The sugary, macabre revelry of today’s Halloween doesn’t much resemble its ancient roots brought by Irish immigrants. Samhain (which sounds like “sow-ween” and means summer’s end) was the Celtic new year — an important time of transition after October’s harvest, and a happy family holiday.

Emphasis on happy more than scary.

Ghosts. That’s not to say it wasn’t spiritual. Samhain has its ghosties. Timed with the change of seasons, a mystical moment on the cusp of an old year made new, the Celts believed this was when the living could literally connect with their ancestors.

Costumes. The dead are only as nice as they were in life, so Celts sometimes dressed up as souls to scare away undesirables.

Magic. The natural mysticism of this time of year when the earth’s bounty diminishes and the old gives way to new also lent itself to prediction. The ancients believed the size of the next harvest or identities of future spouses could be divined on this night.

Jack o’ lantern. Beyond dressing up, Celts and Scots carried hollowed out, candle-lit turnips to scare off unwanted spirits. Or was it to light their way?

There’s an 18th century Irish folk tale about Stingy Jack, a disreputable miser who was spared an eternity down below by tricking the devil on All Hallows’ Eve. Jack wasn’t good enough for Heaven either, so his spirit wanders in limbo. On All Hallows’ Eve you might see him carrying his “Jack o’ lantern” through the darkness.

Trick or treat? By medieval times on All Souls Day (now All Saints Day), children knocked on doors to get “soul cakes” in exchange for prayers for the household’s dead relatives. But for the preceding centuries instead of treats, kids knocking on doors collected firewood for the giant Samhain bonfire.

Speaking of fire, while the English don’t traditionally celebrate Halloween (although we Yanks are beginning to change that), they do love a good bonfire. Next time, I’ll tell you about Guy Fawkes.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network — Sholeh@cdapress.com.