Arcadia Ireland
Arcadia Pumpkin Carving Competition
Date
November 2, 2016
With its roots in the ancient Samhain Festival, Halloween is a very special time in Ireland. Thousands of years ago, in Celtic Ireland, the Samhain marked the division between the lighter and the darker halves of the year, when the divide between this world and the other-world was believed to be at its lowest. Traditionally, the druids would light bonfires and carry torches to celebrate this day of reckoning and people would carve scary faces into turnips to ward off evil spirits. Today Halloween is a public holiday as 'All Hallows Eve' marks the time in the christian calendar to celebrate and remember those who have passed.
At Arcadia, we celebrate Halloween by having a pumpkin carving competition! Students are invited to design their pumpkin as elaborate, as simple, or as scary as they wish, post a photo it to the Arcadia Ireland facebook group and be in with a chance of winning a a €50 Amazon voucher. This semester the choice was especially hard! Frank studying in UCC not only carved a pumpkin, but he also baked a pumpkin pie - very impressive! But the prize had to go the Lara, Rachael and Julie in NUI Galway who blew us away with their Celtic inspired pumpkins. Well done everyone!
Oíche Shamhna Shona Daoibh! (Happy Halloween!)