Happy Samhain and/or Halloween

The tradition of Halloween dates back centuries to pre-Christian Europe. Though there were other societies that celebrated the beginning of winter and the end of the harvest, the most commonly associated with modern Halloween has its roots in Ireland, the British Isles, and parts of France and Germany with the Celtic traditions.




Samhain (Sowan) is pronounced and spelled differently depending on who you ask, the basic history of the holiday is that this was the day when the barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead was most porous. To some pagans, this was also the begining of the New Year, the beginning of Winter and the time of the last harvest.


People believed that this day was when their ancestors could breach the barrier between worlds and visit the living for a time as the wandering dead. A tradition developed in Ireland of leaving treats for your visiting ancestors carve scary faces into turnips placed on their doorsteps to prevent other spirits from playing tricks or doing you harm. Some people would dress up in as ghosts, both to honor the dead and ward off evil spirits.

"As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into the future. The reason for this has to do with the Celtic view of time. In a culture that uses a linear concept of time, like our modern one, New Year’s Eve is simply a milestone on a very long road that stretches in a straight line from birth to death. Thus, the New Year’s festival is a part of time. The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year’s Eve represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to reestablishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and, hence, it may be used to view any other point in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading, or tealeaf reading so likely to succeed. (Nichols, 2005)

The Romans, masters of the melting pot, rather than try to stamp out local traditions after the Empire declared Christianity the official religion, at first, simply melded them into those of the Church. Samhain became "All Hallows Eve" and the next day became "All Hallows Day" (All Saints Day) to commemmorate the dead.

In America, the influx of Irish and German immigrants brought their traditions, and merged them with American culture. Turnips gave way to the more readily available and easier to carve pumpkins, and children began dressing up as ghosts and trick-or-treating.

So have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!

Blessed Be.