Understanding the Origins and Traditions of Samhain and Halloween

Samhain(SAH-WIN) was an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of summer and the harvest, which is the historical root of Halloween. Celebrated on October 31st, Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead blurred on this night, allowing spirits to return to earth. Traditions included bonfires, costumes to ward off evil spirits, and feasting:

• Blurring the realms:

  Many believed that on the night of Samhain, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead thinned, allowing ghosts and spirits to walk the earth. 

• Bonfires:

  Huge bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits and as a way to symbolically help the sun through the coming winter. 

• Costumes:

  People wore costumes made of animal heads and skins to disguise themselves from evil spirits and to impersonate spirits to collect offerings. 

• Honoring the dead:

  The festival was a time to honor ancestors and the dead. Modern spiritualists continue to celebrate Samhain, often observing rituals that reflect its original spiritual significance. 

Today, many pagans, including Wiccans, celebrate Samhain as one of their major holidays. It is considered a time to honor the harvest, the thinning veil between the worlds, and the cycle of life and death. What or who is a pagan? Historically, pagan was used by Christians to describe non-Abrahamic religions, originating from the Latin word for "country dweller" to describe those outside of Roman cities who didn't convert to Christianity. Today, "pagan" is a term many people use to self-identify with contemporary, diverse spiritualities like Wicca and other traditions inspired by ancient European and Near Eastern faiths, often characterized by a reverence for nature and the divine as it appears in the natural world.

In observation of the harvest....

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