Halloween.
Sly does it. Tiptoe catspaws. Slide and creep.
But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin?
'You don't know, do you?' asks Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud
climbing out under the pile of leaves under the Halloween
Tree. 'You don't REALLY know!'
--Ray Bradbury
from 'The Halloween Tree'
Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en.
Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite
Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark
twin. A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples,
tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories
and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night
of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld
is at its thinnest. A 'spirit night', as they say in Wales.
All Hallow's Eve is the eve of All Hallow's Day
(November 1st). And for once, even popular tradition remembers
that the Eve is more important than the Day itself, the traditional
celebration focusing on October 31st, beginning at sundown. And
this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year's festival.
Not that the holiday was Celtic only. In fact, it is startling
how many ancient and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and pre-Spanish
Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead.
But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the
British Isles.
The Celts called it Samhain, which means 'summer's
end', according to their ancient two-fold division of the year,
when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain
to Beltane. (Some modern Covens echo this structure by letting
the High Priest 'rule' the Coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership
returned to the High Priestess at Beltane.) According to the later
four-fold division of the year, Samhain is seen as 'autumn's end'
and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pronounced (depending
on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in Ireland), or 'sow-een' (in
Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or (inevitably) 'sam-hane'
(in the U.S., where we don't speak Gaelic).
Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also,
more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of
the new. Celtic New Year's Eve, when the new year begins with
the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins
at sundown. There are many representations of Celtic gods with
two faces, and it surely must have been one of them who held sway
over Samhain. Like his Roman counterpart Janus, he would straddle
the theshold, one face turned toward the past in commemoration
of those who died during the last year, and one face gazing hopefully
toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil and
divine what the coming year holds. These two themes, celebrating
the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined in
Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year's celebration.
As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead
could, if they wished, return to the land of the living for this
one night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan. And
so the great burial mounds of Ireland (sidh mounds) were opened
up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find
their way. Extra places were set at the table and food set out
for any who had died that year. And there are many stories that
tell of Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the
gates of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed
places by cock-crow.
As a feast of divination, this was the night par
excellance for peering into the future. The reason for this has
to do with the Celtic view of time. In a culture that uses a linear
concept of time, like our modern one, New Year's Eve is simply
a milestone on a very long road that stretches in a straight line
from birth to death. Thus, the New Year's festival is a part of
time. The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And
in this framework, New Year's Eve represents a point outside of
time, when the the natural order of the universe disolves back
into primordial chaos, preparatory to re-establishing itself in
a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time
and hence it may be used to view any other point in time. At no
other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading, or tea-leaf
reading so likely to succeed.
The Christian religion, with its emphasis on the
'historical' Christ and his act of redemption 2000 years ago,
is forced into a linear view of time, where 'seeing the future'
is an illogical proposition. In fact, from the Christian perspective,
any attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil. This did not
keep the medieval Church from co-opting Samhain's other motif,
commemoration of the dead. To the Church, however, it could never
be a feast for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those
hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God - thus, All Hallow's,
or Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls.
There are so many types of divination that are traditional
to Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few. Girls were
told to place hazel nuts along the front of the firegrate, each
one to symbolize one of her suiters. She could then divine her
future husband by chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you
hate me, burn and die.' Several methods used the apple, that most
popular of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through
the equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and then
eat it by candlelight before a mirror.
Your future spouse will then appear over your shoulder.
Or, peel an apple, making sure the peeling comes off in one long
strand, reciting, 'I pare this apple round and round again; /
My sweetheart's name to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken
paring o'er my head, / My sweetheart's letter on the ground to
read.' Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of
your hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out
the initial letter as it moves.
Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the
jack-o-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish
or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a
lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary
face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead
one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same
spell of protection over the household. (The American pumpkin
seems to have forever superseded the European gourd as the jack-o-lantern
of choice.) Bobbing for apples may well represent the remnants
of a Pagan 'baptism' rite called a 'seining', according to some
writers. The water-filled tub is a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration,
into which the novice's head is immersed. The fact that the participant
in this folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind
the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft initiation
ceremony.
The custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating'
is of Celtic origin with survivals particularly strong in Scotland.
However, there are some important differences from the modern
version. In the first place, the custom was not relegated to children,
but was actively indulged in by adults as well. Also, the 'treat'
which was required was often one of spirits (the liquid variety).
This has recently been revived by college students who go 'trick-or-drinking'.
And in ancient times, the roving bands would sing seasonal carols
from house to house, making the tradition very similar to Yuletide
wassailing. In fact, the custom known as 'caroling', now connected
exclusively with mid-winter, was once practiced at all the major
holidays. Finally, in Scotland at least, the tradition of dressing
in costume consisted almost exclusively of cross-dressing (i.e.,
men dressing as women, and women as men). It seems as though ancient
societies provided an oportunity for people to 'try on' the role
of the opposite gender for one night of the year. (Although in
Scotland, this is admittedly less dramatic - but more confusing
- since men were in the habit of wearing skirt-like kilts anyway.
Oh well...)
To Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays,
or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter days. Because it is the most
important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called 'THE Great
Sabbat.' It is an ironic fact that the newer, self-created Covens
tend to use the older name of the holiday, Samhain, which they
have discovered through modern research. While the older hereditary
and traditional Covens often use the newer name, Halloween, which
has been handed down through oral tradition within their Coven.
(This is often holds true for the names of the other holidays,
as well. One may often get an indication of a Coven's antiquity
by noting what names it uses for the holidays.)
With such an important holiday, Witches often hold
two distinct celebrations. First, a large Halloween party for
non-Craft friends, often held on the previous weekend. And second,
a Coven ritual held on Halloween night itself, late enough so
as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters. If the rituals
are performed properly, there is often the feeling of invisible
friends taking part in the rites. Another date which may be utilized
in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter day, or Old
Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style). This occurs when the
sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio, an astrological 'power point'
symbolized by the Eagle. The celebration would begin at sunset.
Interestingly, this date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated
by the Church as the holiday of Martinmas.
Of all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the
only one that still boasts anything near to popular celebration.
Even though it is typically relegated to children (and the young-at-heart)
and observed as an evening affair only, many of its traditions
are firmly rooted in Paganism. Incidentally, some schools have
recently attempted to abolish Halloween parties on the grounds
that it violates the separation of state and religion. Speaking
as a Pagan, I would be saddened by the success of this move, but
as a supporter of the concept of religion-free public education,
I fear I must concede the point. Nonetheless, it seems only right
that there should be one night of the year when our minds are
turned toward thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both
Pagans and non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld
and its inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your
jack-o'lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow's Eve.