Kristoffer Hughes
Tis the night, the night, of ghouls’ delight,
When cauldrons boil o’er ghostly light,
By Punkie’s glow, a Souling we’ll go,
To greet the dead who rot below.
Three nights that brings the ancestors near,
Through veils so thin they gather here.
No rules, nor neither slight nor sin,
Shall spoil our joyous Hallowe’en din.
Halloween, Samhain, All Soul’s Night, Dia de los Muertos, to name but a few of the myriad of names that decorate the end of October. There is perhaps no other festival during the cycle of the seasons that has exhibited more endurance, steadfastness, and the ability to spark human imagination as Halloween. In this short article, I will explore some of its roots and history, its expression through the centuries, its relevance to Pagans and non-Pagans alike, and attempt to unearth answers that may explain why millions of people are compelled, intrigued, and fall in love with the Halloween season.
The Wheel of the Year turns on its axis, moving us subtly yet powerfully from one season to another, from one time to another, from one state of consciousness to another. As the wheel turns toward late October, we may become conscious of what we reaped during the second harvest of the year—the growing season is done, what we sowed and grew have come to fruit, the harvest is in. The nights draw in, mornings are darker, dew and mists sing songs of mystery to the land. And as the last leaf sighs and falls from weary branches, and the tomb of winter draws ever nearer, something incredible happens within the imagination of mankind. The dead draw near, and ghouls and spirits of all kinds mingle with the mortal realms. It is the season of magic and enchantment as the veils between the worlds thin—Samhain is upon us.
Ever since I was a small child growing up in a village deep in the mountains of North Wales, I have long been fascinated and drawn by the feast of Halloween, or Calan Gaeaf, as we say in the Welsh language, meaning the Calends of Winter, a title that refers to both the secular feast of Halloween and the sublime festival known as Samhain in neo-Paganism. It is a festival of contradictions and paradox, nothing is entirely as it seems, normal rules are suspended, ancestors are venerated, lines of gender and conformity blur. Its ability to spark my imagination has had a profound and lasting effect on the rest of my life—its associations with the death and the dead continues to bleed into my everyday life as I chose a career with the coroner where I work with the dead on a daily basis.
Echoes of the Old World
Whilst the roots of Samhain reach far into the distant past, its current expression cannot be pinpointed to a particular time, peoples, or tradition. What makes this festival so unique and special is its fusion of numerous paths. It is a melting pot, a cauldron of Pagan, indigenous folk harvest, and pre-winter celebrations, Celtic and Christian traditions, and secular expression.
Anything that has relevance to society will endure; anything that brings people together will inevitably survive, at times against all the odds. What drives this function is a mystery, one that adds to the intrigue of the holiday. The popular festival of Halloween has endured against all odds; it combines elements of the old and new world in a delicious fusion that transcends religious identity and is so compelling that hundreds of thousands of people are openly addicted to the festival.
In a sometimes frightful world where terror has such a real and tangible component, it is no great surprise that as a people we turn to its antithesis, the creation of conjectured terror for the sake of entertainment. Something within this pretend terror enables us to assimilate the risk of real horror in a way that is cathartic, nonthreatening, and perhaps even healing.
The old folk practices and rites of Halloween and the Irish Samhain were slowly adopted by the Christian church, and by papal decree the feasts of All Souls and All Saints were attached to Halloween. The migration of people initiated the fusion of ideas and traditions. And as the Celts moved across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new opportunities, the Old World was to meet the new.
The Land of Hope and Gory
The United States of America has never claimed ownership of the roots of Halloween, its partly Celtic and Christian origins have never been disputed, but the worldwide communal expression of Halloween is inspired by American popular culture. The fact that many British folk to this day believe that Halloween is an American import serves only to display ignorance for a cultural tradition that has its roots in their own history. America on the other hand took the various community based traditions, and over the space of around two hundred years transformed what would have been locally specific traditions into a national obsession.
Every single culture that arrived on the shores of America brought with them their traditions, magic, and customs. These were not necessarily aspects of their religious practice but rather traditions that were applicable to the people, to the land, and to the cultures that arose there. Consequently, Halloween is a feast that can be practiced by anyone regardless of their religious persuasion. The unique American environment and the declining influence of the puritans ensured that by the end of the 19th century, Halloween was indeed becoming a part of annual traditions. This cultural stew pot also ensured that the ancient practices of spell casting, divination, and communication with the dead continued to be an integral part of Halloween, and this survives to this day.
Various circumstances inspired a new expression of Halloween in the USA, with the arrival of German, Polish, Eastern European British, and African immigrants and the uniqueness of their respective cultures. The potato famine in Ireland forced over one and a half million people into the USA, each individual bringing family practices and traditions from the Celtic motherlands. Perhaps the greatest contributor to the modern Halloween is the American spirit of celebrating freedom, community, integrity, dreams, hopes, and ambitions that make seasonal festivals a vital and vibrant part of its culture. From Thanksgiving to Labor Day, Columbus Day to Halloween, this spirit of celebration enabled a nation to grasp old traditions and make them applicable to the New World.
America spawned an industry that embraced tradition and celebration, and by the beginning of the 20th century, manufacturers were making and importing party products specifically designed for the Halloween feast, which by now had become a national holiday. Costumes, decorations, and special effects were widely available as the years progressed. The practice of trick or treat, influenced by the Celtic world, soon became a firm tradition of the American Halloween. Its reach was not restricted to the lands of America; it soon made its way back across the ocean from where it had originated, to a land that had forgotten its own customs.
Halloween will always be seen as heavily American, and it has every right to claim responsibility for successfully preserving it. The influence of the States cannot be ignored in the modern sense; they deserve a pat on the back for doing a job well done. They have succeeded in combining the magic of Samhain, the mystery of All Souls and the frivolity and frights of Halloween in a manner that is positive, inspiring, and creative. Without America, Halloween may well have been lost to the mists of time.
Days of the Dead
The Coligny calendar, made of bronze and dating to the second century of the Common Era, records a festival called Trinoxtion Samonii, or the three nights of Samhain (summer’s end). Whilst we cannot be certain that this title refers to what we now call Halloween or Samhain, it does indicate that their feasting may have lasted for more than one night. With gleeful delight I take this as ancestral permission to extend the Samhain festivities to cover three wondrous nights.
In my tradition Samhain is a time to remember; for three divine days we stop and think of our dead. This may sound a rather maudlin affair, but on the contrary, it provides a sense of focus and structure to remembering the dead. Halloween offers an opportune period at the end of the harvest that combines the secular frivolity of the holiday in all its commercial glory, the sublime aspects of the Celtic Samhain, and the colorful influence of the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos. With the rise of modern Paganism, these traditions are deliciously blending together in the cauldron of inspiration, and the result—a new and vibrant tradition that not only sings of the Old World and the Old Ways, but is relevant and applicable to those who practice it today. It is rapidly becoming the perfect blend of frivolous partying and somber honoring of the dead.
So what can we do over the three nights of Samhain? Perhaps the best course of action here is to briefly describe my own traditions in the hope that they will inspire yours.
On the first day we host a dumb supper; the table is strewn with flowers and photographs of our dead. No electric lights are used, candles are lit in the windows to welcome the dead, and the meal is served in reverse order, starting with dessert, and consumed in utter silence. The effect is rather peculiar. Eating is such a social affair ordinarily. In this case, what one is focused upon is the dead.
The second day of Samhain has two aspects to it. During the day I journey around my locality visiting the graves of my loved ones. The graves are tended and cleaned and flowers left and small cakes offered to the dead. It is a poignant time for I tend to do this alone; it’s just me and the memories of those I loved.
The evening of the second day sees our annual Samhain ritual; this year the first half is undertaken at an ancient burial chamber to honor the ancient dead. The second half focuses on the recent dead. It is a moving, touching, and deeply humbling ritual where the dead are called by name and candles lit in their memories. As the ritual gives way to socializing and feasting, we are continuously reminded of the dead by the burning of candles upon the altar dedicated to their memory.
Day three of Samhain I set aside to remember my animal companions and also to recall and acknowledge the fallen dead, those who have died in or as a result of conflict or its collateral damage.
When we are forgotten we cease to exist—people only truly die when we forget them. Samhain offers us the space and a time to remember. This year I encourage you in true Celtic fashion to celebrate over three glorious nights, to create new traditions and new practices that fuse the old and the new. Samhain is not necessarily about what we believe, but rather what we do …
What will you do this year?