#witchybives

Halloween in Edinburgh

As I have already mentioned, Halloween is called the last day of October (31), but not in Scotland, where the word " Samhuinn"  is used to designate the preferred night of spirits and ghosts.

The roots of Halloween are covered in an aura of mystery and in Scotland, even more so. The Caledonian country spent a long time isolated from Central European influences, that is, the Roman Empire first and Christianity later, which arrived late and in a very diffuse way, so their impact was obviously diluted in a population of Celtic traditions. strongly rooted . This has obviously had a great impact on the culture that currently dominates the country.

In the small and picturesque towns of the north of Scotland and especially in Edinburgh , the capital, we can appreciate that this celebration still takes importance in the XXI century. Just entering the streets and paying attention to the commercial area of ​​the New Town and the Old Town , we appreciate shops, pubs, cafes or supermarkets with windows  full of typical Halloween decorative elements .

The uniqueness of Scotland goes further, even the poet Robert Burns himself boasts of it in his poem entitled "Hallloween" in which he reviews the most striking customs that we can find in Scotland.

The apple becomes the protagonist fruit in what is known as dooking , or what is the same: picking apples that are floating in a bowl full of water without the help of your hands. In addition, without leaving the fruits, it is the time of caramelized apples, so popular with children. Chestnuts also play an important role with roast them to the heat of the fire, popularly known as the Crack Night  or evening of the "cracking" for the noise they make them to bursting.

The case of the so famous lamps made with gourds are no exception here. Known as  making jack-o-lanterns , one of the most rigorously kept traditions from generation to generation, although with a slight nuance: they don't use pumpkins, but beets.

These are just some of the examples of what we can find here. To discover this and much more, it is necessary to come to Scotland and dive into Scottish customs and traditions .

Apple Pie

Serves 6-8; 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup ice water

3 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

8 cups cored, peeled, sliced apples (around 8; Granny Smith or Cortland)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for top of crust

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

splash of water

Directions

[When ready, preheat oven to 375º F.]

In a food processor, using a metal blade, pulse your flour, sugar and salt together.

Add in cold, cubed butter and pulse.

Slowly drizzle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time. You should have a coarse, crumbly mixture. (If you don’t have a food processor, combine ingredients in a large bowl, using a pastry blender or a fork.)

Before the dough has formed a ball, remove the blade and take dough out, bringing it together by hand. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. It’s very important to work with cold dough.

In a large bowl, toss apples in lemon juice, flour, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Once dough is cold, take dough out of plastic wrap and divide in half. Return one half, in plastic wrap, to the fridge.

On a lightly floured surface, roll your 1/2 of dough out into a circle, 12-14 inches round, about 1/4-inch thick.

Gently take the corners, lift the dough and transfer it to pie pan. Lightly press sides against the bottom and sides of pan. Trim overhanging dough so that you’re left with 1/2-inch and fold excess under the edge of the pan.

Take second half of dough from fridge and repeat process of rolling it out to a 12-14-inch circle, 1/4-inch thick.

Pour apple mixture into pie pan and cover the top of apples with pats of butter.

In a small bowl, beat your egg yolk and add a splash of water. Brush the edges of pan, covered by the dough, with egg mixture.

Cover the entire pie with remaining rolled out dough. Pierce holes in the top of dough to allow heat to escape (so there isn’t a steam buildup inside the pie).

Seal the edges of the pie by fluting the dough (stamping the dough with a fork or your fingers) around the edge of the pie pan.

Brush egg mixture all over the top of crust and sprinkle with sugar.

Halloween in Edinburgh

Scotland, in addition to being a country with spectacular landscapes and a rich history, is also a land that holds many mysteries. We love to celebrate them in one of the oldest festivities: Halloween, a night that lights up Edinburgh with its bonfires and fills the city with culture and fun costumes.

Halloween in Scotland

The Halloween party is a tradition of international fame that in recent years has been implanted in countries that are culturally far from that custom.

Although the festival is associated with trick or treating, terrifying ghosts, and witch and skeleton costumes, it is actually a much more complex party that contains an ancient background related to  beliefs in the supernatural world and ancestor worship. .

But to understand the mysteries of Halloween in Scotland, we need to delve a little deeper into its history.

Halloween origin

The last day of October, right between the summer equinox and the winter solstice, marks the end of the harvest and the turning point between night and day. It is the moment that marks the beginning of preparation for the dark and cold winter that is coming: a point of no return.

It is necessary to look at the observation of the stars to understand how this date has been indicated in the calendar in many cultures , but it is especially in the beliefs of the  Celtic countries  in which the hours of darkness in winter are many more where the star king, the sun, takes on its vital importance.

Although we will not go into the Celtic concept already deepened in the post about the Celtic world in Scotland , it should be noted that these peoples believed that during one day a year, the line that separates the living from the dead was much weaker, such that the dead can cross it and walk alongside the living during a night, known for it as the night of the dead, of the witches or simply Halloween.

The most famous, Halloween, is born from a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon words " All Hallows Eve " , or "the night of all saints", which we surely relate to the Latin tradition of All Saints' Day , celebrated on November 1, just a day later, coincidence?

Returning to the spirits, this was the time of year when these people made contact with their own ancestors, that is, their own past, as a way of identifying themselves. Unlike us, it was lived much closer and in total harmony with death, in fact it has been a very important part of daily life, being one more stage within a person's journey.

1. Count Your Blessings

Start by counting your blessings. Literally, count them. Take a piece of paper and cut or tear it into many smaller pieces (large enough to write on). Find a jar or bowl that can hold the physical representation of your blessings. Light a pink or red candle to symbolize the love in your heart. A green candle can also be used to symbolize your heart chakra and the growth you've experienced this past year. White is another acceptable alternative if you have no colored candles. Now, write out each blessing that has entered your life over the past year, one for each piece of paper. After you write each one, add it to the jar or bowl. When you have finished, place the jar or bowl somewhere you can see it. Add to it as you think of more blessings that you are grateful for.

#autumm #fall #autummbives #welcomefall🍁🍂 #mabon #sabats

Climatic autumn and astronomical autumn

The climatological autumn, also known as meteorological autumn, begins on the first day of the month, that is, on September 1, this Wednesday. This is so because, due to the inertia of the atmosphere, the highest temperature in summer is usually recorded in mid-July, in the same way that the lowest temperature in winter is reached in mid-January.

Taking into account that the equinoxes and solstices do not always fall on the same date, if they are studied in this way the data for each season are more accurate.

Meanwhile, the astronomical autumn begins on September 22, 2021. On this date the autumn equinox takes place, when the Sun hits the line of the equator directly. Thus, the northern and southern hemispheres receive exactly the same amount of light, and the day and night last the same.

From the autumnal equinox, the days begin to get shorter and longer, until the winter solstice arrives, when the longest night of the whole year occurs.

2. Collect the Gifts of Nature

Another way to celebrate Mabon is to take a walk in nature. Bring with you a bag or basket that you can use to collect the gifts of nature. You can use these for crafts and to decorate your home or altar. Some things you might want to collect are beautiful yellow, orange and red leaves, acorns, dried berries, and bare twigs.

#autumm #fall #autummbives #welcomefall🍁🍂 #mabon #sabats