Halloween /
Samhain
Halloween. Sly does it.
Tiptoe catspaw. Slide and creep. But
why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin? 'You
don't know, do you?' asks Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud climbing
out under the pile of leaves under the Halloween Tree. 'You
don't
REALLY know!' --Ray Bradbury from 'The Halloween Tree'
Samhain. All Hallows. All
Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en. Halloween. The most magical night
of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the
year, Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing
jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and
dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances,
tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power,
when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld
is at its thinnest. A 'spirit night', as they say in Wales.
All Hallow's Eve is the eve
of All Hallow's Day (November 1st). And for once, even popular
tradition remembers that the Eve is more important than the
Day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October
31st, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for
the great Celtic New Year's festival. Not that the holiday
was Celtic only. In fact, it is startling how many ancient
and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and pre-Spanish Mexicans,
for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead. But
the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the
British Isles.
The Celts called it Samhain,
which means 'summer's end', according to their ancient two-fold
division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain
and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane. (Some modern Covens
echo this structure by letting the High Priest 'rule' the
Coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership returned to the
High Priestess at Beltane.) According to the later four-fold
division of the year, Samhain is seen as 'autumn's end' and
the beginning of winter. Samhain is pronounced (depending
on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in Ireland), or 'sow-een'
(in Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or (inevitably) 'sam-hane'
(in the U.S., where we don't speak Gaelic).
Not only is Samhain the end
of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old
year and the beginning of the new. Celtic New Year's Eve,
when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase
of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown. There
are many representations of Celtic gods with two faces, and
it surely must have been one of them who held sway over Samhain.
Like his Greek counterpart Janus, he would straddle the threshold,
one face turned toward the past in commemoration of those
who died during the last year, and one face gazing hopefully
toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil
and divine what the coming year holds. These two themes, celebrating
the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined
in Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year's celebration.
As a feast of the dead, it
was believed the dead could, if they wished, return to the
land of the living for this one night, to celebrate with their
family, tribe, or clan. And so the great burial mounds of
Ireland (sidh mounds) were opened up, with lighted torches
lining the walls, so the dead could find their way. Extra
places were set at the table and food set out for any who
had died that year. And there are many stories that tell of
Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the gates
of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed
places by cock-crow.
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 re- establishing
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 tea-leaf reading so likely to succeed.
The Christian religion, with
its emphasis on the 'historical' Christ and his act of redemption
2000 years ago, is forced into a linear view of time, where
'seeing the future' is an illogical proposition. In fact,
from the Christian perspective, any attempt to do so is seen
as inherently evil. This did not keep the medieval Church
from co-opting Samhain's other motif, commemoration of the
dead. To the Church, however, it could never be a feast for
all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those hallowed
(made holy) by obedience to God - thus, All Hallow's, or Hallowmas,
later All Saints and All Souls.
There are so many types of
divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it is possible
to mention only a few. Girls were told to place hazel nuts
along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one
of her suitors. She could then divine her future husband by
chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn
and die.' Several methods used the apple, that most popular
of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through the
equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and then
eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse
will then appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making
sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, 'I
pare this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart's name
to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken paring o'er
my head, / My sweetheart's letter on the ground to read.'
Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of your
hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out
the initial letter as it moves.
Perhaps the most famous icon
of the holiday is the jack-o-lantern. Various authorities
attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However,
it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who
traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away
spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set
on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection
over the household. (The American pumpkin seems to have forever
superseded the European gourd as the jack-o-lantern of choice.)
Bobbing for apples may well represent the remnants of a Pagan
'baptism' rite called a 'seining', according to some writers.
The water-filled tub is a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration,
into which the novice's head is immersed. The fact that the
participant in this folk game was usually blindfolded with
hands tied behind the back also puts one in mind of a traditional
Craft initiation ceremony.
The custom of dressing in
costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of Celtic origin with survivals
particularly strong in Scotland. However, there are some important
differences from the modern version. In the first place, the
custom was not relegated to children, but was actively indulged
in by adults as well. Also, the 'treat' which was required
was often one of spirits (the liquid variety). This has recently
been revived by college students who go 'trick-or-drinking'.
And in ancient times, the roving bands would sing seasonal
carols from house to house, making the tradition very similar
to Yuletide wassailing. In fact, the custom known as 'caroling',
now connected exclusively with mid-winter, was once practiced
at all the major holidays. Finally, in Scotland at least,
the tradition of dressing in costume consisted almost exclusively
of cross-dressing (i.e., men dressing as women, and women
as men). It seems as though ancient societies provided an
opportunity for people to 'try on' the role of the opposite
gender for one night of the year. (Although in Scotland, this
is admittedly less dramatic - but more confusing - since men
were in the habit of wearing skirt-like kilts anyway. Oh well...)
To Witches, Halloween is
one of the four High Holidays, or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter
days. Because it is the most important holiday of the year,
it is sometimes called 'THE Great Sabbat.' It is an ironic
fact that the newer, self-created Covens tend to use the older
name of the holiday, Samhain, which they have discovered through
modern research. While the older hereditary and traditional
Covens often use the newer name, Halloween, which has been
handed down through oral tradition within their Coven. (This
is often holds true for the names of the other holidays, as
well. One may often get an indication of a Coven's antiquity
by noting what names it uses for the holidays.)
With such an important holiday,
Witches often hold two distinct celebrations. First, a large
Halloween party for non-Craft friends, often held on the previous
weekend. And second, a Coven ritual held on Halloween night
itself, late enough so as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters.
If the rituals are performed properly, there is often the
feeling of invisible friends taking part in the rites. Another
date which may be utilized in planning celebrations is the
actual cross-quarter day, or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S.
(Old Style). This occurs when the sun has reached 15 degrees
Scorpio, an astrological 'power point' symbolized by the Eagle.
This year (1988), the date is November 6th at 10:55 pm CST,
with the celebration beginning at sunset. Interestingly, this
date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated by the Church as
the holiday of Martinmas.
Of all the Witchcraft holidays,
Halloween is the only one that still boasts anything near
to popular celebration. Even though it is typically relegated
to children (and the young-at-heart) and observed as an evening
affair only, many of its traditions are firmly rooted in Paganism.
Interestingly, some schools have recently attempted to abolish
Halloween parties on the grounds that it violates the separation
of state and religion. Speaking as a Pagan, I would be saddened
by the success of this move, but as a supporter of the concept
of religion-free public education, I fear I must concede the
point. Nonetheless, it seems only right that there SHOULD
be one night of the year when our minds are turned toward
thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both Pagans and
non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld and
its inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your
jack-o'lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow's Eve.
| Authors Details: Halloween / Samhain
- Mike Nichols - Unknown Web Site |
More Articles On The Wiccan Sabbats
(The Eight
Wiccan Sabbats)
(Winter Solstice - Yule)
(Imbolc)
(Ostara)
(Beltane)
(Summer
Solstice)
(Lammas)
(Mabon)
(Halloween
/ Samhain) |
