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Early Celtic Traditions Foreshadowed Halloween

Host Bob Edwards speaks with Fiona Ritchie, host of NPR's The Thistle and Shamrock, about the original Halloween traditions of the Celts. They carved turnip lanterns, set out food for the dearly departed and sang for a treat. (3:34)

Copyright 2002 NPR

Fiona Ritchie strolls along the main street of a small village in rural Scotland and steps through the plain doorway of an 18th century stone building. Passers-by would find it difficult to imagine what this simple gesture initiates: a weekly connection with devoted public radio listeners throughout the United States. In over two decades of broadcasts, Ritchie's radio program The Thistle & Shamrock has become one of NPR's most widely heard and best-loved music programs. She has entered the lives of millions of Americans by way of an inconspicuous studio door, thousands of miles away in Scotland.