Samhain: Traditions, History, the Moon & the Dumb Supper

from Episode 42: Samhain, Ancestors, the Dumb Supper, the Lunar Eclipse & One Last Spooky Tale

Samhain, pronounced "sow-in," is a significant festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter for many witches, folk practitioners and spiritual individuals. It is traditionally celebrated from sunset on October 31 to sunset on November 1, though many, like myself, choose to celebrate it as a season, spanning days or even weeks. Samhain is also known as one of the eight celebrations of the Wheel of the Year, a calendar used by many Pagan and Wiccan traditions to mark the changing of the seasons.

The term "Samhain" is of Gaelic origin and is derived from Old Irish, meaning "summer's end." Which points to it’s roots in ancient Celtic and Gaelic traditions, primarily from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. For many, it was a time of transition from the warm, light half of the year to the cold, dark half, at the harvest's end, when the final crops were gathered, and the agricultural year came to a close.

It was a time to give thanks for the bounties of the season and also a time to honor the spirits of the deceased — as people looked ahead into the dark months of rest and dormancy ahead, a symbolic death of the earth, before rebirth in spring, which brought themes of lost loved ones and mortality into the light.

Samhain is believed to be a time when the boundary between the living and the spirit world is at its thinnest, which allows for easier communication with the deceased and the spirit realm. Many practitioners use this time for divination, connecting with and honoring ancestors, and seeking spiritual insights and guidance.

Ancestor veneration is a central theme during Samhain. It's a time to remember and pay respects to one's deceased relatives and ancestors, but also spirits of land and those who have touched our lives or inspired us in some way. You can read more about Ancestors of Blood, Land and Spirit in another recent post. Altars and offerings are often dedicated to these such spirits during Samhain.

Among the many ways individuals celebrate and observe Samhain are some of the following:

• Bonfires and Fire Rituals: Fire plays a prominent role in Samhain celebrations, lit to symbolize the sun's waning power and to provide warmth and protection during the darkening days of winter. Many witches and magickal practitioners look to the fire as source or symbol of purification and transformation.

• Costumes and Masks: The tradition of wearing costumes and masks during Samhain dates back to the belief that disguising oneself would protect against malevolent spirits. This custom has been integrated into Halloween, which, as we know, has its roots in Samhain.

• Divination: Samhain is considered a powerful time for this practice through various tools like tarot cards, scrying mirrors, or pendulums to gain insights into the future or connect with the spirit realm.

• Harvest-Themed Feasts:  Modern practitioners often celebrate with feasts and communal gatherings. Traditional foods associated with Samhain include apples, pumpkins, gourds, and root vegetables. Traditionally pigs were also slaughtered at this dying time of the year, making it also a traditional staple, for those who partake in meat. These foods are often incorporated into feasts and celebrations. The Dumb Supper is also a traditional meal set aside for the spirits of the deceased.

• Honoring Ancestors: Ancestor veneration is a central theme during Samhain. Modern witches often create ancestral altars or shrines adorned with photographs, mementos, and offerings to honor their deceased relatives. They may light candles, burn incense, and perform rituals to communicate with and pay respect to their ancestors.

• Ritual: Samhain is a potent time for setting intentions for the coming year, releasing what no longer serves, working with the energy of transformation and honoring spirits of land, ancestors and the beloved dead. Additionally, rituals to honor the cycles of nature and changing of seasons, express gratitude for the completed harvest and protect the home and loved ones from wondering or unwelcome spirits is very common.

• Cemetery Visits: Some individuals visit cemeteries during Samhain to pay their respects to the deceased and to be in a place strongly associated with death and remembrance.

• Harvest and Craft Activities: Making corn husk dolls, besoms or cinnamon brooms, or sachets with herbs associated with protection and divination, is common during Samhain. Harvest-themed decorations and crafts are also popular.

• Psychopomp Work: Psychopomps are spirit guides — or even deities — that help the deceased transition to the afterlife. Some practitioners may work with psychopomps or conduct rituals to assist spirits in their journey to the Otherworld.

• Honoring Cthonic Deities: Some practitioners may choose this day, above all, to honor Cthonic Deities, or those associated with the underworld or the afterlife, with offerings, prayer, evocations and ritual.

While Samhain has ancient Celtic origins, it is celebrated and adapted by a wide range of modern Pagan and witchcraft traditions, each with its unique customs and practices. For some witches it marks a new year — and for some, the beginning of the dark half of the year which will continue until Beltane. Still others prefer the solstices for indicating these markers, while a fair few, the equinoxes. Whichever you subscribe to, there is no denying the potency and magick of this time of year.

Samhain is viewed as part of the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth, which is why it often symbolizes the death of the old year and the birth of the new one — a reminder of the cyclical nature of existence. And with this death, this dying time, many believe, either by experience or by handed down knowledge, that we are given the ability to more clearly see into the spirit realm and that it is closer to us — or that the boundary between it and us has grown thin.

The Thinning of the Veil

I like the use of “the thinning of the veil” to explain why spirit activity seems to ramp up this time of year. Yes, most of the spirits that we may come into contact with are present all year long – and still some will make a yearly visit – its their prerogative, after all. However, the idea of the thinning of the veil is very real to me. I can see it and feel it, typically starting shortly after the autumn equinox and lasting until around the winter solstice, growing strongest — or I should say weakest or thinnest — at Samhain. Mind you, I’m speaking from personal experience and also shared experience with fellow witches and loved ones and I want to point that out because there are some magickal practitioners who do not believe in the thinning of the veil at all… and that is perfectly OK.

However, interestingly enough, a trend I’ve been seeing — mostly on social media, of course — is the trend of “exposing” the idea of the thinning of the veil as nothing but myth. This is laughable to say the least. A so called “hot take” that is barely lukewarm. It is so strange to me, given that the same individuals who are jumping on the hot take band wagon of somehow debunking the idea of the thinning of the veil as myth also then continue on with their practice which is, at least in some part, very much based in a whole lot of Myth or Folklore, or word of mouth tradition, or unverified personal gnosis (UPG).

Our gods — if we work with them — are born of mythology. A plant spirit’s ability to assist us in our magickal workings, although closely related to their scientifically proven ability to aid our bodies in many ways, is also unprovable. Hell, spellwork and magick itself are unprovable by the same logic that some of these individuals are using to attack the idea of the thinning of the veil. Yes, the terminology itself was popularized fairly recently, but the concept is as old as human experience.

This is metaphor! It’s part of what makes language an art form. A way of explaining a very real feeling and some very real experiences that humans have been witness to for millennia — and its a pretty damn good metaphor, if I may say so.

So, while I understand how helpful jumping on the hot take band wagon seems to be for gaining followings and engagement in the social realm — how about we just live and let live with the witches who see this as a very useful metaphor for an aspect of their magick that is very real to them. It’s OK not to believe in the thinning of the veil but it’s also absolutely OK to just let it be for those of us who do.

Regardless of it all, we can all hopefully agree on this:

Modern Samhain, at it’s core, is a time for introspection, reflection,

transformation, and connecting with the cycles of nature as well as the spirit world.

It is a celebration of the cycle of life, death and rebirth, a time to connect with

ancestral wisdom, and an opportunity to prepare for the spiritual and physical

changes associated with the approaching winter season.  

A Quick History 

Samhain has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of "Samuin" or "Samónios," which marked the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of the new one. The Celts, who lived in parts of what are now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France, celebrated Samuin at this time of year — approximately the end of October and beginning of November 1, and was a time when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to be penetrable, allowing spirits to pass into the mortal world.

Here is a quick history of this sacred and ancient celebration:

• Samhain was primarily an agricultural festival, marking the end of the harvest season and a time to reap, or bring in, the final crops and prepare for the harsh winter ahead. Livestock were often slaughtered for food, and the surplus was preserved for the winter.

• The Celts, whose history is a bit murky due to a lack of documentation, were thought to believe that, during Samhain, the spirits of the dead returned to Earth. This led to the tradition of leaving out food and drink to appease these spirits and to protect the living from their mischief. Some individuals also wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves from vengeful or mischievous spirits.

• With the eventual spread of Christianity in the British Isles and Europe, Samhain began to assimilate Christian elements. In the 9th century, the Catholic Church established All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows) on November 1, followed by All Souls' Day on November 2. These Christian holidays were very likely deliberately placed to coincide with Samhain, effectively integrating elements of the Pagan festival into the Christian calendar.

• Over time, the term "Halloween" emerged, being derived from "All Hallows' Eve," which referred to the evening before All Saints' Day. Halloween retained many traditions and symbols from Samhain, such as costumes, bonfires, and the belief in spirits — but it evolved into a much more secular holiday with a focus on community and children's activities.

• Today, many pagans, witches and spiritual individuals celebrate Samhain with a focus on honoring ancestors, celebrating the changing of the seasons and preserving and adapting ancient customs into contemporary Pagan rituals. However, it is not as popularly celebrated, worldwide, as the secular and largely commercialized Halloween is. (I still love Halloween though, just saying…)

Samhain has a rich and multifaceted history, evolving from ancient Celtic agricultural and spiritual traditions to a different but slightly similar Christianized holiday and finally to the secular celebration of Halloween. But it remains a very important festival for many Pagans, witches and magickal practitioners.

Samhain and the Moon

from Llewellyn’s Witches Datebook, 2021

At Samhain, the Great Goddess reigns in her form as the Crone — and the Great God in his form as the Lord of Death. We honor ancestors and prepare for a time of reflection. The Moon Tarot card also suggests a time of reflection, as the Moon reflects the light of the Sun.

Part of the spiritual work of the dark time of the year is clearing out that which no longer serves, which usually includes facing fears and difficult truths — our inner dragons.

The crayfish in the moon card is also associated with divination, string spiritual connections and communication between realms. Samhain, a time when the veil between realms is thin, is also a time for divinatory practices and ancestor work.

The card features a lot of water, representing the deep and sometimes turbulent waters of the soul. Dive deeply and submerge yourself in the Moon. Find your way through these deeps and discover the gifts that will shape you as you continue your journey.

Samhain is here, cold is the earth,
as we celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth.
Tonight we speak to those through the veil,
the lines between worlds are thin and frail.

Ghosts and spirits in the night,
magical beings rising in flight,
owls hooting up in a moonlit tree,
I don't fear you and you don't fear me.

As the sun goes down, far to the west,
my ancestors watch over me as I rest.
They keep me safe and without fear,
on the night of Samhain, the Witches' New Year. 

- A Samhain Prayer for Children