Get the Gaelic?
by Daryl McPherson
Samhain was the New Year's Day of the Celts, celebrated on November 11. It was also a day of the dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access to the land of the dead. It was related to the season: by Samhain, the crops should be harvested and animals brought in from the distant fields.
Many traditional beliefs and customs were associated with Samhain, the most notable that night was the time of the wandering dead, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires. This continues to be practiced on October 31st, known as the Eve of All Saints, the Eve of All Hallows, or Hallow Even. It is the glossing of the name Hallow Even that has given us the name Hallowe'en.
According to our Scottish ancestors, Samhain is a time when the veil between this world and the Otherworld (or the Sidh) is very thin, and divine beings, the spirits of the dead, and mortals can move freely between one world and the next. In some Celtic traditions, most notably the Scottish Highlands, young men would run the boundaries of their crofts (farms) after sunset with blazing torches to protect the family from the Faeries and malevolent forces that were free to walk the land at night, causing mischief. Samhain was seen as a time when the future could most easily be predicted, and was a favored time among Druids for ritual fortune-telling,
As in other major Celtic Festivals, Samhain was a gateway, a celebration of the transition from one season to another. In Celtic mythology, at the heart of every gateway is a paradox. The threshold is literally between two worlds but is, in itself, in neither and in both at the same time. Thus Samhain belonged to both Summer and Winter ... and to neither. It was the gateway to the winter, and a magical time of passage between the seasons.
Winter was regarded with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Samhain was the last gasp of summer ... a time of uninhibited feasting, dancing and celebration. It was a time of release; a time to let go of all unwanted baggage, fears and attitudes, just as the trees let go of their leaves. So the lives of men parallel the sacred cycles of nature.
Pumpkin jack-o-lanterns are a fairly recent American variation of Celtic carved turnips, which were hollowed out and lit with candles to show the way back to loved ones who had died, thus inviting them to visit. They also frightened away any less friendly spirits that might have come to do harm.
Beginning with this year's Samhain, consider making your end-of-autumn table a place to reminisce about loved ones who have passed on. Place photographs of those who have died on the table along with small candles and "gifts" which the children gather on journeys at school or around your neighborhood. These items can take an honorary place beside other items such as pumpkins, Indian corn, nuts and leaves. This seems a perfect way to honor and remember our departed loved ones; it helps children to understand that death is a part of the circle of life, just like the changing of the seasons. After the meal place a plate of "gifts" and cup outside for the spirits who are said to wander about on this night.
Even trick-or-treating becomes more mysterious when your children are wearing costumes. Besides the excitement of the candy, children often are caught up in the wonder of the night. Our littlest ones usually aren't out on foot after dark, and there's an eerie magic about walking hand-in-hand down streets that look strangely unfamiliar by the glowing light of jack-o-lanterns.
Back at home, light the Samhain fire in the fireplace, select your own personal favorites from the candy basket and talk about what awaits in the coming year.
1Since the Celtic day began at sundown, October 31 and November 1 now share the ancient date, with the midpoint at midnight.
Copyright © 1999 Clan Macpherson Association All rights reserved.
Revised: May 24, 2006
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