As Samhain approaches, I’ve had a few different Ask A Witch requests about the holiday and I thought I would put them all together in a sort of mega Samhain post. I had been planning to do a “13 Days of Samhain” but things have been too nuts for me to make that happen, so we’re going to work with what we have here. And as always, email your Ask A Witch questions to me at [email protected] with “Ask A Witch” in the title!

Here is our first question…

Hi Rowan,

I am starting to wonder if Wicca might be right for me. Every year when Halloween comes I start to think about it more and this year I’m curious to learn a little more about it and why Halloween seems to be such a big deal for Wiccans. Can you help?

Thanks!
Jenna

Here is another questions from someone about Halloween traditions…

Hello Rowan Pendragon,

Ever since I was young I’ve wondered where the traditions of Halloween came from. My family is Christian and became born again after a family tragedy when I was 11 and we stopped celebrating Halloween because we were told that it was the Devil’s Day and The Witch’s Sabbath. When I would ask my parents why we had to stop and what was so bad about what we did, they told me not to even talk about it. I’m in my 20’s now and have done some reading but I’d be curious to see what an actual Witch would have to say about these traditions and how people practice them today.

Happy Halloween!
Tyler

And we have one last one from a newer practitioner who’s looking for some guidance on performing their first Samhain ritual…

Hi Rowan,

My name is WinterMoon and I’m 27. I’m a new Wiccan, having only been practicing as a solitary for about a year. This will be my first Samhain and I’m thinking of doing a very small ritual to honor the holiday but I don’t know where to start. I have read about some ritual practices that really seem out of my league and I don’t want to do anything that could upset or anger any spirits, especially on Samhain! Can you help guide me on something simple, either an actual ritual I could do or some suggestions, so I can honor the holiday correctly?

Blessed Be!
WinterMoon

Well, first off let me say a Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain to all of you and everyone reading! This is one of my favorite times of year and the Gods are being kind to me this year and giving this New England born and breed Witch some very traditional fall-like weather in Southern California. It’s nice to have to put on a sweater in October rather than shorts! 🙂

So let’s look at some of these questions and some information on Samhain that will help those that are new to the Craft understand this holiday better as well as info about the traditions of Halloween and why we do the things we do.

Is it Halloween or is it Samhain?

One of the questions that we need to first answer is what is Halloween and what is Samhain? Are they the same or do they have some differences between them?

Samhain, pronunced Sow-en, comes from both the Irish and Scots Gaelic work that means “summer’s end” as well as November. Samhain is one of the most principle of Harvest festivals in the Celtic year as this was the last change to really bring in any late season crops as well as slaughter animals for the winter. By the time October was over and November began the weather would become much colder and harsher with the ground freezing up. This means no grass would really be left for free roaming animals to feed off of and now would be the time to make sure that meat is stored because it would keep during the freeze of winter. Other than the agricultural aspects of Samhain there was the spiritual side which still managed to tie into the work of the land. Offerings would be made to the Gods, sometimes in the forms of the bones of slaughtered animals of the harvest placed in bonfires, to offer thanks for the harvest but also to ask for protection for the tribes during the harsh winters. It was inevitable that not everyone would make it to the spring thaw but it certainly never hurt to have the Gods on your side.

Blood sacrifice was also common during Samhain. Performed by the Druids these sacrifices, both animal and human, served two purposes; this was believed to appease the Lord of Death but also helped them to divine the future for the winter and the coming year. When animals were sacrificed their entrails would be read for omens of the future and when humans were sacrificed in large wickerman structure, the sounds of the screams as they died, the size and shape of the flames, the color and direction of the smoke and the appearance of the ash and remains all helped the priests to see what was to come for the next year and who would live and who would die during the season.

In the fourth century A.D. the Christian religion was declared to be the lawful religion of the land by the Roman Emperor Constantine and with that the practices of the Druids were now considered illegal. The sacrificial rites practiced at Samhain were outlawed as well and in the year 61 A.D. Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, a Roman General (not to be confused with Suetonius the Roman historian who lived around 70-130 A.D.), ordered that all the known groves and ritual sites of the Druids be blessed and consecrated in the name of Christ, and temples to be destroyed, and for Druid priests still practicing and defying these laws to be murdered. The Druids that escaped took their Samhain celebrations underground with them and while they went into hiding it is often though that the practices continued in secret and carried into future generations, eventually becoming traditions know to the Celts and others in later years (this would only stand to reason given that the Druids weren’t recordkeepers, so the traditions had to be carried on somehow).

In the seventh century Pope Boniface IV created and introduced to the people All Saint’s Day, a day that would honor the dead but specifically those that died while doing the work of the Christian God, fighting for their belief of the Christian religion while working to convert the Pagans. The original date of the holiday was May 13th, which was the culmination of a Pagan celebration Feast of the Lemures, a period of three days, May 9th, 11th and the 13th, where restless and harmful spirits were exorcised from homes to end any disturbances that may be taking place. Many years later, sometime between 730 and 740, Pope Gregory III changed the date to November 1st. There are a few theories about why this was done however it seems to be most thought that Pope Gregory III was making attempts to convert the remaining Pagans to the Christian faith with less violence than had been used in the past and had decided to use this Christian celebration of the dead to replace the Celtic celebration of the dead, Samhain, essentially co-opting their holiday and putting a Christian spin on it. A bit later on, in (or about, depending on who you ask) 998 St. Odilo of Cluny established All Souls Day on November 2nd. So where All Saints Day would commemorate those of sainthood and nobility in the Christan faith who had died, the following day of All Souls Day would honor all the faithfully departed. It was the hope of the church that this would help to ease some transition from Samhain into the practices of Christianity for the Pagans.

So how did this become Halloween? That has mostly to do with the name. Halloween takes place on October 31st which is the day before All Saints Day which was also called All Hallows, with the word “hallowed” meaning “holy”. The night before All Hallows was known as All Hallows Eve which eventually became All Hallow’een and eventually Halloween.

But is Halloween the same as Samhain. No, it never was in the past and it isn’t today. Today we all know Halloween to be more of a secular holiday that does have some traditions that originate from the Celtic traditions of Samhain. Between Samhain, All Saints Day, All Souls Day and All Hallows we end up with a large conglomerate of a holiday that today embraces aspects of each and has become it’s own monster, as it were. 😉 There are Christians and Wiccans alike that do not celebrate Halloween because of the implications that it has on their spiritual practice while others of both faiths, as well as many others, just see it as a night of fun for kids and adults, a night to get dressed up in costumes, eat more candy than we should ever normally do (because by magick the calories don’t count on Halloween) and have a few scares and a lot of fun.

The Witch’s Sabbat of Samhain

Today Wiccans celebrate Samhain as the Witches New Year; it’s the time that one year ended for the Celts and another year would begin. It is considered by many to be the most sacred of the eight Sabbats, or holidays, in the Wiccan year. Samhain is a night where Witches come together and honor their beloved dead, both known and unknown in this lifetime. It’s a night for honoring Ancestors and Witches of the past. The celebrations of Samhain begin at sundown on October 31st and continue until sundown on November 1st. This is one of two times during the year that it is said that the veil between the worlds is at it’s thinnest, allowing the spirits of the Underworld to pass through and visit with the living during the night. This also happens at Beltane, known to some as May Day, from sundown on April 30th until sundown on May 1st. These two celebrations, Beltane and Samhain, are the markings of the summer and winter halves of the Celtic year and they work together and complement one another as Beltane is the celebration of life and Samhain the celebrations of death.

On Samhain covens and solitary Witches honor deity with rituals to honor the God in his aspect of The Dark Lord, Lord of Death or Holly King and the Goddess as the Crone. This is the night when the God dies and is brought to the Underworld by the Goddess where he will reside and rejuvenate to be born of the Goddess again at Yule, the Winter Solstice, where we celebrate the return of the Sun (or son in the sense of the God). This we can see as we observe nature to take our cues as we begin to see a significant change in the perceived amount of daylight each day around Samhain and the sun begins to make its return to the earth at Yule where, while only by seconds, we begin to gain more daylight each day culminating in the Spring Equinox, or Ostara. This brings us the very important spiritual aspect of Samhain, that of going inward and preparing for rebirth. We often take this journey with the God at this time and find ourselves working on inner spiritual work between now and Yule; we take this time to prepare ourselves, clearing out the old and reevaluating the past and looking ahead to the future, so that at Yule we too can be reborn in a spiritual sense and look toward the increased sun as a sign of our inner growth.

There are several different types of rituals held during Samhain. Typically rituals will center around the themes of Ancestor honoring/honoring the Mighty Dead and rebirth. One tradition, The Dumb Supper, is a common practice and one that many covens may observe if it falls into their tradition. The Dumb Supper is a feast held at a formal table setting where there are places set for all the human guests and one extra place is set for any spirits that may wish to come and join in. The dinner is held in complete silence so that those present can receive messages from loved ones that may be passing through on this night. Food is put out on the plate for the spirits and left as an offering for the night allowing the essence of the food to be used for energy by those that may be visiting. Many times there may be a somewhat informal altar set up in the dining area that acts as a sort of shrine for loved ones that have crossed over. Here mementos of the dead such as photos, jewelry, favorite images, and even favorite items like a class of a favorite alcohol, along with candles and offerings, will act as a place of honor for those that the living may hope to communicate with during the dinner. The foods served often reflect either favorites of those who have crossed over or things that hearken back to one’s heritage as a way of honor and connecting to those Ancestors that one never knew in life but is connected to through bloodlines.

Another common practice in the Craft on Samhain is divination. Because this is a night when the veil is thin and communication with the spirit world is quite easy, it’s a great time for getting and giving readings to see what the future holds. Doing readings with tarot cards or runes, scrying with fire or water, all can help one to either get answers to specific questions or to look to see what will come in the next year. One practice that I have personally done for years is to lay out a tarot card for each month for the next 12 months for myself and create a reading for the next year. I find myself often looking back at it when I have a particularly difficult month just to see what guidance I may have been given at Samhain and I often find myself pulling out bits of information from my Samhain reading that can help me months later.

Traditions of the Season

So what about the traditions we’ve all grown up with? Where did trick or treating come from? Why do we put out pumpkins carved into scary faces carved into them and why do we wear costumes? These and many other familiar Halloween traditions come to us from various folk customs of Samhain and the Celts.

Jack-o’-Lantern – The lit carved pumpkins that light our way trick or treating on Halloween night come from a folk legend about a man named Jack who was a terrible person, so bad that he when he died, after being rejected from Heaven, he was sent to Hell where he also found he was unwelcome. One version of the tale says that Jack had tricked the Devil and because of that the Devil wouldn’t allow him to stay in Hell but instead gave Jack a hollowed out turnip with a cola inside the light his way as Jack was banished to the earth, to wonder aimlessly eternity. The Irish would carve turnips and place coals inside would place them in front of their homes and long passage ways on the night of Samhain to help Jack and the other spirits that would be wondering the earth this might find their way. When the Irish began to immigrate to America they discovered that the pumpkin, a fruit that was not native to Ireland, proved to be easier to carve. The tradition of carving turnips on Halloween and placing them at doorsteps then became that of carving pumpkins as we know today.

Trick or Treating and Costumes– At Samhain it was customary to place a small offering out by one’s door for the souls of the dead that may come to visit you. The Druids felt that many of the spirits that would come back on the night of Samhain were mischievous, using this time of being able to return to the world of the living as a chance to come and cause harm to those they may have had problems with while living. For this reason the Druids would advise leaving food out for the passing spirits to appease them in hopes that they wouldn’t bother you, or haunt or trick you.

Another level of protection was taken in the form of wearing masks and dressing in clothing that wasn’t typical for the individual. The Druids would wear masks during the rites performed on Samhain so that they would be able to disguise themselves from any malevolent spirits that might make their way during the rituals. The people of the tribes began to follow this practice as well, presumably feeling that if the priests were worried about being recognized by the spirits they should disguise themselves as well. It became common for people to dress in the clothing of the opposite gender in order to confuse ancestors and potentially dangerous spirits.

When it comes to the tradition we know today it’s thought that these things along with a practice from the British Isles known as “Souling”, a tradition of begging. The poor would dress in costumes in order to disguise their true identity and they would travel across the countryside on this one night, going door to door and either offering prayers for the departed loved ones of the family or singing songs in exchange for a “soul cake”, a small oatcake made with currants in them, of an offering of other harvest foods such as apples and nuts.

These traditions all carried on with various changes being made to them and coming to America with families from Europe as they immigrated and eventually we came to have the traditions that we know today.

Honoring Samhain Today

Celebrating Samhain can be a very simple thing or it can be very elaborate. For those that are new to the Craft celebrating Samhain can be as simple as setting out an offering of food for the spirits that will come to pass or laying out images of family and friends and even pets that have passed on and lighting a candle for them. Sitting at your altar or anywhere that you feel comfortable and can be alone for some time and meditating on the meaning of Samhain can create a powerful personal experience with this Sabbat. Right and wrong for honor this or any other Sabbat is somewhat subjective. If you are learning and practicing a specific tradition of Wicca or Paganism you will likely have certain practices in place for the holiday. If you are solitary and trying to find the right things to do for the holiday, follow your intuition. It’s a day of honoring the God and Goddess and the dead. Allow yourself to explore that form of expression and find whatever you feel expresses your true and genuine love for your beloved dead and the Gods. Take the time to take stock and prepare for your own rebirth alongside the God at Yule.

Correspondences

Here is a list of correspondences and general information for creating your own Samhain rituals and honoring.

Deities – The Morrighan, Hecate, Persephone, Pomona, Hel, Odin, Cerridwen, Cernunnos, Demeter, Kore, The Crone, Holly King, The Dark Lord.

Activities – Honoring the dead, divination, pumpkin carving, baking cakes for the dead, clearing out the old and making resolutions for change

Colors – Black, brown, orange, red

Foods – Apples, meats, ciders mulled with herbs, mead, pumpkin, squashes, potatoes, seeds and nuts, pomegranates

Herbs– Oak leaves, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, hazelnut, hemlock, wormwood, mugwort, sage, rosemary, ginger, garlic

Animals – Cat, bat, owl, crows and ravens

Spell and Ritual Work – Releasing bad habits, clearing obstacles to goals, banishing, diviantion, past life regression work, protection, inner work and journey work, working with spirits, uncrossing.

Incense – Wormwood, sage, sweetgrass, mugwort, patchouli, sandalwood

Tools – Divination tools such as tarot, runes, pendulums, magick mirror or scrying bowl. Cauldron, besom.

Crystals – Jet, obsidian, onyx bloodstone, jasper, smokey quartz, carnelian

You can get some great recipes for Samhain here and there are some ritual and an example of a solitary Samhain ritual here.