Celtic Soul

As the wheel of the year turns ...

By Susan Van Dongen Special Writer

The evening of Oct. 31 — our Western Halloween — has certainly evolved over the last few decades. It seems like Baby Boomers get just as excited about dressing up as do their children and grandchildren. What will the big adult costume be this year? A “scary politician” or a “sexy cat?” That’s not to mention the decorating, which now rivals Christmas in being over-the-top.

A certain group of people will be marking the evening of Oct. 31 and the daylight hours of Nov. 1 in a very different, more reverent way, however. For neo-Pagans, the arrival of dusk on Oct. 31 means that the “light” half of the year has come to a close, and it is now time for the darkness, the gestation, going under and inward. This is Samhain, (pronounced sow’-in), the highest Pagan holiday of the year. Interestingly, the word itself is basically Irish-Gaelic for “summer’s end.

”Most likely thousands of years old, Samhain is attributed to the ancient Celts and its traditions involve honoring ancestors as well as friends and loved ones who have died in the most recent year. Because the wheel of the year is turning — and note that modern Pagans do not go by a linear, Gregorian calendar — it is also a time to reflect on oneself, and what positive things might be attracted or worked on in the new cycle.

For Sandra Kynes, a neo-Pagan and author who moved from central New Jersey to Portland, Maine, about five years ago, it is certainly the most important sabbat (holiday) of the year. The author of “A Year of Ritual” (Llewellyn, 2004) as well as many other titles, she is at ease with Samhain’s connections to darkness and death, but notes that these elements of the holiday are not mournful or frightful. And despite the fact that the cable channels are running back-to-back horror movies for Halloween, she says Samhain has nothing to do with ghoulishness. (This Americanized aspect of Oct. 31 frustrates her, in fact.)

”The Celts had two seasons: Winter began at Samhain, coming into the dark of the year, and the opposite is Beltane, the beginning of summer (May 1),” Ms. Kynes says. “It’s related to darkness, but not in a fearful way, in fact, we’re embracing dark, because with it, comes rebirth. For example, seeds are resting in the earth and now is the time of incubation.
”For Pagans, it’s a time to turn inward personally as well — and we do this in the winter anyway, when we cocoon,” she adds. “This time stands for reflection, what has happened in the last 12 months; we ask ourselves ‘how did we grow,’ and we also look ahead, planting the seeds for how we want to grow in the coming year. Samhain has to do with endings but also beginnings.”

For Bobbie Taylor, a Bordentown resident who doesn’t like to label herself as “Pagan” ( just call her a “seeker”), this time of the year is joyful one. As a voracious reader, she doesn’t mind going within, and she relishes the cool weather for her long daily walks. She plans to reflect on at least one ancestress this Samhain.

”I have a beautifully reframed portrait in my prayer room of my great-grandmother, my mom’s grandmother,” she says.

Ms. Taylor takes this time of the year to write down some things about herself or the past year she would like to let go of, then she puts the list in a fire. When she is done with this little ritual, she writes down things she would like to accomplish or draw toward her in the coming cycle.

”I put that list away, and then when Samhain comes around again, I review it, reflect on it,” she says. “I also ‘smudge’ my house (lighting sticks of dried sage and going from room to room), and I smudge my animals, if they’ll sit still.

”Fire plays a very big role in Pagan ceremonies, and so I light candles, particularly black candles for my ancestors,” Ms. Taylor adds. “I use black because it’s the color of the unknown, as well as the presence of all colors. At dinner, I also like to set an empty place at the table for the ancestors. And I put an apple out, as a treat.”

Indeed, the custom of writing out one’s shortcomings relates to the ancient Celtic traditions. Samhain was considered a time to eliminate weaknesses, and the ancients often harvested the weak animals that were not likely to survive the winter. Their meat was salted and stored for the dark months.

This is just one aspect of how certain foods tie into the holiday. Pumpkins are, of course, not native to the United Kingdom and Europe, so lighting up a jack o’ lantern is a more modern, North American tradition. But, in the old country, especially in certain parts of Ireland, there is a Samhain tradition of taking a root vegetable, putting a candle in it, and putting it outside to light up the night.

”At Samhain and Beltane, these are two times of the year when the veil between the worlds is thin,” Ms. Kynes says. “One of the beliefs is that spirits could walk the earth again. So, it’s been a custom to be sure and light a candle to guide the spirits of the ancestors. Sometimes they’d take a beet or a root, put a candle in it and carve a scary face to scare any evil spirits ways, but it’s mostly to light the way for the ancestors.”

Like Ms. Taylor, Ms. Kynes notes that when pagans have dinner on Samhain night, they set an extra place at the table, “…for loved ones to come in and join the feast,” she says. “It’s also tradition to leave treats, cakes, and milk by the hearth for the spirits, or on the doorstep, and this connects to trick or treating — having a treat for the spirit.”

Like many ancient observances, the old ways of Samhain were blended into the new religion of Christianity. Nov. 1 became All Saints Day, and Nov. 2, All Soul’s Day, a time to reflect on those who have died — loved ones as well as saints. In Mexico and other Latin countries, the holiday is El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a colorful time of reflection on those have passed.

”The Samhain traditions really play out with the Day of the Dead,” Ms. Kynes says. Be aware as well, that, since it’s that time of the year, wee folk, “the sidhe” to the Irish, might be around.

”In Ireland, these two times of the year are connected to the fairies,” Ms. Kynes says. “At Samhain, they go back into the underworld and wait for their time to come out, which is Beltane.”

So, they might be up to a few tricks – or maybe treats — before they retire for the season.