear due to its popularity. The monks and traditional learned class began to record the myths that had been being told for centuries, helping to secure Samhain's survival, giving us insight into what the festival was like in its early days. This thesis examines the people, places, actions and events that were associated with Samhain as it existed in the myths in an attempt to lay a groundwork for future study into this festival. CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
Thesis Chapters by Allison Galbari
PhD Thesis, 2023
Ireland is home to one of the largest folklore collections in Europe, providing an opportunity fo... more Ireland is home to one of the largest folklore collections in Europe, providing an opportunity for archaeologists and folklorists to study many aspects of Irish culture, including Halloween. Halloween is a festival that is thought by most to have originated in Ireland and/or the British Isles under the Irish name of Samhain. It has grown in popularity in recent years, and there have been numerous studies on modern Halloween practices and neopagan beliefs. These studies have shown that many of these neopagan beliefs are loosely based on Irish myths recorded in the medieval period.
This study draws upon archaeology, Irish folklore, and medieval tales to study sites that have been associated with Samhain in the early literature and popular culture to understand how those associations came to be and the validity of their origins. It also draws upon folklore to identify more general locations that were associated with Halloween such as lime kilns, raths, and graveyards. Studying these locations gives us an idea of how Halloween fits into the Irish landscape and illustrates Halloween’s role as a festival celebrating the dead and as a liminal time when recognised liminal spaces were of particular interest.
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Papers by Allison Galbari
Thesis Chapters by Allison Galbari
This study draws upon archaeology, Irish folklore, and medieval tales to study sites that have been associated with Samhain in the early literature and popular culture to understand how those associations came to be and the validity of their origins. It also draws upon folklore to identify more general locations that were associated with Halloween such as lime kilns, raths, and graveyards. Studying these locations gives us an idea of how Halloween fits into the Irish landscape and illustrates Halloween’s role as a festival celebrating the dead and as a liminal time when recognised liminal spaces were of particular interest.
This study draws upon archaeology, Irish folklore, and medieval tales to study sites that have been associated with Samhain in the early literature and popular culture to understand how those associations came to be and the validity of their origins. It also draws upon folklore to identify more general locations that were associated with Halloween such as lime kilns, raths, and graveyards. Studying these locations gives us an idea of how Halloween fits into the Irish landscape and illustrates Halloween’s role as a festival celebrating the dead and as a liminal time when recognised liminal spaces were of particular interest.