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| IRISH FESTIVAL BLENDS HALLOWEEN, CELTIC
LORE As youngsters go door to door this weekend, cadging treats
on the only day that sanctions such overt begging, they likely are unaware
they owe a debt of thanks to ancient Celtics for that bag of chocolate.
On Sunday, the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix hosts its fourth-annual Arizona Irish Festival, a party that will marry the traditional (step dancing, bagpipes) with the contemporary (face painting, beer gardens). Children are urged to don their costumes and go trick-or-treating among the festival's vendors, said Mary Moriarty, the Cultural Center's executive assistant. No, the wee ones won't be given snack-size bits of corned beef and cabbage or a sampling of fish and chips. Vendors will be supplied with suitable candy ("the good stuff," Moriarty promises) that will make everyone happy. Halloween seemed the perfect day to host the festival, which is the Cultural Center's largest fund-raiser of the year. The day's connection to Celtic lore is irresistible, Moriarty said. Halloween's roots can be traced to Samhain (pronounced sow-in), the Celtic New Year's Eve, which was celebrated as a harvest festival, going back to around 800 B.C., says Michelle Campbell, president of the Caledonian Society of Arizona -- a Scottish group, though Campbell is half Irish and has spent hundreds of hours researching Celtic history. In a time when food could be scarce, the end of summer brought a fruit and vegetable bounty that Celts shared with their deities by collecting food door-to-door (ring any bells?). Sacred bonfires were lighted on hilltops, and embers were carried home in hollowed turnips and gourds for the family hearth, Campbell says. But fearing evil spirits, the Celts wore costumes to disguise themselves. Many of the customs faded over the years, and those that remained went underground in colonial America when those practicing pagan rituals risked being branded as witches, Campbell says. Though Halloween now bears only passing resemblance to Samhain, it's still a day revolving around a bounty of food, albeit individually wrapped candies rather than fruits and vegetables. "The fun of the day comes from doing something out of the ordinary," Campbell says. "There's only one time your parents will let you knock on strangers' doors asking for food, then come home and eat 20 pounds of candy. For a kid, that's hard to beat." Arizona Irish Festival What: A party in the park with two stages for live music and dancing, food vendors and beer gardens featuring Harp and Guinness. Also, games and crafts for children, who may come in costume and go trick-or-treating among the booths. St. Patrick will roam the crowd greeting visitors. Where: Irish Cultural Center, 1106 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $10; $1 ages 6-12; free for age 5 and younger and children in costume. Details: (602) 258-0109; www.azirish.org. All ages. Reach the reporter at (602)444-8773.
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