A spotlight on Halloween’s roots in an ancient Celtic holiday grows in the Philadelphia region

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know! Through Saturday evening, Philadelphia’s streets will be filled with ghouls and goblins, ghosts and witches, and countless other more niche costumes. Dressing up in disguises, from the fantastical to the terrifying, is just one of the modern-day Halloween traditions that come from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain — a celebration that people in the Philadelphia region and beyond are increasingly exploring on its own terms amid the usual spooky season revelries. From spiritual practices to business owners’ events, Samhain is getting its turn in the spotlight. What is Samhain? Samhain, pronounced SOW-in, is the Irish word for November, said Joseph Lennon, director of the Center for Irish Studies at Villanova University. The holiday was first celebrated throughout Ireland, Britain and other places where Celtic people lived stretching as far back as Neolithic time