Samhain

Samhain is a Gaelic harvest festival.  During Mideval times, it lasted several days and marked the end of the harvest season and the coming of winter.  It was a time for taking stock of the herds and grain supplies as the freezes would enable the meat to be stored.  As part of the ceremonies, all village fires would be put out and bonfires would be lit.  Hearths would then be re-lit from the common fire.  People, and sometimes livestock, would walk through the center of two bonfires as part of a cleansing ritual.  Samhain also marked an end to the trade and warfare season and was a good time to hold tribal assemblies.