The Mystical Cauldron
Samhain Edition - October 2007
Table of Contents
Samhain Traditions
Samhain Symbols
Samhain Around the World
Samhain Crafts
Samhain Poems
Recipes for Samhain
What Samhain Means
The word Samhain means literally "summer's end". Samhain marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter for the Celts, with the day after Samhain being the official date of the Celtic New Year. The word Halloween is a contraction of the words "Hallowed Evening", referring to the sacredness of this night. Samhain is not, and never has been, associated with evil or negativity. Yes, death is a part of the symbolism of Samhain, but this holiday has always been a time to reflect and remember our loved ones who have already passed on and to reaffirm that we are all a part of everything. Samhain is a time to celebrate the triumph of life over death because it reminds us that physical death is not the final act of existence.
Samhain Traditions
Trick or Treating - There are several theories on the origin of this tradition... One is that the old Irish 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. Those who gave freely from their hearts were blessed and praised while those who did not give freely had curses invoked upon them. Another is that trick or treating evolved from the ancient tradition of going from house to house wassailing, (which was a tradition associated with all the major Celtic festivals). The wassailers were given a drink in exchange for their song. Still another theory is that trick or treating began with the practice of "souling" during the 9th century. On All Souls Day, beggars went from house to house in search of "soul cakes" (bannock bread baked with currants). The beggars who received a soul cake would say a prayer for the dead relatives of the giver, to speed their souls to heaven.
Wearing Costumes - 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.
Fortune Telling - Samhain has always been a wonderful time for all sorts of divination practices since the veil is so thin. Also, since it is the end of the old year, it is a good time to get a glimpse into what may be in store for you in the new year.
Bobbing for Apples - Bobbing for apples was originally a marriage divination. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. There was also another form of 'bobbing' for apples, which consisted of running a string through the apples, pushing a coin into the center of the apples and then tying them individually into a tree. The participants then had to try to bite the coin out of the apple using only their teeth and tongue. If you got the coin, it meant you would have prosperity in the coming year.
Samhain Symbols
Jack-O-Lanterns - On Samhain night, all households extinguished their fires, which were to be rekindled from the Samhain bonfire (or need fire). In order to carry the live ember from the need fire to their own hearth, they hollowed out a turnip or gourd for this purpose. Knowing that the veil between the world of man and the world of spirits was thinnest on Samhain night, and knowing that all spirits who had crossed the veil could return as they wished on this night, the Celts would carve a frightening face on the turnip to keep the evil spirits away during their journey back to their hearth. When Irish immigrants arrived in America, they found turnips harder to come by, but found that the softer pumpkins were a wonderful substitute.
Black Cats - The Celts believed that friends and relatives who had died would often return, with their souls inhabiting an animal. The most common animal to be inhabited was a black cat. Because of the connection to departed souls and Samhain, black cats have remained a symbol of that holiday.
Witches - Once the Druids and the followers of the 'old religion' were branded as evil by the church, their practices were looked at as "witchcraft." They were persecuted and branded as witches. The church then claimed that Samhain was the Witches' Sabbath and that their evil was strongest on this night. The witch (particularly the warty old hag) has been associated with Samhain (or Halloween) ever since.
Bats - Bats have long been associated with vampires because of their infamous cousin, the vampire bat. Since vampires are one of the 'evil monsters' that are said to prowl around on Halloween night, bats are seen, wrongly or rightly, as a symbol of the holiday.
Spiders - Spiders tend to inhabit places that are not frequently disturbed (ie: dark, scary, places) so it is easy to see how they have gotten associated with Samhain. However, it is mindful to remember that to many earth-centered cultures the spider and its web symbolized the weaving of life and the cyclical ways of nature.
Ghosts - Ghosts being a symbol for Samhain makes perfect sense since Samhain was the festival where the Gates Between the Worlds were open wide and departed friends and family could cross over in either direction.
Assorted Ghoulies & Monsters - Many other 'monster' figures have been added as symbols of Halloween thanks to modern day fiction, movies, and TV. These include Werewolves (a remnant of the berserkers of Scandinavia), Mummies (after modern Egyptology started), the Frankenstein monster (thanks Mary Shelley), Vampires (previously known mostly in Eastern Europe), and Zombies (thanks to misinformation about Voudon practices).
Apples - When the Romans came to Britain, they brought with them their November 1st festival honoring Pomona, goddess of fruit trees. The Celts considered the apple tree to be particularly worthy. In fact, the growth cycle of the apple was considered such a miraculous thing that Avalon, (the land where spirits of the dead dwelled) was thought to have an abundance of apple trees bearing fruit year round. Apples also played a major role in divinations on Samhain. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be.
Samhain Around the World
In Scotland, people would place stones or nuts in the ashes of the hearth before going to bed Samhain night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year.
On Crete, each family prepares a pot of porridge (made by boiling wheatberries, pomegranate seed, raisins, currants and almonds) and then carries it from house to house throughout the village. At each home, a little of their porridge is taken out and added to the household's pot and a little of that household's porridge is added to theirs. By the end of the day, each family takes home a nearly identical mixture of the village's porridge to honour all the departed.
In Sicily, this day is called the Festival of the Dead and it is an important celebration, especially for the children, as their dead relatives return to leave them traditional candies and cakes as well as toys.
In Latin America, families celebrate the Day of the Dead by visiting cemeteries and cleaning the graves of their relatives. They also honor the memory of departed loved ones by leaving them flowers and by baking traditional cakes and pastries.
In Finland, the celebrations we associate with Samhain actually occur around Easter.
Samhain Crafts
There are probably about a million crafts that can be found for you and your children to do together. Here are just a few... Have fun!
Trick or Treat Bag
Materials include an undecorated gift bag, permanent markers, glus, ribbon, construction paper, or any other item you wish to use to decorate the bag.
