Travel with Rick Steves · Saturday, October 31, 2026
Fintan O'Toole explains that Halloween originated in Ireland as a pre-Christian festival marking the transition from summer to winter, symbolizing an open portal between the living and the dead.
“It's a funny business, Rick, because Halloween starts in Ireland. I mean, it's an Irish festival. It's a very, very old one... a pre-Christian festival, which goes back to the idea of the end of summer, the beginning of winter, that sort of spooky place in between times.”