Samhain Season

The word Samhain (pronounced Sow-Inn) is a special time of the year where the veil between worlds is the thinnest, the world we are in, the world of faeries, and the world of the dead blend together as one. Many Halloween traditions were born from the traditions of Samhain such as wearing costumes and masks to avoid harm from evil spirits. Towns and villages would have huge bonfires and farmers would cull their livestock offering a sacrifice to the Gods and Goddesses. These sacrifices would be used to feed the community and they would feast for many days.

Samhain dates varied but generally celebrated between October 31st and November 6th on the Gregorian Calendar that we use today, as most Celtic and Druidic cultures used a lunar calendar not a solar one these dates vary.

One of the more important traditions honored during this time was the remembrance of the ancestors. This was a time to honor the dead and the ancestors. During the feasts they would dine with their ancestors, recount tales of their life and share space with them.

We do this yearly as well. I have an ancestor altar that is assembled during the month of October and stays up till the end of January. Samhain to me is more of a season than a specific date, so I honor my ancestors all through this time.

This year I’ll be adding my Aunt Melissa to the altar. We take life for granted, as I never thought I’d be adding someone so young to my altar. I will honor her heritage she passed on to me, the love of cooking. She taught me that cooking was more than a skill, it was a way to put our love for our family into all we do. She cooked for fleets of Naval officers on ships and submarines till she retired. Afterwards she cooked for herself and neighbors. I was so proud of who she was and what she did in life. Her heritage lives on in me as I remember and honor her, I just won’t be making her insanely spicy five cheese soup as no one with a stomach can eat it, not even her. 

~Candice C Carver