Blessed Samhain

In my post last week, I wrote about Samhain and how it differs from the modern Halloween. One of the differences I mentioned was that since the Celts used the lunar calendar, yesterday, October 28th, rather than October 31st, marked the festival of Samhain. I also mentioned that the festival continued for three nights, making this day 2 of the festival.

Over the last week, I learned more about Samhain. I thought I would share some of what I learned.

1)    Academic uncertainty
What we think we know about Samhain is not certain. We know very little about the pre-Christian Samhain festival. And what we think we know should be taken with a grain of salt. 

2)    There was no Universal Celtic Festival
The pre-Christian Celtic people were not unified. The pre-Christian Celtic Irish were different from the Welsh, who were different from the Gauls, and so on. Indeed, they share linguistic and cultural elements. But we can’t lump them all together and say, “The Celtic people believed...” I will admit that I’ve been guilty of this. 

3)    Supernatural
In my last post, I implied that Samhain lacked supernatural elements. That needs to be clarified. 

Samhain was a liminal time when the division between our world and the Otherworld became porous. In modern occult language, we say that the veil becomes thin. It was this change that allowed the increased supernatural activity.

While it’s true that the Irish honored the dead during Samhain, they also practiced rituals meant for supernatural protection, such as bonfires and talismans. This belief in enhanced supernatural activity was found in Wales and Scotland; however, they didn’t see this time as connected with the dead. For the northern and central Welsh, it was a time for divination. 

While there was a supernatural element to Samhain, with the risks accompanying it, horror and fear were not the theme as it is with the modern secular festival of Halloween.

Conclusion
As contemporary Pagans, we need to acknowledge that our spiritual traditions, while they have ancient roots, are ours. They don’t exactly match up with the traditions of ancient people. And that’s okay. 

Samhain blessings to you and all who hold dear.