Talk:Samhain

Galician Samaín

A recent edit by Asarlaí removed the Galician people from the list of observers of the festival in the infobox. The justification given was that the article refers to the Gaelic festival. I have two points regarding the edit:

• The infobox section from which Galician people was removed was "Observed by > Today", as opposed to "Observed by > Historically". Whether or not the Galician people historically celebrated the festival or not is irrelevant, they do observe Samhain (or "Samaín", as is the term they claim to have reconstructed) today, in large public events at many locations throughout the region. I understand why it doesn't belong under "historically", I completely agree, but why is it any less relevant that they observe it "today" than, for example, Wiccans or Celtic neopagans?
• Back to the statement that the page covers only the Gaelic festival, this is an unnecessary criteria as there is no reason why a cultural observance should be limited to an ethnic group mainly defined by linguistic commonalities, especially when the Smurfit study and the Lebor Gabála Érenn draw genetic and pseudo-historical links between the Gaels and the Gallaeci. We'll never know how the original Gallician language fitted into the spectrum of ancient European languages, but there's no reason to suspect the festival is (or, perhaps, was) celebrated any differently because of language. Wasechun tashunka^HOWL_TRACK 21:17, 27 October 2017 (UTC)

Cagwinn, could you please discuss? Wasechun tashunka^HOWL_TRACK 19:56, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

The Galician "Samain" has nothing to do with the ancient Gallaeci; it is purely a modern invention (and a very recent one at that!) promoted by Galician nationalists who are trying to separate from Spain (you are essentially rubber stamping the inclusion of nationalistic propaganda on Wikipedia by insisting on its inclusion here!). It's bizarre that you would bring the Lebor Gabala Erenn into this; the "Spanish connection" in the LGE is pure medieval fantasy with no factual basis; much of it is derived from Latin folk-etymologies and pseudo-histories from Late Antiquity written by Spanish authors such as Orosius and Isidore. Cagwinn (talk) 20:00, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

Also, you clearly way out of your league on the topic of linguistics by making the bizarre statement "we'll never know how the original Gallician language fitted into the spectrum of ancient European languages". In fact, we do know that the Gallaeci/Callaeci spoke a dialect of Hispano-Celtic, which is an entirely different branch of Celtic from Insular Celtic (which includes Goidelic, the ancestor of Irish); so the Gallaeci/Callaeci shared no close linguistic affinity with the Irish, if that's what you're trying to imply. Cagwinn (talk) 20:07, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

Very well, thank you for explaining your reasons rather than simply reverting. Although, I would like to make very clear that I implied nothing, simply questioned. I also really see no distinction whatsoever between a modern Galician festival based on what they believe to be their heritage, and the countless modern wiccan/neopagan inventions which are afforded an entire section on this article. Have a good night. Wasechun tashunka^HOWL_TRACK 20:17, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

Ah I see this has been debated before. So to add my tuppence to this, Samaín is given in the Gran Dicionario Xerais da Lingua as Festa orixinaria da comarca cedeiresa que se celebra pola época de defuntos i.e. a festival from the Cedeira region celebrated around the time of the dead (my translation) but crucially gives the etymology as Latin sambucum (willow). Which means that it has nothing in common with Samhain other than a surface similarity. It seems to have been promoted as a modern reincarnation by some guy called Rafael López Loureiro. As for the link I was pointed at that doesn't actually make the claim that Samhain is linguistically Samaín Akerbeltz (talk) 18:06, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

Samain (also spelled Samuin) is an Old Irish word; even if an ancient Hispano-Celtic cognate somehow survived into modern Galician, it would look different from the Old Irish word. I highly doubt that there is a genuinely old "Samain" (whatever its etymology) festival in Galicia; would need to see some more reliable sources on this. Cagwinn (talk) 20:56, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

Oh I agree, especially the medial -m- looks real fishy for an old rood (if it were Samain). I suspect there *is* a festival (the Dictionario Xerais IS a reliable source) that was historically held (possibly even around the time Samhain is held, it is after all a date based on the seasonal cycle) and that by pure coincidence, it shares a surface similarity to Samhain (to those who don't realise it's either /v/ or vocalised). Someone seized on that and saw a marketing opportunity! Akerbeltz (talk) 21:24, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

Is the Dictionario truly reliable? Latin sambucus produced Galician sabugo - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sambucus#Latin - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sabugo#Galician - so how could it have also produced Galician *samain? I searched some online Galician dictionaries for "samain" and found no such native word. Cagwinn (talk) 22:41, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

[Edit conflict] Agree with both Cagwinn and Akerbeltz here. Tired of seeing these invented, confused, or misrepresented Galician things added to Gaelic-related articles. Whether it's out of an agenda or well-meaning ignorance followed by an attitude at being corrected, it wastes people's time. It also tends to be the same people doing it, though often with new accounts. Support consensus to just revert this stuff in the future as it's been debunked extensively already. (Though of course I always appreciate the linguistic discussion/documentation/debunking when folks are up to it.) If people living in Galicia are having Neopagan celebrations based on their interpretations of Gaelic traditions, they are already covered by the listed categories. To list "Galicia" would play into the misinformation. - CorbieV ^☊ ☼ 21:27, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

To date I have found it very reliable and Xerais aren't crackpot publishers and it was written by a group of experts (i.e. not a single author), so I'm inclined to take it seriously. It fortunately gives IPA which says that samaín is /samaˈiŋ/ and -mb- yielding -m- and a final -c yielding /ŋ/ are pretty uncontroversial sound changes. Nothing to stop a word being borrowed twice, Japanese is replete with words like that. Akerbeltz (talk) 22:49, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

How are these uncontroversial sound changes?? Can you provide any other instances of Latin -mb- becoming Portuguese or Galician -m- and -c- (/k/) becoming Portuguese or Galician /ŋ/? A -c- when followed by a -u- or -a- (as we would have in Latin sambucum/sambucus/sambuca) normally gave Portuguese and Galician -g-; cf. EB Williams, From Latin to Portuguese; historical phonology and morphology of the Portuguese language, University of Pennsylvania, 1938, p. 67: "Cl(assical)L(atin intervocalic c followed by a, o or u ((V[ulgar]L[atin] g) > P(or)t(u)g(uese) g : amicum > amigo; caecum > cego; dico > digo." Also note that the Latin cluster -mb- is normally retained in Portuguese and Galician (cf. Ralph Penny, Ralph John Penny, Variation and Change in Spanish, Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 111; Ralph Penny, Ralph John Penny, A History of the Spanish Language, Cambridge University Press, 2002, p. 27; Andre Klump, Johannes Kramer, Aline Willems (eds), Manuel des langues romanes, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG,2014, p. 618). Cagwinn (talk) 01:11, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

I was speaking from a generic phonological point of view, I'm not an expert on Romance languages. But a quick search suggest Latin camba » Catalan cama and columbum » Sp lomo and Cat colom and palumba » Sp paloma. Akerbeltz (talk) 10:05, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

Neither of which are relevant here. Galician is closely related to Portuguese and they both differ from Spanish in their general preservation of Latin -mb-. Cagwinn (talk) 19:42, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

Re: The quote that said "sambucum (willow)": Sambucus is the Latin genus for Elder trees. Salix is Willow. If that helps with evaluating the credibility of sources. - CorbieV ^☊ ☼ 20:32, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

That's more of a reflection of my iffy Galician than the dictionary ... seriously... I'm out. Akerbeltz (talk) 22:36, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

There were apparently two different words in Latin, sambucus (whence Italian sambuco and dialectal sambugo) and sabucus (whence Portuguese and Galician sabugo); For anyone who is interested, here is on article on the development of the words in Romance languages: Paul Aebischer, Les types sambucus et sabucus "sureau" et leur répartition dans les langues romanes, Vox Romanica 12 (1951-1952)

Galician Samaín again

A new editor, 83.34.110.137 (talk · contribs · IP contribs · WHOIS), has added a lot of stuff on the supposed Iberian origins of Samhain and its supposed survival in Galicia. This followed a discussion on my talkpage.

Some of what's been added seems to be original research. It includes lots of speculation that Galicia is the origin of Celtic culture as a whole, and that the people of Ireland and Britain came from there, which gives undue weight to a minority theory and is off topic anyway. For example:

• "Archaeological findings in Galicia, including megalithic structures aligned with solar events, support the theory that seasonal observances such as Samhain may have been practiced by early Celtic settlers before spreading to other regions" (Manuel Oliva, The Iberian Celts: Rites and Rituals in Pre-Roman Galicia) – does the book actually say this? Megalithic cultures are found all over western Europe, and ancient structures with solar alignments are found all over the world. No page numbers or quotes are given.
• "Sykes theorizes that early Celtic settlers migrated from Iberia around 4000 BCE, potentially carrying cultural traditions that included seasonal festivals like Samhain" (Bryan Sykes, Blood of the Isles) – does the book actually mention Samhain? Again, no page numbers or quotes are given.

The main sources used for most of the additions are:

• Coelho, Aurélio. "Galician Rituals of Samaín: A Celtic Tradition in Iberia". Journal of Celtic Studies, vol. 21, 2019.
• Rodríguez, Ana. "Samaín in Galicia: A Legacy of Celtic Traditions". Galician Heritage, 2018.

I can't find these articles, or any mention of them, or anything about their authors. Since they're being used to back up some exceptional claims, could the editor please provide us with links so we can read them ourselves?

As Akerbeltz noted above, the name Samaín has only been borrowed very recently for Galician Halloween customs, which are similar to Halloween customs all over western Europe. It seems to be used mostly by Galician Celtist nationalists. There's a discussion on the Galician Wikipedia about the controversy. – Asarlaí ^(talk) 22:10, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I concur, I actually think the Coelho one is a fake reference. The Journal of Celtic Studies ceased publication in 1981 and made brief one-time re-appearance in 2004. The North American Journal of Celtic Studies does have a 2019 edition but this article is not in it. There appears to be no scholar by the name of Aurélio Coelho that can be found anywhere on the internet. Same goes for the Rodríguez one, it doesn't even show up as a self pub or anything, it's only reference seems to be that Wiki articel. My view is, treat as fake news unless someone coughs up chapter and verse on these 'sources'. Akerbeltz (talk) 11:54, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for your input, Akerbeltz. I've undone the changes and given the editor a link to this discussion. – Asarlaí ^(talk) 16:19, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Good spots, both. I agree with the revert. Bastun^{Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ!} 16:22, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

I've invited the IP to discuss, here, and left them a 3RR warning. Bastun^{Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ!} 23:00, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

It is curious that some critics dismiss the connection between Samhain and the Iberian Peninsula as "vague." This critique raises an important question: does this skepticism stem from genuine scholarly rigor, or might it reflect an ideological resistance to the notion that Galicia and other Iberian regions could share a broader Celtic heritage? The celebration of Samaín in Galicia, for example, is not a modern invention but part of a deep-rooted cultural tradition with striking similarities to Samhain. These connections are increasingly supported by a combination of genetic studies and historical research, which suggest significant links among Atlantic populations. This evidence challenges the long-held notion that Celtic influence is confined to Ireland and Scotland, and highlights the interconnected nature of the Celtic world. While the dedication to preserving the Gaelic Celtic identity is commendable, it is worth questioning whether this cultural purism might sometimes cloud an impartial assessment of the evidence. Could it be that broadening the Celtic narrative to include the Iberian Peninsula feels like a threat to the uniqueness of Gaelic heritage, rather than an enriching addition to our shared understanding of Celtic traditions? Acknowledging the wider Celtic context does not diminish the distinctiveness of Irish or Scottish culture. On the contrary, it enriches the story of a deeply interconnected Atlantic cultural sphere, where shared rituals and customs crossed geographical and cultural boundaries. While some have persistently reverted edits in the article without providing clear explanations, this approach risks undermining the collaborative spirit that Wikipedia thrives on. Instead of repeatedly undoing changes, it would be more constructive to engage in the Talk page discussion, where the merits of these edits can be debated. If specific aspects of the article are seen as problematic or unsupported, the community can refine the content rather than dismissing the broader topic altogether. The goal should be to improve the article by discussing and evaluating the evidence in an open and scholarly way. Zeal for preserving one’s cultural perspective should not cloud objective reasoning—it is essential for the collaborative and respectful nature of Wikipedia to prevail in such discussions. 83.34.110.137 (talk) 23:01, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

I've taken the liberty of moving your addition to this section, where the discussion was already taking place. It is rich for you to state Instead of repeatedly undoing changes, it would be more constructive to engage in the Talk page discussion, where the merits of these edits can be debated when you have reverted multiple times in the last while, while failing to engage on this Talk page. We follow a process here called WP:BRD - Bold, Revert, Discuss. You edit Boldly, you get Reverted, so you Discuss. You do not re-revert to force your content in - you discuss, to gain WP:CONSENSUS for inclusion. To allow this to happen, please now self-revert your addition, so discussion can happen. The alternative is that you will be blocked for edit warring, and the content will be removed anyway. Bastun^{Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ!} 23:18, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Ah, it's already happened, I see. Bastun^{Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ!} 23:20, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

So I dug my Galician etymoligical dictionary out of storage and under Name added a note explaining that despite a superficial similarity, there is no etymological link between Samaín and Samhain. True, it states it's a regional festival of the dead, but that does not automatically link it to Samhain, many cultures have festivals of the dead. What is made of Samaín in a neo-pagan context is a different question that I'm open to mentioning provided we get decent refs. Akerbeltz (talk) 14:16, 24 November 2024 (UTC)

Finding a New Photo

The current photo opening the article is not covered under a Creative Commons license, as the photo’s source on Wikimedia links to two pages that attribute it to Getty Images. Here is the purchase link. Should we find a photo that is free for public use? (And is this the right space to ask?) HereAndThereAndEverywhere (talk) 20:34, 30 March 2023 (UTC)

English spelling of Beltane

@Bastun: You reverted my correction to use the spelling "Beltane" (as the anglicised spelling of Bealtaine for the English-language Wikipedia), stating "we're writing about a Celtic festival; use the correct spelling". , and confirm "Beltane" to be the spelling in English.

Its own article is confused, but is titled "Beltane". As "Bealtaine" appears not to be an English word (it's in neither of those two main-line dictionaries), then this article should either use Beltane (with (Irish: Bealtaine) on the first occurence); or Bealtaine throughout. I prefer (as you can tell from the edit you reverted) the former; what is your preference?

Once we've come to a consensus, then I'm happy to plough through other related articles for consistency. Bazza (talk) 12:09, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

Bealtaine is an Irish word, but it's absolutely also commonly used in the English language. It therefore makes sense to use the correct and original spelling throughout the article. Bastun^{Ėġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ!} 13:43, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

Basic citation problem

The third paragraph of the article, as it is, tells us how we know about Samhain in the first place from early Irish literature, YET it provides absolutely no citations or references to concrete actual sources. To me, it sounds like esoteric 'trust me bro' than actual proof that Samhain, as we know it, is any older than 19th century. Of course, I might be dead wrong, I just have to see and read original sources from Late Antiquity or Middle Ages, which properly mention Samhain as a festivity. Anything else is, simply put, esoteric fantasy.Gladifer (talk) 08:07, 22 October 2025 (UTC)

There are plenty of references in the main body of the article. The lead doesn't need to have references, as long as they're in the main body, because it's a summary of the article - see MOS:LEADCITE. But I've added some anyway. – Asarlaí ^(talk) 18:08, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Scél na Samhna, translation of a middle Irish poem on Samhain, i.e., All Saints Day in May (the early Christain month of Sumer/Sam)

Scél na Samhna “The Tale of Samhain”

1. There was a certain emperor who took the sovereignty of the Romans. Phocas was his name. Each year he held a great and mighty assembly at Samhain in Rome. This was fitting, for Samhain was the chief solemn festival of the pagans at that time, since all the gods of the world were worshipped then, from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2. Therefore, from that came that there was no darkness nor great fear for people each Samhain from fairy-hosts, nor from síd-beings, nor from every hateful demonic manifestation besides. The demons deceived people in that manner.

3. And the people would always make sacrifices to the gods on the feast-day of Samhain on behalf of their friends and companions. From that, therefore, the trénai of Samhain were named.

4. Now trénai is a Greek word, equivalent in meaning to lamentatio, that is lám-comairt, “hand-beating.” For this was what people did: they made sacrifices and lamentations, keening their dead during them. And they conducted neither inquiry nor legal case nor other business among them, except only this, during those trénai.

5. Therefore they were trénai among them, with no divine or human activity being performed during them by the Pharisees, and likewise among the common rabble through ignorance, after the belief of paganism.

6. Thus trénai are holidays among them, in this manner, with no labor being done during them. There was also a temple in Rome at that time. Pantheon was its name.

7. Pantheon is the same as domus omnium deorum, that is, “the dwelling of all the gods,” because all the gods of the world were worshipped by the pagans on the solemnity of Samhain each year.

8. Now the successor of Peter in Rome at that time was Boniface, a devout, steadfast, wise, ecclesiastical man. He then asked a favor of the king: that the temple be given over to Peter and Paul, and that it be consecrated in the name of the saints of the world, from the rising of the sun to its setting.

9. The king granted that favor to him. The temple was consecrated in the name of the saints of the world, the idols were broken, and Boniface celebrated Mass for the saints on the day of Samhain.

10. From this, Samhain is called feria omnium sanctorum, that is, the Feast of All Saints, because of the veneration of all saints upon it. And it is said that every fast broken during the year, through ignorance or necessity, is purified through the fast of Samhain.

11. After that, Boniface came to the fair and saw a wondrous thing among Roman youths: a fidchell-board of elephant-ivory between them. There were nine rows upon it, nine lines upon it, with one half of the set of pieces of gold and the other half of silver.

12. There was the likeness of women upon one half, and the likeness of men upon the other. Two were playing: a dark, forlorn, monstrous old woman, foul-faced, long-bellied, with a savage countenance, sharp brows, fiery eyes.

13. And a young maiden on the other side: a fair face, gentle and noble in form, bright green eyes, a thin red mouth. There was no blemish nor sign of death upon her, from the crown of her head to the sole of her foot.

14. Thus was the fidchell-board, with white-metal rows and stone squares. The Roman youths came there, some urging the old woman, others urging the young maiden to play against her.

15. The old woman [Cailleach] put her hand to where her thighs met and drew forth nine terrible, utterly hideous beasts and set them upon the crowd, and all fled.

16. Then, at the urging of the other side, the maiden drew nine beautiful virgins from her mouth. They attacked the beasts and fought them, and did not desist until they cast them into nothingness. Thus ended the first contest.

17. Then the Roman youths urged the old woman again at another contest, for the sake of the queen’s honor. The old woman cast a spray from her throat upon her half of the pieces, making seven strong lions of them, and placed them at the northern edge of the fidchell-board, for the maiden was at the southern edge.

18. The other side urged the maiden to respond. She cast a spray upon her half and made seven white lambs of them, with golden horns upon them.

19. The lambs and the lions fought fiercely until they were reduced to nothing. Then the old woman again cast a spell upon her side and made a monstrous, dreadful dragon.

20. Then the maiden cast a spell upon her side and made a purple ram, with four silver feet beneath it and horns of gold upon it. The dragon and the ram fought, and the ram shattered and annihilated the dragon.

21. Boniface and his disciples were present at that game. He reproached the Romans and said: “Beloved sons, do you know what you are doing, and from where these games and these demonic practices come, while you possess the Christian faith?”

22. “For those who perform idolatry are themselves idols.” They replied: “Beloved father, we cannot forget the games of our ancestors, for though they are pagan, they possess divine ordinance within them.”

23. A great dispute had long existed in the Roman Curia concerning the meaning of those games.

24. A Pythoness rose in the assembly and said: “If payment is given to me, I will awaken the Sibyl and she will reveal everything which those games foretell.”

25. Great wealth was given to the Pythoness, and she awakened the Sibyl from great exertion. The Roman philosophers then asked the Sibyl what the games foretold.

26. The Sibyl said: “The fidchell-board is the Christian Church, spread to the four corners of the world. The nine lines are the nine orders and nine ranks of the Church.”

27. “The old woman is paganism. The maiden is the Church. The nine beasts from the thighs of the old woman are the fullness of malice arising from paganism. The nine virgins opposed to them are the perfection and sum of virtues arising from truth.”

28. “The playing-pieces shaped as people are the inhabitants of the Church: some living a righteous life, others in hatred of piety.”

29. “The nine rows of the board — five belonging to the old woman and four to the maiden — are the two sides within the Church: those serving the five bodily senses serve the old woman, that is, paganism.”

30. “The other side follows the teaching of the Gospels and serves the maiden, that is, truth fitting to Christ. Therefore four is proper to the maiden, corresponding to the four Gospels.”

31. “The eight lions are the eight principal vices: pride, gluttony, adultery, greed, envy, wrath, sorrow, despair, and vain glory.”

32. “The eight white lambs against them are the eight noble virtues that battle daily in the Church against the vices, until the vices flee.”

33. “These are humility, abstinence, chastity, prayer, patience, diligence in good works, joy of mind, and charity.”

34. “The monstrous dragon is the Devil, who casts his snares into the bodies and hearts of people, or the Antichrist, who will seduce people by false teaching at the end of the world.”

35. “The purple ram with horns of gold and feet of silver is Christ himself: red with the blood of his Passion, gold of his divinity, silver of his humanity.”

36. “With his four Gospels he supports the earthly Church by miracles and the teaching of the Son of God, by which the Devil is overthrown with his vices and buried on behalf of Christianity thereafter.”

37. “These are the truths revealed by the Sibyl.” “That is true,” said Boniface.

38. Then a strong young warrior rose in the assembly and said: “Lord, since you say the Sibyl spoke rightly and that the games foretold Christ and the Church, it seems better to us to continue them in memory of the great mystery.”

39. “No,” said the Pope, “what those games foretold shall now be fulfilled through divine joy, through Mass, celebration, and proclamation of God’s word, in honor of the saints of the world.”

40. “For just as Samhain was formerly a festival of the gods of the world, it shall now be the festival of the saints and holy virgins of the world; and as it was formerly in the name of the emperor’s queen, so now it shall be in honor of the true queen, queen of the true emperor: Mary the Virgin, queen of Jesus Christ.”

41. Thus the Roman fair was abolished from that time onward by the counsel of Pope Boniface and Emperor Phocas. The Pantheon was consecrated to the saints of the world, and Boniface established observances against the eight vices, through which believers are purified from every error.

Followed by: Don tSamain Beós “On Samhain Again”

Feria omnium sanctorum This is the reason why feria omnium sanctorum (“the feast of all saints”) is said of Samhain.

The Pantheon, that is, domus omnium idolorum (“house of all idols”)—so it was—in Rome. It happened that Boniface, successor of Peter, came there on a certain day and said to the emperor that it was shameful for a dwelling of idols to be in Rome after the spread of Christianity.

So then, with the will of the emperor, the Pantheon was consecrated to Mary and to all the saints of the world, together with the nine ranks of heaven. For that reason it is called feria omnium sanctorum, because the dwelling that formerly belonged to idols was consecrated to all saints.

Another reason again

There is yet another reason here, namely a game which the youths of the Romans used to play every year on that day: that is, a fidchell-board, with the figure of an old woman at one end and the figure of a young maiden at the other end.

The old woman would release from herself a dragon toward the maiden, by summoning demons against her. And the maiden would release from herself a lamb on the other side against the dragon, so that the lamb would overcome the dragon.

Then the old woman would release a lion toward the maiden, and the maiden would release a ram against the lion, and the ram defeated the lion.

Boniface intervenes

It happened that Boniface came upon the game, and he said to them that this play-acting / masquerade was not proper for them. And he asked them how they had obtained their game.

The youths said: “The Sibyl, that is, a chosen prophetess who lived here long ago,” they said, “she is the one who left us this game through the grace of prophecy, foretelling Christ and the Devil.” “Thanks be to God,” said he. “The one who is foretold in it has already come,” said he, “and he has overcome the Devil. Receive a blessing,” said he, “and do not do this any longer.”

Then this game was prohibited—the game which all the Roman youths used to play every year at Samhain.

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