History and Culture: Horrors of Ancient Civilizations 1313 (All Hallows Eve)

[twinflower]

History

So why do we carve a pumpkin?  Dress in a costume?  Even expect people to just give out candy?  These questions and many many more will be answered this month with Professor Kelly and Professor Mashinshin in Horrors of Ancient Civiliztion!  Expect a lot of information, to learn some new things and maybe even have more questions than you imagined as they teach about the History of All Hallows Eve, the Samhain holiday,  how different cultures and countries celebrate this holiday and explore the Superstitions and Traditions of Halloween!

 

The month starts of with the History of All Hallow’s Eve!  Do you know what it is?

 

[Jaydena]

All Hallows is a blending of many different holidays from what I understand. Samhain, All Souls, All Saints, etc.

[MashinShin al Mashiara]

 

Intro to Samhain

 

In the October 29, 2007 thread called The History of All Hallow’s Eve (course number 1313), Twinflower said:

“But it is when we travel to Ireland that we start to see the similarities to our more well known Halloween traditions that have survived into this day and age…One of the reasons Ireland is also considered the birthplace of Halloween, is that it was home of the Celtic Pagans.  Samhien [sic], (pronounced Sow-en) was and is today one of thier [sic] major festivals.  It was from this original celebration that Halloween as we know it began…although as we know it has lost much of the meaning and significance that the Pagan Festival was about.

 

So…Just what was the Samhien [sic] Festival about anyway?”

 

UrsulaLV responded:

“Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year.  Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane’s dark twin…A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest.  A “spirit night”, as they say in Wales.

 

All Hallow’s Eve is the eve of All Hallow’s Day (November 1).  And for once, even popular tradition remembers that the eve is more important than the day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October 31, beginning at sundown.  And this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year’s festival.  Not that the holiday was Celtic only…But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the British Isles.

 

The Celts called it Samhain, which means “summer’s end”, according to their ancient twofold division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter from Samhain to Beltane…According to the later fourfold division of the year, Samhain is seen as “autumn’s end” and the beginning of winter.  Samhain is pronounced (depending on where you’re from) as “sow-in” (in Ireland), or “sow-een” (in Wales), or “sav-en” (in Scotland), or (inevitably) “sam-hane” (in the U.S., where we don’t speak Gaelic).

 

Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.  Celtic New Year’s Eve when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown.”

 

 

There is much more to Samhain than just this, but it is a good place to start. The history of Samhain is rich with folklore, mysteries and rituals.  Do you dare to take a peek at the dark mysteries and the fantastic folklore that shrouds October 31?  What is the draw for so many people? 

 

Take a peek…I dare you!

 

 

[Torrie]

**Takes notes and enjoys the history**

 

I love the unknown. There is so much that I just dont know about Samhain. I cannot wait to learn more.

[MashinShin al Mashiara]

What is Samhain?

Samhain, from the Gaelic, literally means “summer’s end” and is the festival held at the end of the harvest season in the Gaelic culture.  Samhain and an t-Samhain are also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic names for November.  Scholars believe Samhain is also the Celtic New Year and has many aspects of a festival of the dead.  In medieval Ireland, Samhain was celebrated at Tara and lasted for three days.  The Hill of Tlachtga was were Samhain was ritually started with a bonfire on the Hill of Tara which served as a beacon to others across Ireland to start their ritual bonfires.  It’s recognition as Celtic New Year was popularized during the 18th century by much of the literature of the time. 

 

The Samhain celebrations have survived through the ages as festivals dedicated to the dead and to the harvest.  October 31st is the representation of the final harvest in Scotland and Ireland.  It was customary to take stock of the herds and grain supplies in preparation for the coming of dark half of the year.  Bonfires play a huge part in the festivities which have been handed down through the years.  Once the bonfires were lit, each family would extinguish all other fires.  They would then light their hearth fires from the common flame of the bonfire, bonding the families together.  There were often two bonfires lit side by side and the villagers would walk between the fires in a ritual for purification.  Often the cattle and livestock would be driven between the fires too. 

 

Samhain is a time when elaborate offerings are made to specific ancestors.  Often favorite dishes of the deceased are prepared while songs and stories are performed to entertain them.  During the festivities, it is still customary in many areas to set a place for the dead at the Samhain feast and to tell tales of them during the night.  Often a candle is lit and placed in a west-facing window that has been left open for the departed ancestors.  This is similar to Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday honoring the dead. 

 

Stories are often shared during Samhain.  In Ireland, the Ulster Cycle is filled with references to Samhain and tells of the adventures and campaigns that many of the characters undertook during Samhain.  The tale of Echtra Nerai is just one such story from the Ulster Cycle.  The Cath Maige Tuireadh is another story which takes place during Samhain and tells of the Morrigan and Dagda meeting to have sex before their battle against the Fomorians.  The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, has a Samhain scene, in which the young Fionn Mac Cumhail visits Tara and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann puts everyone to sleep, except the ingenious Fionn.

 

The idea of wearing costumes comes from some of these rituals.  The Celts would often dress in the heads and skins of animals.  In the Isle of Man, children were dressed as scary beings and carried turnips that were carved and lit with candles to confuse the spirits. 

 

Video for your viewing pleasure

 

 

 

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htm

http://www.history.com/content/Halloween/real-story-of-halloween

 

 

[Jaydena]

Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us Professor, very educational. *nods and takes more notes*

[MashinShin al Mashiara]

*runs in completely flustered, hair flying everywhere, witch's hat askew, one stripped sock pull up to the knee and the other bunched down at the ankle.*

 

Goodness gracious....I'm so sorry to be late with the Wednesday lecture.  *huffpuff*

 

Thank you so much Torrie and Jaydena.  I'm having ever so much fun sharing my passion with you. :D 

 

Without further ado...Here is Wednesday's lesson followed by Today's lesson :D 

 

Samhain and Divination

During Samhain, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is said to be at its thinnest.  It is said that it is at this time when the spirits can cross into our world.  Rituals are supposed to be strongest when done beneath the Samhain moon and divinations that are preformed while the veil is thinnest are supposed to be the most accurate.  In Scotland, it is said that a child born at Samhain was to be gifted with second sight or clairvoyance.  All manner of divination practices have survived the ages, especially in the most rural of areas.  Apples and nuts were common items used for divination during Samhain.  It was believed that in the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grew an apple tree, the apples from this tree were said to have magical properties. 

 

To discern the first letter of your future spouse’s name, peel an apple and toss the peel over your shoulder.  Examine the shape the peel has landed in to discover which letter of the alphabet your future spouse shall be named with. 

 

Hang an apple from a string with a coin pushed deep inside and try to bite out the coin without using your hands.  Succeed, and your pockets will be full throughout the coming year.

 

Another method of apple divination is to sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or by the moon just before the stroke of midnight.  Go into the silence and ask a question.  Cut the apple into nine pieces.  With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder.  Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see an image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.  (when you look in the mirror, let your focus go “soft”, and allow the patterns made by the candle/moon and shadows suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)

 

Nuts were also used to tell fortunes.  Couples would place handfuls of nuts into the hearth to be roasted and the way they moved was interpreted.  If the nuts stayed together, the couple would stay together. 

 

Hazelnuts were tossed into divination patterns by the Druids and then buried to honor the old gods.  Draw a small circle about one foot in diameter on the ground in front of you.  Take thirteen nuts and shake them around in your cupped hands while concentrating on your question.  Gently toss the nuts in front of you.  Those that land directly in the circle have the most bearing on you.  If more land in the circle than out of it, you have a right to be concerned about the question you asked.  Study the nuts for patterns, which you can interpret.  For example: if the nuts are all pointing in one direction this could be an indication of a direction you need to take your problem.  If they appear in the form of a familiar object, use that information to apply to your question.  Occasionally, they might fall to appear as letters of the alphabet, which you can relate to your question.

 

Scrying, the art of gazing into an object while focusing your mind on a particular question or issue, is another method of divination popular during Samhain.  There are several methods of scrying: water scrying, mirror scrying, fire scrying, and crystal balls.  Which ever method you chose is up to you.  To scry, focus your mind on one issue or question, allow your mind to go “soft” do not stare just gaze into the depths of the object your are using to scry.  After some time, visions should form.  These visions may be symbols, images, entire scenes played out. 

 

Egg whites were dropped into glasses of water and the shapes that formed were used to foretell the number of future children.

 

Children were also prone to divination.  One such method used by children was the chasing of crows.  The number of birds that appeared or in which direction they flew would be divined to tell the children the answers to their questions.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htm

http://www.history.com/content/Halloween/real-story-of-halloween

http://www.witchway.net/hallows/samrite.

 

 

 

 

Symbols of Samhain

Samhain is filled with lots of symbols.  Of course the most familiar being the witch, black cat, ghost, and jack-o’-lantern, just to name a few.  But there is much more to Samhain than just these.  The list could go on and on, but to share just a few:

 

Samhain Symbolism:

Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death.

 

Samhain Symbols:

Gourds, Apples, Turnips, Besoms, Bonfires, Nuts, pomegranates.

 

Deities of Halloween are the Crone Aspect of the Goddess, dying/aging gods, sacrificial gods, Death, and Otherworld Deities.

 

Samhain Herbs:

Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage and Straw.

 

Samhain Foods:

Turnips, Apples, Gourds, Nuts, Mulled Wines, Beef, Pork, Poultry, pomegranates.

 

Samhain Incense:

Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg.

 

Samhain Colors:

Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold.

 

Samhain Stones:

All black stones, preferably jet or obsidian.

 

And of course, who can forget the witch’s broom?  One of the undisputed symbols of Samhain.  Like the cauldron the broom could not be used as proof during the witch trials because these were household staples and every household had them.  But what is it that makes a broom a symbol of Samhain?  Well, there are many Pagans who believe that a broom placed beside a fireplace will protect the home from negativity entering.  Also brooms are used to sweep away negativity.  When sweeping your house do so in Deosil (or clockwise fashion) and then sweep out the doorways.  Samhain is the end of the old year and start of the new year and so a perfect time for cleaning out the negativity of the old year so that the new year has a good chance of being that much better.  And of course besides, a witch on a broom flying across the face of the moon is indeed one of the most recognizably symbols of Samhain as we know it. 

 

To make your own witch’s besom (broom):

 

A four foot dowel one inch in diameter

 

ball of twine

 

scissors

 

straw or other long strands of pliable herbs

~Take the straw, or another herb you have chosen for the bristles, and allow them to soak overnight in warm, lightly salted water.  The water softens the straws to make them pliable, and the salt soaks out former energies.

~When you are ready to make your besom, remove the straws from the water and allow them to dry a bit, but not so much that they lose the suppleness you will need to turn them into your besom.

 

~Find a work area where you can lay out the length of your dowel, and begin lining the straws alongside the dowel.  Starting about three inches from the bottom, lay the straws, moving backward, along the length of the dowel.  Begin binding these to the dowel with the twine.  You will need to tie them very securely.  You can add as many layers of straw as you wish, depending on how full you would like your besom to be.

 

~When the straw is secured, bend the top straws down over the twine ties.  When they are all gently pulled over, tie off the straws again a few inches below the original tie.  Leave the besom overnight to allow the straw to dry

~The dowel part of the besom can be stained, painted, or decorated with pagan symbols, your craft name, or any other embellishments you choose.  Dedicate your finished besom in your circle as you would any other ritual tool.

 

 

 

The pumpkin.  This humble autumnal gourd is one of the most prevalent symbol of Samhain, whether you are Pagan or not.  The jack-o’-lantern has been around for nigh onto two thousand years and were oringinally carved using turnips which were carried on your person if you needed to travel during the night.  The jack-o’-lantern was a symbol of protection for the living from the spirits of the dead.  Nowadays, we see jack-o’-lanterns carved in fantastic, lurid designs on the broad faces of pumpkins.  We don’t use faces so much now, as we use elaborate and decorative renditions of witches, ghosts, graveyards, and other such images.  But the effect is still the same, the warm light of the jack-o’-lantern still brings us the warmth of it’s protection during the long night when the spirits of the dead run amok in the world of the living.

 

A fantastic story to share during your Samhain festivities is the story of Persephone.  It is a prime example of how the seasons move from summer into fall and winter.  It also is a great example of how thin the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is. 

 

Samhain is a night of magic and chaos, a chance when anything could happen.  The faerie folk were most active during this time, the spirits were roaming the country side, and the light half of the year yields to the dark half of the year. 

 

 

http://www.wicca.com/celtic/akasha/samhainlore.htm

http://www.witchway.net/hallows/besom.html

http://www.witchway.net/hallows/jack.html

 

 

 

 

 

[MashinShin al Mashiara]

And finally, some Samain/Halloween Trivia:

Halloween was originally a Celtic holiday celebrated on October 31, some traditions hold it on November 7 or on the first full moon in Scorpio.  Also known as: Samhain, Ancestor Night, Feast of the Dead, All Hallows Eve, Hallowmass, Samana, Samhuinn, Samonios, The Feast of Sam-fuim, Geimhreadh, Shadowfest (Strega), Martinmas, or Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic)

 

Samhain marked the beginning of the old Celtic new year and many Celtic Pagans still observe Samhain as the renewal of the Wheel of the Year. This was the night that the old god died, returning to the Land of the Dead to await rebirth at Yule, and a time when the Crone Goddess would go into mourning for her lost son/consort, leaving her people in temporary darkness.

 

Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.

 

Some of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween are the cauldron, jack-o’-lantern, mask, balefire (bonfire) and besom (broom).

 

The herbs used in incense, for decoration, and for cooking during Halloween are heather, mullein, patchouli, sage, acorns, apples, pumpkins, oak leaves, straw, broom, dittany, ferns, and flax.

 

Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

 

There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, the color of pumpkin.

 

According to folklore, the jack-o-lantern got his name from a man named Jack.

 

Turnips and beets served as the original jack-o-lanterns.

 

Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.

 

Mexico celebrates ‘The Day of the Dead’ instead of Halloween.

 

The feeding of the dead is a widespread practice, even in modern Celtic lands.  In Brittany and Ireland food is always left out for these spirit travelers, and candles are placed in windows to guide them along their way.  These were the origins of the modern Halloween customs of the jack-o’-lantern and trick-or-treat.

 

Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green.  Great for unique monsters carvings!

 

Pumpkins originated in Central America.  When Europeans arrived in the New World, they found pumpkins plentiful and used in cooking by Native Americans.  They took seeds back to Europe where they quickly became popular.

 

Growing big pumpkins is a big time hobby.  Top prize money for the biggest giant pumpkin is as much as $25,000 dollars at fall festivals.

 

A pumpkin is a berry in the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes melons, cucumbers, squash and gourds.  All these plants are native to the Americas.

 

Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.  People spend as much as over $2.5 billion during Halloween on candies, costumes, decorations and parties.

 

Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.

 

Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers being the most popular.

 

It is believed that the Irish began the tradition of Trick or Treating.  In preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, Irish townsfolk would visit neighbors and ask for contributions of food for a feast in the town.

 

The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night.  They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

 

Black cats were once believed to be witch’s familiars who protected their powers.

 

Samhainophobia is an intense fear of Halloween.

 

 

http://www.theholidayspot.com/Halloween/history.htm

http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Holidays/samhain.html