These days to many people Samhain is a time to put a pumpkin in the window, let their children dress up as witches and indulge in"Trick or Treating". To Pagans however it is the most important day out of the 8 days they celebrate as feasts that make up the "Wheel of the Year". Pagans refer to it not as Halloween but as Samhain (pronounced SOW-ain), the name it had as the most important of the Celtic Quarter days. Samhain is the Pagan New Year, the end of Summer and the end of the light time of year and the beginning of the dark time before Beltane on May 1st where the light returns. It is the time for honouring the dead.
Christians wrongly interpret this as necromancy i.e. raising of the dead. In fact it is a time to honour our ancestors, those who have gone before and whose wisdom and protection may be asked for to get through the winter ahead. It is also a time when the door of perception opens and so is also a feast at which divination of the future has been practiced. Pagans may invite the spirits of their ancestors and other Pagans to be present at their rituals but they never command them.

In Northern England Halloween was known in the 19th and early 20th Centuries as "Nutcrack Night", this is because of a traditional way of telling fortunes which used to be practiced with hazelnuts. Two nuts one for each of a pair of sweethearts used to be laid in the coals of the fire to heat up. They were named for the male or female and then watched eagerly. If they jumped apart it meant they wouldn’t marry, if they jumped towards each other it meant they were in love and if one caught fire it meant that person burned with passion for the other!

Trick or Treat is thought of today as something we have imported from America along with pumpkins and I have heard people say we shouldn’t copy American customs. The custom though is actually British, it was exported to the USA by immigrants from Britain. It died out here apart from one village in Somerset called Hinton-St-George which still today celebrates " Punkie Night" by having a procession down the main street with people holding pumpkin lanterns and they have a Pumpkin King and Queen. Mischief night at one time in Yorkshire was on Halloween but gradually shifted to November 4th.

Fire has always played an important part at Samhain. It was very important to the Celts as it was to all early people. In the old days people lit bonfires to ward away evil spirits and in some places they used to jump over the fire to bring good luck. Samhain was a fire festival to the Celts and in Ireland, originally all fires were put out save the sacred one which was kindled by the old rubbing sticks method, branches were then taken to light all fires in the land. Pagans today include a fire outside if possible for our celebrations, or indoors a candle in a cauldron is used to signify this. Bingley in West Yorkshire used to have a reminder of Celtic customs at its October Fair, Parkin pigs were sold. The boar is a symbol of the Sun in Celtic myth and so the symbol originally honoured it at the time of going into the light. Apples are traditional at this time and if you cut an apple crosswise you will see the centre displays a 5 pointed star or pentagram, the symbol used by many pagans as a sign of their beliefs.

Samhain Traditions

Samhain is a very special time for Divination, as it is said to be the time when the veil between the two worlds is thinnest. It is also a time for celebration. In the yearly cycle of the God and Goddess, the God’s old life has reached it’s close and now continues as a new life in the belly of the Goddess, to return with the sun’s lengthening days at Yule. The Goddess, though pregnant, is also seen in the Crone phase of the Maiden, Mother, Crone trinity. She is the Wise Woman in this time of darkness. The Church made this a festival for the holy or hallowed dead, rather than all the dead, and hence the name All Hallow’s, or Hallowmas. Later it became All Saints and All Souls Day. In Pagan Tradition it is the Eve of the day on which the celebration takes place, hence, All Hallows Eve, or Hallowe’en. Divining information, often about the future, have long been a tradition at Samhain. Old Fashioned versions of this involved eating apples before a mirror by candlelight in order that a future spouse may appear in the mirror before you, or throwing the long strip of a whole apple peel on the floor to discover their initial. In another version, girls placed hazel nuts along the front of the fire grate, each to represent a suitor.

The outcome of what happened to the nuts represented their feelings for her.Many Pagans today practice divination on this special night using methods such as tarot card readings, rune readings, scrying (eg in a crystal ball) and pendulum work.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 travelled 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, although in the past the European gourd was used rather than the more American pumpkin.

The custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of Celtic origin however, there are some important differences from the modern day 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 alcohol. 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. 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, that's a tradition I'd like to see revived <g>.

How We Celebrate

Submitted by Moonshadow - We go for a walk and collect leaves and cones and use them as decorations for the altar, I write my own rituals in the days leading up to the sabbat and decide what magic I want to do then write that into the ritual. When we're out walking I use the time to contemplate the meaning of the sabbat and ask myself what it means to me. I find I've had a different answer everytime I ask. I also like to remember the people who have gone before me. I also make resolutions but I prefer to call them hopes and dreams, like most people if I resolve to do things and can't I feel guilty and I don't believe that celebrating a sabbat is supposed to leave a person feeling guilty.

Parties for children are very popular on this night as is trick or treating. One year we had a party for my stepson and his friends. When he was 10 years of age he was very much into Harry Potter and all things that evoked trolls and magic. Most kids want to be an astronaut when they grow up, my stepson wanted to be a wizard and work with nature. All his friends dressed up and I made him a wizard costume, it was really easy to do.

We did the usual apple-bobbing, ghost and ghoul themed games and had the traditional food and some not so traditional foods devised by my stepson one being 'troll snot, bug & mud pie'. We also told the children a spooky story as well as the meaning of halloween and Samhain. When the party was over and the kids were gone, it was time for the adults. We performed our ritual and finished off the mulled cider.

Other Things To Do

Make resolutions, write them on a small piece of parchment, and burn in a candle flame, preferably a black votive candle within a cauldron on the altar.
Wear costumes that reflect what you hope or wish for in the upcoming year.
Carve a jack-o-lantern and place a candle in it.
Symbolically extinguish the "hearthfire" of your home and then re-light it from the Samhain Sabbat Fire or cauldron.
During ritual invite departed friends and family into the circle and tell them of all that had happened in your life since their departure. You may wish to set a place for them at your dinner table and use this time to contact them. This is a good time to talk to them of any unresolved issues that you may have had with them and to let them go.
Drink apple cider spiced with cinnamon to honour the dead.
Bury an apple or pomegranate in the garden for spirits passing by on their way to being reborn.
Leave food outside as an offering to the dead.
Do divination for the next year using whatever form of divination appeals to you.
Make a besom, or witches broom.
Go for a walk in a local woods and find a magick wand of oak, holly, ash, rowan, birch, hazel, elm, hawthorn or willow.
Let this be the traditional time that you make candles for the coming year, infusing them with colour, power, herbs, and scent depending on the magickal purpose.
Look at old family photo albums or scrapbooks. Try to tell stories about each person in the pictures Honour the dead, remember those you loved who have passed on-perhaps by putting their pictures or something they gave you on your altar during your ritual.
Carve faces in to apples and pumpkins

Samhain Recipes

Troll Snot, Bug & Mud Pie : Serves 6 1 Packet Lime Jelly 2 Packets Rowntrees Bursting Bugs 2 Packets Chocolate 'Angel Delight' White chocolate mice for decoration. Method : Make up the jelly as instructed and when it's cooled but still liquid add the bugs and leave it to set. Once set make up the angel delight with milk as per packet instructions and pile on tope of the troll snot and bug mixture, top with the mice and chill until serving. This recipe is simplicity itself it looks disgusting and the kids loved it.

Samhain Mulled Cider : Serves 8 2 litres of sweet apple cider ½ litre fresh orange juice ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ginger Cinnamon sticks and orange slices to float in the pot Method : In a large pan or cauldron if you have one available for cooking, combine the apple cider, orange juice nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Simmer slowly on low heat for about 15 minutes. Take care that the cider does not boil. Add the cinnamon sticks and orange slices and served whilst still warm. You can refrigerate any leftover mulled cider, it's nice cold as well.

Derbyshire Thar Cake Serves 8-10 1lb oatmeal 1lb plain flour 1lb demerara sugar 2tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground ginger 3 tbsps milk 12oz butter 1lb treacle 2 eggs Method : You will need a baking-tin of around 7½ inches x 9¼ inches x 2 inches deep (19cm x 24cm x 5cm), lined with baking parchment or greased greaseproof paper and have your oven set to a temperature of 180°

In a pan melt together the sugar, butter, milk & treacle. Once melted allow to cool, in a bowl mix the flour, oatmeal and spices together and pour on the melted and cooled sugary mixture and stir until blended. When blended beat the two eggs in a seperate bowl and add to the tharcake mix.You can add a pinch of salt, mace and nutmeg if you want to make it more gingery. Cook at 180° until springy to the touch about 1½ - 2 hours. This warming spicy cake can be made for any occasion or festival, though this Derbyshire recipe has a warming wintry feel. This cake is best made several days before and wrapped in greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight tin. This way it becomes wonderfully moist and the flavours mature making it taste divine! This is a traditional cake that comes from the beautiful county where I live, it tastes wonderful. Thar cake is a variation of the parkin recipe which is derived from an older, honey-sweetened oatbread. Parkin is associated more with Bonfire Night these days but it was eaten especially at Celtic festivals from 31 October to 11 November. Some people believe Tharcake to be the descendant of the Celtic bannock, cooked in honour of Samhain.

NB: More Samhain recipes including one for incense can be found on the Sabbat recipes page.

Samhain Correspondences

Samhain Herbs: Mugwort, Dandelion, Rue, Sage, Myrrh, Patchouli, , Catnip, Apple Trees, Yarrow, Wormwood, Bay, Dittany Of Crete & Broom. .

Samhain Incense: Frankincense, Basil, Benzoin, Myrrh, Clove, Cinnamon & Camphor

Samhain Colours: Black, Orange, Red, Brown &, Golden Yellow.

Samhain Decorations: Foods from the harvest, photographs of your loved ones who have departed this world, a statue or figurine of the Goddess in her Crone aspect, pumpkins & Jack-o'-lanterns, balefires, besom, masks, cauldron &, the Waning Moon.

Samhain Foods: Apples, Pumpkin Pie, Turnips, Hazelnuts, Corn, Gingerbread, Pomegranates, Cider, Herbal Teas & Pork.

Spellwork appropriate for Samhain: Spells for neutralising harm, protection spells, spells that deal with the dead, strength spells.