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Samhain (Halloween) |
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One of my favourite festivals of the year, Halloween marks the start of the party season in the run up to Christmas. Today, its main purpose is to entertain children and provide teens with the opportunity to cause irritation and annoyance to intimidated citizens in many places across the country.
The origins of this festival are found in the ancient Celtic tradition of celebrating Samhain on the 1st November, which was the beginning of winter for our ancestors and also the start of the Celtic New Year. As you can imagine, it was a dark, cold and gloomy time, the completion of the last harvest before everyone would huddle up in their huts and fight for survival during the harsh winter months ahead.
No wonder the Celts thought of death, ghosts and misery in general, so they believed that in the night from the 31st October to the 1st of November the veil between our world of the living and the world of the dead (Otherworld ) would be at its thinnest, and communication could be established between the living survivors and their departed relatives and friends. To make this time of year even more atmospheric, the Celts would start their days at dusk, as darkness was seen to be a time for beginnings. Death was regarded as important as life, reflecting the Celts’ embracing and understanding of the perpetuous cycle of life and death.
Samhain was truly the darkest time for our ancestors, and today this is reflected in the way the festival is celebrated as Halloween. The custom of Trick or Treat came across to Britain from America, yet its origin is European, honouring the trickiness of the season and the human being. We all have a dark side in our personalities, and Samhain is the time of hauntings, when the spirits of the dead seek the warmth of the fireplaces and candle lights. The spirits of departed loved-ones were welcomed, but not all spirits were deemed to be friendly; the pumpkin lantern with the scary face was introduced to frighten away the demons attempting to disrupt that night in a nasty sort of way.
Today it seems that this ancient festival of Samhain is not appreciated as much as it deserves, so get yourself into the mood and enjoy Halloween with or without kids. Follow the links on the right for some inspiration. |
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Click here for spooky further reading and resources |
