HAPPY SAMHAIN!!

[Silmarillion]

I thought, on this very important holiday in my faith, that I would share with you the history of Samhain (Halloween).  Or at least, what can be gathered about it anyway, since the Celts didn't believe in writing much down.

There are many traditions and stories/tales that could be relayed here but I found a few that I liked and thought I would share.  This will probably end up being a couple of posts due to the restrictions on the lengths of posts here.



First off, the thing people seem to wonder most about Samhain. How is it meant to be pronounced? Well, as in most things, this depends on exactly were you are. In Ireland, it is pronounced, "sow-in." In Wales and England, it is traditionally, "sow-een." And in Scotland, because Scots love to be different, it is, "sav-en." Of course, if you happen to be speaking to a Yank, he may well not have a clue what any of these things are while wondering why you don't celebrate, (put in a drawl) "Sam-hane."

Samhain is celebrated on October 31st, a date familiar to most people in the Western world today. Although Samhain is considered a cross quarter holiday, the cross quarter does not fall on October 31st, but occurs whenever the Sun reaches 15 degrees in Scorpio. This is usually sometime in the first week of November and coincides with the Catholic holiday of Martinmas.

Samhain is one of the most popular of the Witches' Holidays. There are three reasons for this. The first is simply that it's fun (though many would argue not as enjoyable as Beltaine ). The second is that it is the one holiday that the general public recognizes as a pagan holiday (even if they do have plenty of misconceptions about it) and loves to celebrate anyway. In days of yore, the lovely Christian church of old did decide, in the grand tradition of the times, that the people could be allowed to keep the holiday they were so found of, but it need a new name. They also decided that instead of being a holiday to celebrate all dead (for obvious reasons, the Church wished to focus on that part of the holiday), it should only mark the "holy" amongst the deceased. Hence, the holiday comes down through history as Halloween.

Samhain is obviously the end of the "summer" half of the year. (The Celtic people divided the year into two parts, summer and winter.) It is the last harvest before the snows. It is the dark opposite of Beltaine, announcing the rule of Darkness and celebrating the Crone. It is also considered to be the first of the new year. Since the Celts viewed time as circular rather than linear, The night that is at once the end of the year and the beginning was considered to be "outside" of time. For this reason, Samhain is a holiday of divination and a time of the dead. A night of contradiction where life and death, opposites but part of the same thing, were celebrated side by side.

The most well known aspect of Samhain is it's role as the Feast of the Dead. It is a night to honor the ancestors, to celebrate their lives, and to toast their memories. It is an evening for families to gather and hear tales of Great Grandfather's life and the legends of the Old King and his knights. It was believed that on this night, the dead could return to earth to visit with the living. It was considered polite to set places at the table for those recently deceased and to leave food for them and for wondering souls. Lights should be placed in windows and along roads to help guide the spirits out for the night. This was the beginnings of the ever popular jac-o-lantern. Lights where places in gourds so that the wind would not extinguished them and left as guides and as wards to protect the household from any vindictive souls who may have tracked them down.

[Silmarillion]

The other role of Samhain is slightly less known, possibly due to the adamancy to the Catholic church against divination. At Samhain, the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, which is why the dead can cross over on this eve. It also means that it is easier to see the into the future. It is a night to cast runes, deal cards, and scry. It is also a night to make decisions. The Celts have a tradition that is the root of the modern New Year's Resolution. The tradition states that on this day, one should reflect on the negatives in ones life and perform a ritual asking the Crone to help in dissipating them.

There are several forms of deviation that are particular to this Eve. The most entertaining were most popular amongst young girls and dealt with finding one's true love. One of the most popular of these was to gather a group of hazel nuts together. On the shells, one marks symbols representing people that one knows. The first nut to crack should have the symbol assigned to your true love. Of course, this can be modified for use with any question, but this is the most fun. Apples are of course, a very popular fall food and it would be unthinkable not to involve them in this holiday. It was said that is one cut an apple in to halves (long wise so that the star in the middle becomes visible) by candle light and ate it in front of one's own image, behind one's shoulder will appear the image of the one who loves you most. A tradition that I remember from my own childhood states that if one peels an apple so that the peel comes off as one long strand and throw is over the shoulder, it will fall in the shape of the first letter of your love's name. A slightly less pleasant method that does not lead to having something nice to eat even if one gets bad advice, it was claimed that a snail placed in the hearth ashes would draw the initial of the one meant for whoever put the snail there.

[Silmarillion]

Some more info, from a different source....dealing more with the traditions and where they might have come from.


October 31st, commonly called Halloween, is associated with many customs, some of them mysterious, some light-hearted, some of them downright odd. Why do we bob for apples, carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, and tell ghost stories on this night? Why do children go door-to-door asking for candy, dressed in fantastical costumes? How is Hallowe'en connected to All Soul's Day, celebrated by some Christian denominations on November 1st? And what is the significance of this holiday for modern-day Witches?

A Brief History of Hallowe'en


Hallowe'en has its origins in the British Isles. While the modern tradition of trick or treat developed in the U. S., it too is based on folk customs brought to this country with Irish immigrants after 1840. Since ancient times in Ireland, Scotland, and England, October 31st has been celebrated as a feast for the dead, and also the day that marks the new year. Mexico observes a Day of the Dead on this day, as do other world cultures. In Scotland, the Gaelic word "Samhain" (pronounced "SAW-win" or "SAW-vane") means literally "summer's end."

Other names for this holiday include: All Hallows Eve ("hallow" means "sanctify"); Hallowtide; Hallowmass; Hallows; The Day of the Dead; All Soul's Night; All Saints' Day (both on November 1st).
For early Europeans, this time of the year marked the beginning of the cold, lean months to come; the flocks were brought in from the fields to live in sheds until spring. Some animals were slaughtered, and the meat preserved to provide food for winter. The last gathering of crops was known as "Harvest Home, " celebrated with fairs and festivals.

In addition to its agriculture significance, the ancient Celts also saw Samhain as a very spiritual time. Because October 31 lies exactly between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice, it is theorized that ancient peoples, with their reliance on astrology, thought it was a very potent time for magic and communion with spirits. The "veil between the worlds" of the living and the dead was said to be at its thinnest on this day; so the dead were invited to return to feast with their loved ones; welcomed in from the cold, much as the animals were brought inside. Ancient customs range from placing food out for dead ancestors, to performing rituals for communicating with those who had passed over.

Communion with the dead was thought to be the work of witches and sorcerers, although the common folk thought nothing of it. Because the rise of the Church led to growing suspicion of the pagan ways of country dwellers, Samhain also became associated with witches, black cats ("familiars" or animal friends), bats (night creatures), ghosts and other "spooky" things...the stereotype of the old hag riding the broomstick is simply a caricature; fairy tales have exploited this image for centuries.

Divination of the future was also commonly practiced at this magically-potent time; since it was also the Celtic New Year, people focused on their desires for the coming year. Certain traditions, such as bobbing for apples, roasting nuts in the fire, and baking cakes which contained tokens of luck, are actually ancient methods of telling fortunes.


So What About Those Jack-O-Lanterns?

Other old traditions have survived to this day; lanterns carved out of pumpkins and turnips were used to provide light on a night when huge bonfires were lit, and all households let their fires go out so they could be rekindled from this new fire; this was believed to be good luck for all households. The name "Jack-O-Lantern" means "Jack of the Lantern, " and comes from an old Irish tale. Jack was a man who could enter neither heaven nor hell and was condemned to wander through the night with only a candle in a turnip for light. Or so goes the legend...

But such folk names were commonly given to nature spirits, like the "Jack in the Green, " or to plants believed to possess magical properties, like "John O' Dreams, " or "Jack in the Pulpit." Irish fairy lore is full of such references. Since candles placed in hollowed-out pumpkins or turnips (commonly grown for food and abundant at this time of year) would produce flickering flames, especially on cold nights in October, this phenomenon may have led to the association of spirits with the lanterns; and this in turn may have led to the tradition of carving scary faces on them. It is an old legend that candle flames which flicker on Samhain night are being touched by the spirits of dead ancestors, or "ghosts."

[Silmarillion]

Okay, What about the Candy?

"Trick or treat" as it is practiced in the U. S. is a complex custom believed to derive from several Samhain traditions, as well as being unique to this country. Since Irish immigrants were predominantly Catholic, they were more likely to observe All Soul's Day. But Ireland's folk traditions die hard, and the old ways of Samhain were remembered. The old tradition of going door to door asking for donations of money or food for the New Year's feast, was carried over to the U. S. from the British Isles. Hogmanay was celebrated January 1st in rural Scotland, and there are records of a "trick or treat" type of custom; curses would be invoked on those who did not give generously; while those who did give from their hearts were blessed and praised. Hence, the notion of "trick or treat" was born (although this greeting was not commonly used until the 1930's in the U. S.). The wearing of costumes is an ancient practice; villagers would dress as ghosts, to escort the spirits of the dead to the outskirts of the town, at the end of the night's celebration.

By the 1920's, "trick or treat" became a way of letting off steam for those urban poor living in crowded conditions. Innocent acts of vandalism (soaping windows, etc.) gave way to violent, cruel acts. Organizations like the Boy Scouts tried to organize ways for this holiday to become safe and fun; they started the practice of encouraging "good" children to visit shops and homes asking for treats, so as to prevent criminal acts. These "beggar's nights" became very popular and have evolved to what we know as Hallowe'en today.


What Do Modern Witches Do at Hallowe'en?

It is an important holiday for us. Witches are diverse, and practice a variety of traditions. Many of us use this time to practice forms of divination (such as tarot or runes). Many Witches also perform rituals to honor the dead; and may invite their deceased loved ones to visit for a time, if they choose. This is not a "seance" in the usual sense of the word; Witches extend an invitation, rather than summoning the dead, and we believe the world of the dead is very close to this one. So on Samhain, and again on Beltane (May 1st), when the veil between the worlds is thin, we attempt to travel between those worlds. This is done through meditation, visualization, and astral projection. Because Witches acknowledge human existence as part of a cycle of life, death and rebirth, Samhain is a time to reflect on our mortality, and to confront our fears of dying.

Some Witches look on Samhain as a time to prepare for the long, dark months of winter, a time of introspection and drawing inward. They may bid goodbye to the summer with one last celebratory rite. They may have harvest feasts, with vegetables and fruits they have grown, or home-brewed cider or mead. They may give thanks for what they have, projecting for abundance through the winter. Still others may celebrate with costume parties, enjoying treats and good times with friends. There are as many ways of observing Samhain as there are Witches in the world!

[Solaufein_Xiltyn]

Excellent my Witch. I knew you might make a post like this. Very informative even though some of I already knew but some I didnt.

Bless Be on this most Hollowed time of the year

*Opps you had more coming*

[Silmarillion]

Glad you enjoyed it and found some new information...


Blessed Be

[Kothoses the Tyrant]

Wow thanks for that Sil, very intersting reading... may even try a few of those things out, heh heh.


Happy, Samhain, or blessed be seems to be the popular greeting.

[Nightcrawler]

My name is Eric, but it's pronounced "Tatter-dee".

[Aradia]

Nightcrawler said:

My name is Eric, but it's pronounced "Tatter-dee".

*spanks Nightcrawler*  heh...you're a nut, that's why you're so much fun though *kiss*

Good idea to post all of this, Sil!  You surprised me by posting some info I didn't know  I was taught to pronounce Samhain "Saw-win" myself.  Hey, something you and only you can really appreciate....I found my black kitty on Samhain 8 yrs ago, she was a stray.  I named her Hecate I thought it was appropriate, since Hecate is a goddess of the crossroads amongst other things

[Nachtrafe-Tyrant Jr]

LOL...Well, its official...I'm defenitely a Scot.  I've always pronounced it Sav-En.  ;D

Thanks for the cool info Sil.

Blessed Be to my favourite witches, and to all others this Samhain.

[Zoras]

Thanks for all that information, Sil! Makes for interesting reading. 31st October came and went, with nothing much happening, but a Happy Samhain to all of you anyway.

Blessed Be. (I had a friend who would always say this as her goodbye. I never knew quite why until now.)