The Aquincum Museum in Budapest will host “Samhain, or Celtic Halloween” on October 31, offering visitors a range of Celtic-themed activities, archaeological lectures, craft workshops, Irish dancing, and fire-juggling performances.
Organized by the Budapest History Museum’s Aquincum Museum and Archaeological Park as part of the Autumn Festival of Museums, the event will run from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Visitors will be able to test their courage on the Path of the Dead, explore Pliny’s haunted house, and take part in Celtic-inspired craft workshops. Children can enter their creations in a pumpkin-carving contest, while visitors who arrive in costume can compete in a separate contest showcasing their creativity.
Visitors can learn about Celtic lifestyles and clothing at a historical reenactment camp, as well as listen to Celtic tales told by a storyteller.
As part of the program, museum archaeologists will give public lectures on Celtic and Germanic warfare, as well as burial practices from the Early Bronze Age in the area of present-day Budapest.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore two exhibitions with curator-led tours. The exhibition “Once We Were Like You – Facial Reconstructions from the Roman Period” explores the possible lives of 16 former residents of Aquincum, including several people of Celtic origin, through archaeological and scientific research, facial reconstructions, and historical interpretations.
The exhibition “New Masters of the Pest Side – The Sarmatian Neighborhood of Aquincum” focuses on the Sarmatians, who played a significant political and economic role for centuries in the lands neighboring the Roman Empire.
The evening will conclude with skill-based games, a fortune-teller, a Celtic fire duel, Irish dancing, fire-juggling performances, and a reenactment of a Celtic legend.
Before the Roman conquest, Celtic peoples inhabited the area of present-day Budapest, which later became part of the Roman province of Pannonia. Although relatively little is known about the customs of the eastern Celts who settled in the region, Samhain is well documented in medieval Irish tradition. According to historical records, communities gathered for feasts and seasonal celebrations, while bonfires and protective customs became part of traditions associated with the festival.
Photo: Pexels
The festival marked the end of agricultural work and was associated with seasonal gatherings and feasts. Medieval Irish stories also portray Samhain as a time when supernatural beings were especially active and the boundary between the human world and the Otherworld seemed less secure. Samhain is widely associated with the origins of Halloween.
Families can look forward to exciting events during the fall school break in the Balaton region.Continue reading
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay
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