[Note: This is a re-post from 2009. It's my best essay on Samhain, so I figured I bring it out again this year.]
Samhain
(pronounced SAH-wen) was the Celtic New Year, signifying the end of the
growing season and the "death" of the earth until it would be reborn in
the Spring. Death as a natural part of the cycle of life is the central
theme of Samhain and is at the root of all the symbolism in the
holiday. The celebration of Samhain was such a major part of culture in
the British Isles and parts of northern Europe that the Church
appropriated and "Christianized" it, thus creating All Hallows Eve,
which with the passage of time became "Halloween". With the reemergence
of ecologically inclined earth-based spirituality, Samhain has been
gradually coming back to some importance. And yes, I'm one of those
people who celebrates Samhain rather than Halloween.
As I said
above, Samhain is all about the recognition of death as a natural part
of the cycle of life. Seasonally, it represents the "death" of the
earth. The final harvest of the last of the crops - mostly gourds and
root crops like beets and turnips - took place now. Many of the fruits
set to dry to last the Winter - raisins and sultanas from grapes, figs,
prunes from plums, etc. - are ready now, and many baked goods that use
these are baked, like
barmbrack (Irish:
Báirín Breac), which is a Halloween staple in Ireland, where symbolic
objects like pennies and rings are baked in the bread for children to
find as prizes. Livestock is also slaughtered now to provide meat for
the Winter and to thin out the herd so that it, too, can survive the
"dead" months.
Another aspect of the death theme of Samhain is
the belief that the border between the physical and spiritual worlds is
at its weakest now. This has both positive and negative aspects. The
negative aspect is the possibility that spirits with evil intent can
roam the world of the living at will and spread panic. The tradition of
carving gourds (although it was originally turnips that were hollowed
out and carved) with diabolical faces and lit from within by candles
came from this; the intent was to scare off the evil spirits.
The
positive aspect of this weakened border is the possibility of
communication with loved ones who have passed on. Seances are often held
during Samhain, and tributes to those who have passed during the
preceding year. The most beloved of these tributes is the Dumb Feast or
Dumb Supper, where the table is set for both the living and the dead,
with pictures and personal objects of the deceased placed at their place
at the table, and the favorite foods of the deceased served at the
meal. The meal is eaten in silence, which is only broken at the end of
the meal when a toast is made to the deceased and stories from their
lives told. The meal starts out solemnly and ends up in joy.
I
love Samhain, possibly because I also love Autumn and Samhain is the
very essence of an autumnal celebration. You all know my fascination
with cemeteries and stonecarving, and it's usually around Samhain that I
do a lot of visiting and taking pictures in historic
boneyards. All in all, it's a lovely season for me, and a nostalgic one,
too.
© 2009 by A. Roy Hilbinger
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