The turning Wheel of the Year
Samhain / Halloween
Etymology
The term ‘Samhain’ derives from the name of the month Saminios (coligny calendar), meaning ‘seed fall’. The Irish word Samhain is derived from the old English name Samain, Samuin, Samfuin, referring to November 1st Latha na Samna:’ Samhain day’, and the ancient festival and royal assembly of Medieval Ireland Oenaig na Samna, ‘Samhain assembly’. In addition, from the same source comes, the Scottish Gaelic Samhainn and Samhuinn and in Manx Sauin. Sam means Summer; Fuin means end, therefore this Autumnal festival signals summer’s end and the beginning of the colder darker months of Winter and the end of the pastoral season. In Welsh the day is Calan Gaeaf meaning ‘first day of Winter’. In Brittany the day is known as Kala Goanv, Which means ‘beginning of November’. Therefore, one can see and interpret the correlations in vernacular which convey the same intentional message.
History & Folklore
Celtic celebrations began during the eve of the day, continuing into the night to welcome in the following day. The Celts believed in the passage of the day beginning in the darkness. It is easy to understand how this sentiment applies to the seasonal changes , in that Winter marked the beginning of the year and developed into the lighter days of spring and Summer. Cyclical by nature, Samhain is no exception, the largest and arguably the most important festival in the turning wheel of the year, the first day of the colder months, harbinger of the Winter months of dearth. This is the third and final harvest of the agricultural calendar, marking the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. In ancient times this was the time of the return of the herds from external pastures, a time of slaughtering those animals which would keep communities fed during the winter and of the counting of all. Originally a season, not just a single day, Samhain covered the last few weeks of the month. It was a time of family reunions, when family members who worked away would return to visit and welcome the newer members of family such as babies born during the Summer months. A time to gather winter clothing and feast with relatives, before the inclement weather set in making it impossible to do so. In addition, it was a time when the Lord of the Manor or Castle would gather his retinue, give a feast and dismiss the soldiers to their homes, now that fighting season had ended.
Samhain was a fire festival marking the new year and the beginning of the agricultural season. In ancient times bonfires were lit to guide people home or welcome weary travellers in. Around the ancient fire protection spells would be cast upon all who weathered the winter months together to prevent food from spoiling or becoming infested with rodents, to prevent arguments and open conflict from spreading throughout the integrated communities. Customs connected to common rights such as the gathering of wood and peat for fires, rights to pasture pigs so that they could be fattened were also discussed. There is also a connection between the lighting of fires on Samhain and the Irish landscape surrounding the Hill of Tara. 12th century manuscripts refer to a feis or feast which lasted three days before and three days after Samhain, held every three years. The fires upon the hills were extinguished and relit from one kindled from the fire on the hill of Tlachtga. The site has been excavated and found to have at least two different phases of construction. Dr. Steve Davis of University College Dublin believes that “Given the size, this was almost certainly a key ritual site…and we believe them to be associated with festivals and rituals potentially dating back as far as 1000 BC”. Due to the longevity of the festival it is recognised as an ancient folk custom.
Under the reign of Tuatha Teachmair, the four Celtic festivals were celebrated at particular sacred sites and each place had its own female founder. Samhain was observed at the site of the hill of Tlachtga and its founder was the goddess Tlatchga, the daughter of Mog Roith, who became known as a Sun god after his death. Tlatchga gives her name to the Hill of Ward, County Meath, where the fires of Samhain were lit. It is significant that the hill of Tlachtga is an assembly point for Druids in Ireland given that the legend of Tlachtga places her firmly as a revered patroness of druidic skills. There are other remarkable events in Ancient Celtic mythology which surround the importance of Samhain and other revered characters. For instance, it marked the end of the hunting and fighting season for the warrior troop, the Fianna, who withdrew into winter camp, dispersing into the local community until Summer began. Fion MacCumhail to present himself to the court of Tara at Samhain. In addition, the god Lugh made his entrance to the court of Tara at Samhain. Furthermore, the Connaught queen Maeve carried out the Great Cattle raid of Cooley at Samhain. All three are important figures in Irish Mythology. It is appreciable that ancient writers placed such people and events at Samhain, denoting a sense of magical influence to the festival. There is no doubt that Samhain was certainly a revered celebration to the Celts.
Furthermore, Samhain was and remains a spiritual time of year which marked the thinning of the veils between worlds. A bonfire was lit to ward off evil spirits, to please the gods and bless the passage of the new year. There was a great fear that ghosts, the souls would return to their homes and refuse to leave. It was believed that the newly dead should be allowed to journey on their way. Lanterns were lit and placed in windows to guide the spirit along their way. In Christian times prayers for the dead were recited, so that they were not attracted to a person or place. Traditionally, Samhain is a moment where time stands still, a time of liminality, where beings from the Otherworlds walked abroad. It was not a time to go out without disguise without fear of being carried away by malevolent spirits or mischievous Fae. People would don disguises to hide their identity, blackening their faces with soot, wearing clothes inside out or back to front, beguiling spirits to believe that they were also of the spirit world and not of mortal men. Punkies, traditionally carved turnips, were also left on gateposts to ward away evil. This being the origins of dressing up in scary costumes and carving pumpkins.
The feast of Samhain was held in honour of dead ancestors. A place laid at tables for the unseen guest. In some traditions, this meal was laid at the table for the great mother, the original ancestor of the family, who was welcomed in at this time of year to bring blessings and convey news of the future, through various forms of divination. Samhain is a good time of year for such magic, although this is the time for remembering the dead and old traditions of ancestors appearing in the flames, it is also a time when candles call in the spirits of children meant to be born during the coming year, to meet or see their parents.
Samhain is the feast of life in death where Earth Mother and Harvest Lord were asked to bless the people in their cyclical life stories. Amongst this series of harvests and legacies, there lies a story of the god, son of the Goddess - born at midwinter to grow until his coming of age, receiving his magical gifts and initiation. The goddess too changes her aspects according to the seasonal shifts of the year. Now the Sun god is descending into the Otherworld to rest, look after the spirits of the dead and the unborn. The Goddess is in her Crone aspect, the wise woman, loving grandmother who gifts but also berates. She is also receding into the Otherworld and all of nature withdraws to rest for the winter. In the darkness, beneath the earth she will be renewed and re-emerge at Yule in her aspect as Mother. In the old religion at Samhain, the Goddess is the old wise woman, the hag Cailleach, the ancient Celtic ruler at this time of year. She would claim the lives of all that was left in the fields, after the gathering in and slaughter of the herds. It was a time of reflection, preparation and anticipation. As the veils are thin at this time, magic can pass between the worlds, and as the great gathering begins, she is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. Those who ask of her the right questions will receive answers.
Although modern lifestyles do not cycle as they did within the ancient agricultural or pastoral setting, there are some traditions which remain steadfast, some that are revered and others that we hold dear. Modern Samhain celebrations are a real mixture of all sorts! Children dress up in costume and ‘trick or treat’ en masse, a slightly convoluted version of the ancient practice of mummery and guising. Pumpkins are now the vegetable of choice to carve, I have never seen a real life turnip punkie! Apple bobbing and snapping are another activity which has survived, played more as a game with physical prizes, unlike the ancients who believed apple bobbing and snapping were a fortune telling device, for good fortune or bad luck for each individual over the coming year. Fireworks sometimes replace candles and the magic that is in the air is the laughter and ghoulish sounds of people enjoying themselves, whether out with the younger generation or at fancy dress parties. Rather than feasting, drinking and honouring, modern Samhain is a time for a good old party!! It is clear that the pagan festival of Samhain is embedded into modern society, given all the perversions from its origins, to reflect the changing times and beliefs of contemporary society.
Aside from the current aspects of Samhain, for modern pagans, and I use this term broadly speaking, Samhain remains a very personal celebration of honouring ancestors. Today, ritual bonfires and candles lit on Samhain draw on elemental magic in its capacity to purify and cleanse negativity in a designated area before a ritual event. There is the practical magic element of lighting a fire, done to encourage the Sun God to continue to grow in strength until rebirth at Yule when he gains his powers and days slowly become longer. The magical element of fire symbolises fortitude, desires, inspiration and spirituality in its many forms. The ghosts who appear in the sacred flames are the kind ones, the ancients, friends, grandparents, infused with their knowledge and wisdom through the ages. The symbolic fire continues to inspire as stories of old are told around it in remembrance.
This is the time in which mystery and illusion reign, where divination comes into play in its many forms. Rather than just having water and the moon or the flames of the fire to divine, modern pagans have many other tools of choice to incorporate. Scrying remains steadfast with water and flames, and in addition there is a crystal ball, in which to determine shapes and signs. Dowsing has become more popular recently, using sticks made from wood or various metals to answer ‘yes/ no’ questions. Reading tea leaves is an old firm favourite to interpret the drinker’s symbolic remnants. Tarot has become an increasingly popular tool for gaining answers and fortunes, as has reading traditional wood or stone Runes. The art of Palmistry is still in use and automatic writing or channelling, writing in a trance or meditative state, has also been used for divination purposes. The veils between worlds are thin and open. Answers can be found, if you ask the correct questions. The Otherworldly connection is strong on Samhain as many modern pagans will agree.
“The spirit of the land is Sombre, mournful and all external energies are low. However, on the inner levels there can be much activity if we follow the season and withdraw into the mists of the soul, looking for answers in the Otherworlds and realms of the spirits”
(R. Romani, 178-9)
And so it is that we recede into ourselves, giving ourselves time to reflect on our year past and look for the answers to the questions we have about our future plans, what makes us burn and what gets us creative. In this act we imitate Earth mother, giving ourselves time to rest and renew, as did the ancients.
“At this time we are travelling toward the dark of the moon, concerned not with worldly doings, but with profound internal knowing, focused on the bigger questions which haunt us, not on issues pertaining to the development of this human self”
We retreat, physically and allow ourselves time to think of the ‘other’ part of ourselves which often goes unseen to the outside world, our spirituality. We think liminally about our pathways. We treat our bodies with more respect than we do during the faster, hotter times of the year, through nourishment. We think more before act. We release the many pangs which have had us held back, so that we do not allow them to carry us through to a new start unprepared.
“our attention can be with the immortal self, what it needs and how it feels. Like the trees, our vital life force is pulled down deeply to sustain us, like the other mammals, the urge to hide ourselves away and rest….If we override these primal urges too much, we will find this season most difficult of all as a definite shift is happening, a spiralling motion drawing all beings away from an outward aspect toward the inward. It is a time for walking with spirit, both our own and others, safely and with respect.”
Our spirituality comes to the fore, when we are in this state of consciousness and we are reminded that we are not alone, but in the company of the many beings who, have gone before us, who offer their help and advice to us, who guide us. And so it is that we show our utmost respect by acknowledging their presence and gifts, by lighting candles in remembrance and gratitude by, leaving nourishment for them, talking fondly to or about them. This is a time to celebrate the lives of our deceased friends, relatives and guides. By this I mean celebrate, not mourn. Now we look toward saying our fond farewells in words written, of songs, in poetry, in love, from our hearts, celebrating the lives of those who have gone before us, thanking them for their lessons, for their love. It is good to remember them, it is part of the profound healing process we allow ourselves without hesitation.
Samhain is a time of wood smoke scent and misty landscapes, where the veil between the worlds are thin, where the faery mounds are open and all mischief can go asunder. This is a sacred time where pagans of all denominations bring continuity to what remains of ancient customs, preserving long forgotten festivals for future generations to perceive the magic that was and is the revolving turning wheel of the year.
My gratitude to you all for reading this article. I have taken the greatest joy in producing the Samhain piece to the Turning Wheel of the year series. All credits, whether publication or online resource, have been added to the bibliography at the end of this article.
A deep bow to my guides and ancestors for leading me to this place.
A Blessed Samhain to you all. However you celebrate, please remain safe and sound.
And so it is, So mote it be, Amen
Bibliography
Butler, J. Dr. Neopagans Celebrations of Samhain, 2009, Trick or Treat? Halloween in a globalising World, Foley, M, O’Donnell, H. (eds), Cambridge Scholars Publications.
Green, M. 1991, A Calendar of festivals, Element Books Ltd, Dorset
Green, M. 2002, A Witch Alone, Thorsons Harper Collins Ltd, London
Matthews,C and Matthews, J. 1994, Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom, Element Books, Dorset
Mitchell, M. 2014, Hedgewitch Book of Days, Red Wheel Weiser LLC, San Francisco
Romani, R. 2004, Green Spirituality, Green Magic, Somerset
Online resources:
Newworldencyclopeia/Samhain
Davis, S. Dr. The Birth of Samhaim and the first Halloween, 2014, University College Dublin, Youtube
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