Oíche Shamhna — Halloween Night

How the oldest night in the Irish year went to America and came home again.

Tá Oíche Shamhna níos sine ná an Nollaig sa tír seo.
Halloween is older than Christmas in this country.

Ba é deireadh an tsamhraidh é, agus tús na bliana nua.
It was the end of summer, and the start of the new year.

Deirtí go n-osclaíodh an teorainn idir an saol seo agus an saol eile.
It used to be said that the border between this world and the other world would open.

Bhíodh na mairbh ag siúl arís ar feadh oíche amháin.
The dead would walk again for one night.

Chuireadh na daoine bia amach dóibh ag an doras.
People used to put food out for them at the door.

Mhúchadh siad na tinte sa bhaile, agus lasadh siad tine mhór ar an gcnoc.
They would quench the fires at home, and light a great fire on the hill.

Ghearradh na páistí turnapaí chun lóchrainn a dhéanamh.
Children used to carve turnips to make lanterns.

Chuaigh an nós sin go Meiriceá leis na himircigh.
That custom went to America with the emigrants.

Fuair siad puimcíní ann, a bhí níos mó agus níos éasca a ghearradh.
They found pumpkins there, which were bigger and easier to cut.

Agus mar sin, tháinig an fhéile ar ais chugainn faoi chulaith nua.
And so, the festival came back to us in a new outfit.

Ach is í an tseanoíche chéanna í fós.
But it is still the same old night.

A note on this one

Watch for the habitual past here — “bhíodh”, “chuireadh”, “ghearradh”. It’s a whole tense English doesn’t have: not “was”, but “used to be”, over and over, every year.