This Saturday, Salem’s Celtic heritage group will celebrate the ancient Gaelic festival that inspired American Halloween traditions, from pumpkin carving to trick or treating, at the Willamette Heritage Center.

Samhain (“sow-in”) is a Gaelic holiday often celebrated as early as Oct. 31 and through Nov. 1 to honor the end of the harvest season and transition into the “dark season,” or winter.

The Samhain Celtic New Year Festival, put on by Céilí (“kay-lee”) of the Valley Society, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Spinning Room at the Willamette Heritage Center, located at 1313 Mill St. S.E. Festival admission is free.

Samhain dates back thousands of years, predating the influences of Christianity.

Beth Nevue, president of Céilí, described Samhain as “a thin time of y

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