Associated Holidays

All Halloween-like and Halloween related Holidays

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Bonfires on Samhain attracted bats

- Viewed as bad omens, familiars and the shape-shifted forms of vampires

Brief Bio

Bats became associated with Halloween through the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The light from the bonfires attracted insects, which in turn attracted bats. The bats' presence around the bonfires led the Celts to associate them with the mystical and supernatural elements of the festival.  This link was strengthened by medieval folklore, which often depicted bats with witches and evil, and later, Bram Stoker's Dracula cemented their spooky image by associating them with vampires and the supernatural.