Samhain
Hopefully everyone is having a good Halloween/Samhain. Samhain is one the Celtic 4 seasons, Samhain (winter), Imbolc (spring), Beltane (summer) and Lughnasadh (fall). The Celtic year began with Samhain or Nov 1, it was also the final hrvest of the year. As such it was one of the principal festivals of the Celtic year.
Fire was a big part of the Samhain celebration. Villagers would gather and throw cattle bones on the fire(some say the word bonfire is derived from these bone fires). All other fires in the vilage were extinguished while the bonfires burned. Families then would light their own hearths from the common flame bonding the familes and village.
Samhain was considered a magic time of year. On Samhain Eve (Oct 31) it was believed the barrier seperating the human and spirit world was lowered. Spirits of the dead and those yet to be born walked among the living. The dead could return to places that they had lived and would be welcomed with food and drink. This was a way for the tribes to connect with the past present and future at the same time. Death was not considered a tragic event in Celtic culture. The aim of all Celtic people was to die an honorable death, live forever in the memory of the tribe and be honored by a great feast on Samhain Eve.
Christains would later subvert Samhain to honor the saints. All Saints Day (Nov 1) and All Hallows Eve (Oct 31) which would eventually be called Halloween. Now like everything that actually had some meaning at one point it has been commercialized beyond all recognition. Happy Samhain.
