Happy Samhain

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The legendary kings Diarmait mac Cerbaill and Muirchertach mac Ercae each die a threefold death on Samhain, which involves wounding, burning, and drowning, and of which they are forewarned. In the tale Togail Bruidne Dá Derga ('The Destruction of Dá Derga's Hostel'), king Conaire Mór also meets his death on Samhain after breaking his geasa (prohibitions or taboos). He is warned of his impending doom by three undead horsemen who are messengers of Donn, the god of the dead. [41] The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn tells how each Samhain the men of Ireland went to woo a beautiful maiden who lives in the fairy mound on Brí Éile (Croghan Hill). It says that each year someone would be killed "to mark the occasion", by persons unknown. [42] Some academics suggest that these tales recall human sacrifice, [43] and argue that several ancient Irish bog bodies (such as Old Croghan Man) appear to have been kings who were ritually killed, [44] some of them around the time of Samhain. [45]

The Celts marked Samhain celebrations with huge community bonfires, which they thought would protect and clean them.

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Samhain also figures into another Fionn mac Cumhaill legend, where the hero is sent to the Land Beneath the Wave. As well as taking place on Samhain, it features descriptions of the hero’s holiday gatherings. Samhain in the Middle Ages Happy Samhain, I wish you all the joy for the coming year and my heart goes out to your well being. Stay blessed. People thought that these fires would clean and protect them from evil spirits that might try to cross over into the physical world at this time. October 31 is the day when the majority of Americans sending a lot of Happy Halloweens to each other. However, suppose you are born and raised in Celtic nations, you will instead get a bunch of Happy Samhain messages as people there celebrating a festival that is originated from pagan religion. Read on to learn more about Samhain greetings to make this traditional celebration more memorable than ever.

Like many of the modern holiday’s secular features, their prevalence snowballed in the US, where mass-produced costumes first appeared in the 1930s after Halloween parties surged in popularity. The festival was not just a way to say goodbye to a good summer, but also to welcome the inevitable arrival of winter. The Celts lived in the Iron Age in the area that is now Ireland and Great Britain and had a lifestyle that was close to nature and especially respectful of trees. The darkness covers the ancestors who pay a visit on the day of Samhain. Believe in the good and let evil slide away with the first sunshine of the New Year.

Samhain is traditionally observed from the end of the day on October 31st until the end of the day on November 1st. There are also tales of the Nemed people who feared the mysterious Fomorians who represented personifications of chaos, darkness, death, blight, and drought. The Nemed’s paid a heavy tax to the Fomorians by giving them two-thirds of all the wheat, butter and milk that was produced. This tax was paid on every Samhain at the tower of Conand on Tory Island until they fled Ireland. Celebrate the Halloween season on Samhain. The evil is out on in the open and so is the good! Choose your side and celebrate Samhain in the best way. It is time to call upon the task because it is the night of Samhain when we connect with the dead….. Best wishes on this special day.

The meaning of Samhain was based on an ancient Celtic belief that the living and the dead would meet again. hÓgáin, Dáithí. Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 317This would have been an important time for the Irish druids, a time of dread and anticipation. Days got shorter and nights got longer, a sign that nature’s decay was about to begin. Over time, these practices have changed to include different cultural, religious, and historical influences. They celebrate Samhain around 1 November but may adjust the date to suit their regional climate, such as when the first winter frost arrives. [125] Their traditions include saining the home and lighting bonfires. [125] Some follow the old tradition of building two bonfires, which celebrants and animals then pass between as a purification ritual. [3] [59] For CRs, it is a time when the dead are especially honoured. Though CRs make offerings at all times of the year, Samhain is when more elaborate offerings are made to specific ancestors. [125] This may involve making a small altar or shrine. They often have a meal where a place for the dead is set at the table, and they are invited to join. An untouched portion of food and drink is left outside as an offering. Traditional tales may be told, and traditional songs, poems, and dances performed. A western-facing door or window may be opened, and a candle left burning on the windowsill to guide the dead home. Divination for the coming year is often done, whether in all solemnity or as games. The more mystically inclined may also see this as a time for deeply communing with their deities, especially those particularly linked with this festival. [3] [59] [117] [124] [125] Wicca [ edit ] Wheel of the Year Read spooky stories or legends around a campfire, to introduce children to the traditions of Samhain. Stüber, Karin, The historical morphology of n-stems in Celtic, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, 1998, p. 111.

It is also traditional to give blessings on Samhain, which are often written in the form of poems or sayings. Sunlight from sunrise enters the Mound of the Hostages at around Samhain. This is due to its particular alignment. The Anglo-Saxons were a people group who inhabited a portion of Britain in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to the 5 th century settlement of incomers to Britain, who migrated to the island from the North Sea coastlands of mainland Europe. Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford University Press, 1996. pp. 382–83As the winter sneaks in, it is time to cherish the delicacies and sit around the fireplace with the entire family. Wishing you all a Happy Samhain. Neopagans usually celebrate Samhain on 31 October–1 November in the Northern Hemisphere and 30 April–1 May in the Southern Hemisphere, beginning and ending at sundown. [119] [120] [121] [122] Some Neopagans celebrate it at the astronomical midpoint between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice (or the full moon nearest this point), which is usually around 6 or 7 November in the Northern hemisphere. [123] Celtic Reconstructionism [ edit ]