Published by Samhain has it’s origins in the British Isles, while more modern traditions like trick-or-treating developed in the United States. Most are based on folk customs brought to North America with the Irish immigrants sometime after the year 1840. The holiday most today celebrate as Halloween actually has a very long history, one which stretches back to a time of the ancient Celtic religions. For them the evening of October thirty-first and the morning after a Sabbat they called Samhain marked the beginning of their New Year. Primarily it was celebrated as the “Feast of the Dead”. Since the New Year began in winter a season known for death, it’s really only natural that the Celts would have honoured ( and ward off) those who had passed on, they also celebrated in ways of divination, through rituals, and spells. The Celts also took some time for their earthly needs such as; hiring servants and slaughtering their live stock to make food for the winter.
For early Europeans it was celebrated in many of the same ways. Making the beginning of winter, the cold and the lean months ahead. Their flocks were brought in from the fields to live in the sheds until Spring. The third and final harvest also took place at this time and was incorporated into their celebrations. Many Pagans did and still do decorate their altars with symbols of the season such as but not limited to; wheat and various fruits and vegetables. To some the harvest is interpreted more abstractly, symbolizing your gains and achievements over the past year.
In the second half of the nine-tenth century, America was flooded with immigrants. Most of which were Irish settlers, fleeing the potato famine of 1846, these people help popularize “Halloween” as we know it today on a national level. Borrowing from the Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes, going door-to-door asking for food, and sometimes money, a practice which became what we now call trick-or-treating. In the late eight-teen hundreds, there was a move in America to mold Samhain into a holiday more about community and neighbourly get together’s, rather then about our ancestors, or witchcraft and pranks. By the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults had become the most popular way to celebrate. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything magickal or frightening out of Halloween and instead focus on parties, with food and costumes. Because of these relentless efforts Halloween lost most of it’s superstitions and religious overtones by the late twentieth century. In 1921, Anoka, Minnesota celebrated the first official city wide observation of this holiday. There celebrations included a pumpkin bowl, a costumed square dance and two parades. After this happened it didn’t take long for this holiday to catch on nationwide. New York joined in on the festivities in 1923, soon after was LA, in the year 1925. By then most of what Pagans consider important at this time had vanished, left only in some jaded traditions, changed by those who feared anything different or magickal. However for those who did practice the older religions, they kept their traditions alive through family and friends, rituals were still held and divination was still as popular as ever.
Since we are not from ancient Celtic times, it should be obvious that we wouldn’t celebrate exactly as they did. Much of “neo-paganism” is a reconstruction of what is believed the pre-Christian religions were like, based partly on anthropological and historical research, and partly adapting the old religions ideas, but mixed with our modern culture.
Today Samhain is still one of the most important Sabbats, for most Pagan religions. Pagans participate in modern Halloween festivities along with rest of North America. The difference is those who follow the Pagan life also incorporate their own spiritual traditions. For them Samhain marks the most magickal night on the wheel of the year. It is the dark twin of Beltane, for most it is known as Halloween a night of trick-or-treating, dressing in costumes and telling creepy stories. Although many Pagans celebrate in the same way, they add things like seances, tarot reading and scrying to their parties. Most will perform rituals with their coven or alone, they will also do spell work. For Pagans today Samhain is a time to confront their personal and cultural attitudes toward death and those who have already passed on. It is a time to deepen our connection to the cycles of the seasons, to the generations that came before us and those still to follow, also to the Gods and Goddesses we worship. It is also a time to let our inner children play to pass on our childhood traditions to our young ones and to share the fun with our friends and neighbours of all faiths.
Samhain is known as a time when the veil between the two worlds is at it’s thinnest. Making it a great time for divination and contacting our ancestors, but for those who practice one of the Faerie traditions this Sabbat holds particular importance. The thin veil allows for easier travel between the worlds. Mortals are able to go to the Faerie realm, however it also allows Faerie’s, spirits and the Sidhe of Ireland to come through and visit us here. For the Faerie’s Samhain is there last night to roam among our world, not returning until Beltane. However before leaving these little creatures enjoyed causing mischief and playing pranks on the mortal folk. Faerie’s are not evil, nor are they good they’re just Faerie’s. Most like to reward good deeds, but none like to be crossed. There are some very helpful Faerie’s but one must always be careful when dealing with them, especially when travelling to their realm.
Symbols of Samhain/Halloween
For this portion of the paper I have compiled a list of various symbols seen around Samhain or Halloween. Most of them will have Pagan roots but have been altered to fit the image of Halloween as most North Americans and several other cultures celebrate it today.
Ghosts Since on Samhain the gates between the worlds is opened and departed friends and family can cross in either direction, it makes perfect sense that ghosts are used as a symbol for this Sabbat.
Skeletons and Skulls Samhain is the time of year that farmers and herds would kill off the old, sick or weak animals, basically any animal they thought would not make it through the winter. Prior to the last few centuries, most people lived on farms so death was a normal part of their lives. Samhain became imbued with the symbolism of these deaths. Therefore skeletons and skulls joined ghosts as symbols for this holiday.
Black Cats: The Celts believed that friends and family who had passed on, often would return with their souls inhabiting an animal. The most common animal of course was the black, and because of the connection between this Sabbat and departed souls and Samhain, black cats have remained a symbol of this magickal day.
Witches: Once the Druids and the followers of the “old religion” were banned as evil from the church, their practices were looked at as “witchcraft”. They were persecuted and branded as witches. The church then claimed hat Samhain was a “witches Sabbath and that their evil was at it’s strongest on this night. Since then the witch, or more particular the old hag has been associated with Samhain.
Spiders: These critters tend to inhabit places that are not frequently disturbed, like many dark and scary places which makes it easy to see why it is associated with Samhain.
Assorted Ghoulies and Monster: Many monster figures have been added as symbols of Halloween thanks to modern day fiction, movies, and television. These creatures include; werewolves ( a remnant of the berserkers of Scandinavia), Mummies (after modern Egyptology started), the Frankenstein monster ( from the fiction of Mary Shelley), vampires (known mostly in Eastern Europe), and zombies (they come from misinformation about voudon practices).
Bats: Bats have been associated with vampires for a very long time, mostly because of their infamous cousin the vampire bat. Since vampires are one of the evil monster said to prowl around on Halloween night, bats are also seen as a symbol of this day.
Moon: Ancient Greeks believed the moon was the mid-way point for souls making their transition between worlds.
Owl: They represent the wise women of the village, also known as the cunning healer and herb Mother. She was also called the Crone of the village. Owls are also associated with the Goddess Mari, the goddess known for having eyes that looked like an owl, who seems to stare. It was believed that Mari could take the shape of an owl at her will.
There are so many different symbols for Samhain/Halloween, it would take a book to list them all. I chose some of the symbols that are most commonly seen today.
Conclusion
Samhain is an important Sabbat for the modern witch. They are diverse and practice a variety of traditions. Many practice several form of divination, they also perform rituals to honour the dead. Some invite their deceased loved ones to visit them, if they so choose, for the spirits are never forced but merely invited. Witches believe the world of the dead is very close to this one. So on Samhain when the veil is at it’s thinnest witches use various forms of travelling between worlds such as; meditation, visualization and astral projection. They acknowledge human existence as apart of a cycle of life, death and rebirth. Samhain is a time to reflect on our mortality and to confront their fears of dying. In terms of the more modern Halloween, it is a time for family, it reconfirms the social bond of a neighbourhood. children go to great lengths to dress-up and overcome their fear of strangers in exchange for treats. Parents mingle as they take their children door-to-door. For the modern Halloween the true value and importance lies within the meeting of new friends, and exorcising our fears of opening up to strangers. Reaffirming our social bonds with those who live in our neighbourhoods.
Personally since I was a child I participated in Halloween, the holiday as most see it today. Every year I dressed in my costume and went from door-to-door in search of candy. I attended parties and played games, won pumpkin carving contests at school. I went to all the haunted houses and hay rides in my area, I took this time to just enjoy myself. As an adult I have practiced in much the same way except I now have children so I do it with them. This past year I have made a big change in my life, and chose a new spiritual path, to be that of Pagan. I am not yet sure exactly what paths I will follow, but as my beliefs grow, so will my traditions. This past Samhain I decorated my altar in things of the season, I also attended the online ritual, and will do so again next, and with every year that passes, I know I will continue to learn and add to my own Samhain traditions.
Faery Magick 101, Lesson# 11, Magickal Days Assignment, willow_bleumoon
