I love Halloween! Who doesn’t love Halloween? Even as a child, I loved the costumes, the spookiness, and of course, the candy! But it was more than that for me, even back then. It was about the energy and spirit around Halloween, the fun in the middle of some of the darkest days of the year, the community and comraderie in our neighborhood, the sharing of a small bit of a candy for a costume well-made…or not so well made as was the case for a lot of kids in the 80’s.
As I grew older, I wanted to know more about the origins of the holiday, and that’s what led me to trace back my Celtic roots to Ireland, and the beginning of the celebration of what I know refer to as Samhain (Sow-en).
Samhain is steeped in Celtic tradition, and the holiday has changed throughout world history and my own personal history. Whereas before, for me, it used to represent staying out late - on a SCHOOL night! - and getting candy for free and getting to dress up!
But now, it’s a more auspicious holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE all of the above reasons for Halloween, especially now having a daughter who loves it just as much as I do, but it’s become more of a milestone in the year. The Wheel of the Year.
Eight sabbats (or festivals) mark the passing of the year and the seasons, and each one contains its own rituals and celebrations. Samhain is known as the Witches’ New Year, when we celebrate the final harvest of the year and light bonfires and commune with our loved ones on the other side of the veil. It’s spooky-ooky season and man, does it feel good!
There’s a lot of lore that you could Google about Samhain, but I wanted to share my personal take on it. How I relish the shorter days and longer nights, the cool winds and colorful, crunchy leaves, and a gaggle of kids roaming the neighborhoods in their costumes with their buckets ready to receive a sweet treat on an otherwise dark and scary night.
🎃 Happy Halloween & Blessed Samhain, My Kindred Spirits! 🎃