Gàidhlig / English
Gathan Gainnisg

Gathan Gainnisg

Posted by Shelagh on Thursday 29 October 2015

We are delighted that the DASG blog has now been going for a year and would like to thank all our readers who interact with us through social media. This time last year, our first phrase was pollag na Samhna and this week, we’re returning to Halloween customs.

The word gathan gainnisg was collected in the Isle of Skye as well as South Uist and means a bunch of sedge or dried grass which was used as a torch at Halloween. Apparently there was a custom in Skye when the ‘Halloween boys’ would gather gathan gainnisg and throw them at each other shouting “Mo shaighead air do shaighead-sa” (“My arrow on your arrow”). This would prevent the fairies from causing harm throughout the year.

The use of gathan gainnisg is one of a number of similar traditions from Scotland and Ireland which involved burning grass or peat at Halloween in order to keep evil spirits away. Norman MacLeod writes about another tradition in Leabhar nan Cnoc:

"All the folk throughout the land were obliged at Halloween to completely extinguish each household fire and to then make their way to the druids to collect a live coal from the sacred fire that was lit and consecrated by them."

(The full account in Gaelic may be read online here (p.280))

If you know of any other similar customs from any country or culture, why not tell us about them on Facebook or Twitter

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