Holidays & Observances – Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library

Samhain

The Gaelic Festival of Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Samhain begins at sundown on October 31 and goes until sundown on November 1.

The roots of Samhain stretch back deep into the prehistoric development of Celtic pagan beliefs. With the arrival of Christianity in what we now know as Ireland and Scotland, the practices of Samhain and All-Saints Day merged over time. Halloween traces many of its roots back to both Samhain and “All-Hallows Eve,” — the night before All Saints Day.

There has been a modern revival in celebrations of Samhain, in part due to the practices of Wiccans and other neo-pagans, as well other people who see it as a as a way to incorporate Celtic rituals into their belief systems. Many others see it as a way to celebrate Irish culture and history. Samhain is often celebrated with feasting and giant bonfires.

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7 Haunted Library Stories, From Dublin to Melbourne

Thanks to 1000 Libraries for sharing this article that combines two of our favourite things: scary tales, and stories about libraries!

“Most ghosts, in the stories, make a nuisance of themselves. They slam doors, move furniture and walk the corridors at the hour they died. Library ghosts are different. Almost every one on record is described doing what the living do in the same room: sitting in a favourite chair with a newspaper, taking a volume down from a shelf, turning pages at a table after the lights are out. The building seems to decide what kind of haunting it gets.

What follows are seven of those stories, from Dublin to Melbourne, chosen because each has a name, a date and a witness attached. Whether you believe them is your own affair. The librarians who tell them mostly do not, and tell them anyway….”

Read the full article