Samhain

Samhain, (pronounced SOW-en) the dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat.

It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. On this night the veil between the Worlds is considered at its thinnest and the dead are thought to return and visit. Pagans may encourage this visit by setting a place at the table for ancestors who care to join them. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort.

Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Fae became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans, traveling after dark was not advised.

This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) were built on sacred hilltops for protection of the people and the land. These fires were lit at dusk. (Beltane fires are lit at dawn.) And stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.

On Samhain witches performed rituals to keep anything negative from the past- evil, harm, corruption, greed- out of the future. It is the time of transformation and inner work. Time of remembrance for those that have past. It is the Celtic New Year’s Eve festival. It is a good time for banishing and for sorting our unfinished business, a good time for skrying.