Samhain

"SOW-in, SAH-vin"
NOTE: First pron. is Gaelic, second is Scottish. In Gaelic, mh in the
middle of a word is pronounced as W.
Southern Hemisphere Date: April 31
Northern Hemisphere Date: October 31

The Wiccans say farewell to the God. A temporary farewell. He isn’t wrapped in eternal darkness but readies to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule. Samhain is a time of reflection, of looking back over the last year, of coming to terms with the one phenomenon of life over which we no control - death. It is said to be the time when the veil between the worlds is very thin, when souls that are leaving this physical plane can pass out and souls that are reincarnating can pass in.

The Holiday is considered the Witches�?New Year, representing one full turn of the seasonal year. A time of reflection, of looking back over the last year. Remembering our ancestors and all those who have gone before. It is said that lighting a new orange-coloured candle at midnight on Samhain and allowing it to burn until sunrise will bring one good luck; however, bad luck will befall those who bake bread on this day or journey after sunset. Black Candles are used to ward off negativity.

Children born on Samhain are said to be great in power but attracted to "necromancy, graveyards and other goulish things," and children conceived on Samhain were said to be the incarnations of unsettled dead, so sex on Samhain is fairly taboo. Celebrations in honor of beloved people who have passed away are common on Samhain, and it is the Wiccan New Year, because of the Ancient Druidic belief that day began with the setting of the sun, and thus the dark half of the year was the beginning. New Years resolutions are made on Samhain, and it is the traditional day to raise a covener within a circle. Irish Gaelic for "summer's end."

Other Names: Third Harvest, Samana, Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en and the Scots Gaelic spelling is "Samhuin" or "Samhuinn." 

Correspondances

Colors: Black , orange, white, silver, scarlet, dark brown, bronze and gold

Foods: apples, pumpkin pie, hazelnuts, corn, cranberry muffins and breads, ale, nuts, cider, turnips, gourds, mulled wines, beef, pork, poultry and herbal teas

Symbols: jack-o-lanterns., photos of the deceased, apples, squahses, autumn flowers, fall leaves, gourds, apples, black cats, jack-o-lanterns, besoms.

Incense: apple, heliotrope, mint, nutmeg, and sage.

Candles: black, orange, white, silver and gold.

Gemstones: all black gemstones (jet, obsidian and onyx)

Deities: The Goddess in Her dark aspect as the Crone, Hecate (goddess of fertility and moon-magick, and protectress of all Witches), Morrigan (Celtic goddess of death), Cernunnos (Celtic fertility god), and Osiris (an ancient Egyptian deity whose annual death and rebirth personified the self-renewing vitality and fertility of Nature.)

Herbs: Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage, pumpkin, apples, chrysanthemumand, thistle, rosemary, rue, calendula, sunflower petals, pumpkin seeds, apple leaf, mushrooms, wild gingseng, wormwood, tarragon, bay leaf, almond, hazelnut, passionflower, nettle, mandrake root, hemlock cones, garlic, pine needles, acorns and Straw.

Activities and Traditions

 

- Adults only or with adults help - maybe dangerous

- Ask permission from parents first

• Rune-casting
• Make Jack - O - Lanterns
• Make a secret wish while standing before a mirror.
• Perform Divination for the coming year
• Make dream pillows
• Make masks
• Talk about relatives or friends who have passed on and what we learned from them or enjoyed about them
• Tell ghost stories
• Talk about the origin of Halloween customs.
• Re-stock your magical cabinet