In ancient Ireland, Púca festivals marked the celebration of Samhain, a time to celebrate the end of harvest and to honour the dead. It was the time of the year when the veil between the living and the spirit world was believed to be at its thinnest. People would gather at spiritual places such as the Hill of Tara in Co Meath where they would have rituals involving bonfires. They also used to disguise themselves so that the spirits wouldn’t recognise them, one of the beginnings of Halloween Trick or Treating. Then they would feast for 6 days in the Great Mead Hall or Mead circling House at Tara.
The Púca is a mythical creature from Irish folklore, known for its shape-shifting abilities and mischievous nature. In some tales, the Púca leads people astray, taking the shape of a horse and bringing them on wild rides across the countryside. As the Púca roamed the land, believed to bring both magic and mischief, a glass of mead was raised in the Mead Circling houses during Samhain. They would drink their mead out of a mead sharing cup called a Mether so they were all drinking from the same vessel.
Where mead connected the living to their ancestors where each sip was a tribute to the harvest, the land, and the spirits that watched over them.