The Festival of Samhain
Background Information
Please note that this background is not meant to be taken as representing the beliefs of the group or its individuals, but rather to enhance and enrich them with some research into the background of the Celtic customs, beliefs, and other things related to Samhain. For my research I have consulted Wikipedia entries on both Samhain and the Morrigan, the book “The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs” by Kevin Danaher, and a lecture called Halloween Customs in the Celtic World by Professor Bettina Arnold available on the Internet. – Amanda Hagarty
Samhain is also known as: Hallowe’en, November Eve, Hollantide, Puca Night, Oiche Shamhna, Oiche na Spirideana (Spirit Night), among countless other names. Traditionally November 1st is the first day of the winter season and the new year. The season of growing and life has ended and the season of death and regeneration has begun. The night before November 1st is the time when most of the celebrations and activities occur because of its significance as a “threshold time” and so we have parties and trick-or-treaters, etc. on October 31st.
This transitional quality is what makes Samhain so special. The Celtic people saw significance in boundaries in both the physical world and in time. For example, fences were a common place to see a spirit or ghost lingering at Samhain. “Beating the bounds” was a tradition in some places that served to renew marked boundaries between properties and also ensure that the pathways along them were maintained. The pathways themselves were known as a sort of no man’s land, owned by all and none at the same time.
On Samhain, or November Eve, we are neither in the growing season or the dead season, the old year or the new. We have one foot in each season, as if we are standing halfway in and out of a doorway—we are neither in nor out and yet we are both in and out at the same time. At Samhain, both seasons exist at the same time and the boundary between them is blurred and disappears; or, to coin a phrase, “the veil becomes thin.” Many of the traditions associated with Samhain can be traced back to the magick of this boundary in time.
All transitions have significance. We celebrate and hold feast days on many of them. Samhain, however, is often seen as having much more significance than the others. Perhaps this is because of the transition from living to dying or the beginning of a new year. We have to be careful about assuming that the beginning of a new year was perceived in the same way as the modern New Year’s Eve in January. The Celtic people saw beginnings and endings everywhere. Some even believe that Beltane (May 1st), which is a “polar opposite” to Samhain, had the same significance and many of the same traditions for the Celtic people.
The thinning of the boundaries between seasons that occurred on the night before November 1st is almost infectious. As the lines of one barrier disappear so do all others: between the world of the living and world of the dead, between the divine realm and the human realm, between what is socially acceptable and what is not, and much more. The living would dress as the dead and the dead would walk among the living, and people could find themselves transported to Other realms or meet a troupe of Fey on the road home. The lines are blurred, boundaries are crossed and communication is open.
The dead we encounter may be loved ones and friends. They seek us out for entertainment and welcome on Samhain. Food would be left out for them, candles lit as beacons in the window, fires kept burning, and doors unbolted long after the household had gone to sleep, in an effort to be a good host to ghostly visitors. Samhain is a night to honor your ancestors as well as send and receive messages to your dearly departed. [1] Doors that are normally closed between this side and the Other are wide open.
Other dead may be encountered. There are always some who were wronged in life that would seek out those who wronged them or wander restlessly and sometimes malevolently. For this reason on Samahin the living often take care not to walk alone. We may carve hollowed-out vegetables (such as turnips in the Celtic isles or pumpkins in the New World) into frightening faces to ward off the less-than-benevolent deceased.
The worlds of the divine—Gods, Land Spirits, and Fey—are also open on Samhain. (Note that I use the word “Fey” as an umbrella term without applying any specific definition, because one person’s land spirit is another person’s fairy, or another person’s deity). Basically, entities not of human origin may enter our world, and we may enter theirs. A person might find themselves entering Other realms unwittingly or by force in the case of fairy kidnappings. Mischief that occurs on this night is often blamed on Faeries, from the benign misplacing of objects to the more malignant death of livestock. It was said that if you encountered a troupe of Fey on the road at Samhain you could force them to release all their human captives by tossing the dust from beneath your feet at them. In some cases people wore disguises to protect themselves and outwit the Fey, but the Fey were also capable of disguise. A group of children dressed as goblins could be human children in disguise or they could be Fey impersonating children in disguise.
Other customs were based more on good relations with one’s Fey neighbors, such as calling out “Beware!” when tossing out water on Samhain so that no unseen entities got a soaking. The Fey are credited with a very important task on Samhain: they are said to visit every growing plant and blast it with their breath so that the plants begin their winter dormancy. This probably has ties to the date of the first frost, which would have been a good signal that winter had come. The Puca himself is said to spit upon the blackberries and other fruits, causing them to be blighted and inedible after Samhain. Children are told this as a very effective means of preventing them from eating blackberries and fruit after this date when they could be frost damaged or rotten and the source of illness.
Because the lines of communication are wide open with the worlds of the divine (note I am using “the divine” as an umbrella term as well, and not necessarily just in reference to Gods), at Samhain contracts can be made and bargains struck in the form of requests for blessings, luck, protection, prosperity, etc. The divine are entities which can influence the earth and growing things, the weather, the sea, and so on. The natural world, which is outside of human control, can be vicariously and tenuously controlled through our relations with divine entities. These may be in the form of direct requests from specific beings or thankful offerings left out for the divine in general for another good year gone by.
Groups of people, most often youths, would dress in costume to disguise their identity and perhaps symbolize their role as representing the divine. In cities they might knock on doors or accost passers-by looking for treats for the Samhain feast. In the countryside these groups would run wildly from farm to farm accompanied by the blowing of a horn and sometimes a leader dressed as the Lair Bhan or “White Mare.” There would be a mad race to be the first to reach the door and the woman of the house (who had been signaled by the blowing of horns) would give the winner some white bread, money, or treats. This was sometimes prompted by the reciting of rhymes by the group at the door. Contributions were usually generous and given with a kind of mock surrender. Keeping in mind that debts are traditionally settled at Samhain—tributes paid to the lords of one’s land or rent paid for the use of a pasture—this custom might be seen as a sort of tax or tithe being levied on the farmers for their continued use of their land or their prosperity in the previous or coming year. This custom seems to be part offering and part sacrifice.
Those who were not deemed to be generous enough might later find themselves prey to all kinds of mischief and mayhem. Cart wheels might be removed and tossed onto rooftops (the modern version of toilet-papering a tree) or people might knock on doors and then hide, perhaps with a bucket of water waiting to douse the answerer. They might also suffer the penalties of short changing the divine in the coming winter or the next year’s harvest.
Pranks, practical jokes, mischief, and mayhem were expected on Samhain and not just reserved for the cranky and stingy. The motto of the evening was that almost anything could happen and almost anything could be forgiven. What normally might be deemed socially unacceptable was forgivable on this night as those lines were blurred along with everything else. Even the lines between class and gender were dissolved. Boys might dress as girls and girls as boys. On Samhain all boundaries were dissolved and nothing was distinct or separate. Chaos, noise, and running amok were the theme of the evening. One ancient custom thought to be mostly dead was that of tossing burning coals about wildly. This is also linked to laying firecrackers on the road to be set off by passing vehicles. Perhaps this custom is not as dead as some believe, because it is still common for firecrackers and sparklers to be tossed about near Hallowe’en.
The old customs similar to our modern trick-or-treating were one form of gaining the blessing and cooperation of the divine, but there were many more. Blessings and protection for the home, family, and livestock were more prevalent on this night than any other. Some were just a protection against the chaos and mischief of the night itself, while others were against the harshness of the coming winter. The Parshell was a grain cross, similar to Brighid’s cross. It was made by binding two sticks of the same length together and weaving wheat straw over one and then under the other in a spiral from the center outwards. It was made once a year at Samhain and fixed above a door to ward off ill luck and sickness in the coming year.
Another special activity of the evening was divination. Every manner of divination was practiced at Samhain both as serious affairs and as games. Information sought most often involved something of a person’s fate or destiny: marriage, occupation, prosperity, travel, death, birth, etc. Others were about the weather of the coming winter or the next growing season. Whether this was possible because of the open channels to the divine or the dead or because the lines between present and future were also blurred is not clear. What is clear is that Samhain was a night to get a glimpse of the future and that there were a hundred and one ways in which to do this. Marriage divination was the pastime of the young and weather divination the pastime of the old. In some cases a whimsical version of a divination was done for the very young. Instead of fateful predictions made from the shapes of molten lead poured into water, children might be told fanciful stories of damsels in castles waiting for rescue by some handsome hero.
By November 1st all crops were in and stored, all livestock had been brought down from the summer pastures to the farmstead, milking cows were brought into the byre for winter hand feeding, any livestock that could not survive the winter or could not be supported over the winter were culled, meats were being prepared for storage and available in a huge surplus, excess grain was available for the making of alcohol, and all fuel for winter fires had been collected and stored away. This was a time of plenty and a time when most families had a good sense of how well they could survive the coming winter and if they could relax in a sense of security. Food was often given from those who had plenty to those who did not. Everyone shared in the support of the community and its poor or less fortunate. This was a time of great celebration and merrymaking. Games were played, food was feasted upon, people reveled and bonfires were lit. There were some customs in which all hearth fires were extinguished and then relit from the Samhain bonfire.
Samhain was a huge social and political event. With the excess of food available it was the perfect time for political assemblies (like the assembly of Tara) as well as fairs and markets. Anytime after Samhain a king or lord could collect their winter tribute, which could take the form of hosting the king himself and his company for a week. The quartering of the kings servants, particularly his warriors, was done at this time. The most famous being the band known as the Fian. In exchange for a place to live during the winter, the Fian would dispense justice for the household that quartered them. Once the Fian were quartered, this marked the end of the season of war and fighting and so Samhain was a time of peace, though the winter was of course the time for the plotting and planning of next year’s fighting. The end of the season of war could also be a reason for the honoring of the dead at this time—especially those who died in battle during the year.
It is not surprising therefore that the Morrigan, with her association to the dead and battle, has a link to Samhain. It is said that on Samhain, before the battle with the Fomorians, she had a tryst with the Dagda when he came upon her washing in a river, with one foot on one bank of the river and one foot on the other. There is some powerful imagery here. Notice how she stood with one foot on either side of the river. She also helped the Dagda win the battle and drive the Fomorians into the sea as well as reaffirm his kingship, with their coupling or the great victory or both. Remember also that on Samhain there is some association with the White Mare, which has ties to sovereignty and the affirmation of kingship. In some stories the Morrigan was said to be three doddesses, one of whom was Macha, who was associated with horses and sovereignty.
The king was thought to be particularly vulnerable at Samhain and required his poet to be with him at all times to protect him from Otherworldly threats. There is a certain amount of logic about this if the king has been distant and disenfranchised from the average “subject” during the season of fighting and perhaps some of that fighting has had negative affects on his subjects. Samhain marks the time when the king would begin to reconnect with his people and create new or reaffirm old ties, bonds and kinships. Therefore Samhain is the point of the year, before he has done any of this, during which he is possibly least loved by his people. With the need to renew his sovereignty upon him (signaled by the presence of the White Mare) and the low point in the relationship with his people, the king probably has good reason to feel vulnerable.
Regular people also began the task of renewing relationships and forming new ties at Samhain. The work of the summer and the harvest was done, debts were settled and the fighting was done. There was little reason for ill will. People who tended flocks on the moors and in the mountains were home; everyone huddled together to ride out the winter. This was the perfect time for courtships and betrothals, perhaps another reason for so many marriage divinations on Samhain. Samhain marked the beginning of peace and good relations that would be fostered throughout the winter. Spirits were high and food was plentiful, so the natural course of action was to feast.
Feast foods often included cream pancakes, stampy bread, boxty, apples, nuts, blackberry pies, colcannon, bairn braec, and copious amounts of alcohol. A pudding was traditional at Samhain and pig was often the meat of choice. The Samhain pig was considered sacred or sacrificial, marking the end of pig hunting and the beginning of the pig breeding season. Bairn braec was a kind of sweet bread or apple cake that usually had items baked into it such as rings or coins for divination games. If you ended up with a piece of bairn braec with a coin in it then riches and prosperity were in your future. Colcannon, as well, sometimes had a role as a divination game as youths would all attack a giant bowl of colcannon together endeavoring to be the first to find the ring hidden within it—it was a very messy form of divination.
Samhain was a night of great feasts and coming together, as well as of mischief and mayhem as the boundaries of the world and time dissolved. The dead and Fey were both feared and honored as they broke the bounds of their worlds into our own. It is a time best spent among loved ones, giving thanks for the riches that the land has provided us, paying homage to the divine, respecting the dead and honoring the ancestors.
The Festival
As always we combine a ritual and feast during our festival. Individuals should gather to prepare foods, assemble offerings and go over the background of the festival.
Once all has been made ready, individuals should assemble around the central hearth fire for the welcoming of the deities, ancestors spirits and the making of offerings.
The center of the space should be the hearth with the flame tender standing or sitting near it. The flames should not be lit. A chair should be present for the flame tender with her ritual tools nearby. Individuals should place photos of their departed loved ones on a separate table along with any mementos they may have. A candle should be placed in the center of this table. No pictures of any living individuals should be placed on this table. It is for the ancestors only. Additionally, each person should prepare a small offering dish of food and set it on the table. The offering plate should be dedicated for use to the ancestors and no living person should ever eat off of it.
Once individuals have gathered comfortably around the hearth, the flame tender will say her prayer (a prayer particular to the flame tender which she has created) and will proceed to light the fire.
After the flame tender has said her prayer, the bard(s) will come forward to play music while the images of the deities, ancestors and spirits are carried in to the room and placed at the head of the hearth.
The Saining
Once the flame has been lit and tended the leader stands for the saining. He/she light some juniper and say the following:
Who are they that approach from the sky on their ships of clouds?
all respond – The shining ones, the deities do approach upon the floor.
Who are they that come from the land to watch our festival?
all respond – The good neighbors, the spirits of rocks, hills, trees and springs.
Who are those that come from beyond the ninth wave, from the land surrounded by the waters?
all respond – The ancestors, those of old, forgotten and known to us, spiritual and physical.
The General Offerings
The leader says in bold and all respond in italics. Responses are in Irish:
To the gods!
Ann mo chridh a ghnath (ahn moe h-ree ah ynah) (in my heart always)
In our deeds, in our words, in our wishes!
Ann mo chridh a ghnath
In our thoughts, all our goals, asleep and awake!
Ann mo chridh a ghnath
Be with us, guide us, hear our voices!
Ann mo chridh a ghnath
(Individual carrying the offerings to the deities places them in front of the idols.)
To the spirits of the land!
Gach la agus oiche (gak lah ah-gus ee-ha) (every day and night)
In strong forests, on hills of green!
Gach la agus oiche
In swift rivers and fields of grain!
Gach la agus oiche
May our strength always increase together!
Gach la agus oiche
(Individual carrying the offering to the spirits places them in front of the bowl of earth that represents the land spirits.)
To the ancestors of flesh and spirit!
Mile failte duit (mee-lay fall-cha doo-it) (a thousand welcomes to you)
As you taught us to be virtuous and gracious!
Mile failte duit
Courageous, calm, and generous!
Mile failte duit
May we reflect your gifts of wisdom!
Mile failte duit
(Individual carrying the offering to the ancestors places them in front of the stone head which represents the ancestors.)
Offerings to the Ancestors
Introductory Prayer:
The leader says:
Ancestors, on this night be with us.
Tread the parted veils and allow us to remember you.
Ancestors known to us.
Allow us to remember you!
Allow us to invite you by name!
Ancestors forgotten to us.
Allow us to remember you!
Come as a good guest to our feast!
Ancestors of ancient times,
Hear our requests!
Speak your wisdom so that we may revive your worship of old.
Offerings:
The leader will then open a window in the room and place the candle from the ancestors’ table on the windowsill
Individuals then come forward in turn to recite the names of his/her ancestors and to make offerings to them. Each individual will recite whatever names he/she wishes. After he/she has recited all of the names, the rest of the group responds “We honor and welcome you!”. This continues until each person has had a chance to make offerings to his/her ancestors.
Following the final individual the bard will come forward and keen for the ancestors.
Divinations:
All say:
The Deities, Ancestors and Spirits Above us.
The Deities Ancestors and Spirits Below us.
The Deities, Ancestors and Spirits Beside us,
The Deities, Ancestors and Spirits all around us.
The Diviner comes forward and says:
May the Deities, Ancestors and Spirits speak to us and impart their wisdom to us by these signs.
The Diviner now performs the divinations and interprets for the tribe.
Closing Prayer:
The leader says:
Ancestors, for your wisdom and protection,
For the joys you celebrated and the hardships you endured,
We offer thanks and feast in your honor.
Stay with us as we feast,
But, as good guests, depart to your realms when we are done.
All prepare to feast. Individuals may make toasts to other deities, ancestors and spirits during the feast if they wish. Offerings should be taken outside after the feast and preferably buried, burned or disposed of in an appropriate place.
[1] The sending of messages to the not-so-dearly departed is, of course, always an option. However, the Tuacondate Legal and Psychic Defense Advisory Committee has formally decreed that if you engage in activities such as giving the finger or yelling “suck it, bitches!” at the ancestors’ table at Samhain, you’re on your own, bub. –Ed.
