By Mary O’KEEFE

To many Halloween means costumes, pumpkins and candy but the roots of Halloween can be found in the weather.

Many modern Halloween traditions can be traced back to Samhain, the ancient Celtic New Year. Samhain means the end of summer and occurs at the end of October as the weather begins to get cold and the harvest is done. It was an important observance of the changing of the seasons.

In Ireland, there were many traditions that can still be linked to modern day Halloween. When the Irish immigrated to America, escaping British rule, in the 19th century they brought Samhain traditions with them.

Samhain was the biggest weather change of the year. As part of Celtic traditions, this meant this time of year was magical. The weather changed from summer to fall, which meant the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. Souls could pass between the worlds and, to make certain to fool bad spirits, people would wear costumes.

The observance at the end of harvest rang true, especially growing up in Iowa. Those photos of the field with dried corn and a scarecrow watching over wasn’t something we watched in a movie – it was actually found at my uncle’s farm.

My family observed Samhain traditions, but never called it that, only Halloween. My mom and Bobby (what I called my grandma) always warned that Halloween night was the time to stay home and to make sure the jack-o-lantern was always lit. If we went trick-and-treating, we always went with an adult and we didn’t stay out late.

A traditional Samhain celebration included bonfires and food that was prepared for the living and the dead. The food prepared for ancestors was shared with those in need or with friends.

This food sharing explained why, on Halloween, Bobby would make cakes and pies that we would take to her friends’ homes. It also explained why we would get only some candy during trick-or-treating but would come home mainly with dozens of homemade cookies, little cakes, pies and caramel apples.

Growing up, normally the weather was cold; there were a few Halloweens that it snowed. In California, temperatures at the end of October can range from hot to mild, and is usually the time that ushers in the Santa Ana winds.

Mist, or marine layer, is the perfect Samhain weather because it allows us to not only imagine the veil between worlds but to see it as we spy costumed faces coming out of the mist. Bobby never spoke about spirits reaching out and grabbing people, only the ones that followed you as you walked from house to house, following you to see if you were trying to fool the spirits with your costume. To me that was much more frightening.

Modern day Halloween is a time to dress up in costumes and have fun, but it is also a time to remember to be thankful for what the Earth has given us during the spring and summer growing seasons. It is a time to thank our ancestors for their guidance and love, and to remember that although there may be bad, or evil, spirits in the world there are also the spirits of our family and friends who have journeyed to the other side. On Samhain they are near and share their love.

NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) can only estimate about seven days in weather forecasting so they cannot determine what Oct. 31 weather will be like; however, leading up to Halloween we should see some horror movie weather, Southern California style of course.

The sun will shine throughout today although it will be partly cloudy with the highs in the 80s and 90s. Then on Friday things will change dramatically, said David Sweet, NOAA meteorologist.

“It will change with patchy low clouds and fog, in the 70s and 80s,” he said. “Lots of clouds on Saturday and Sunday with [temperatures] in the mid 60s and 70s,” he added.

Then it will clear out and temperatures will be in the 70s on Monday. We will probably see some rain and the marine layer on Friday night into Saturday clearing in the morning. Gusty winds are possible Sunday into Monday.