#withcy wtips

It's that time of year again! It's October, the leaves are turning colors, the pumpkin spice craze is back. Yes, Samhain!

So first... yes it's pronounced Sah-wen, but I can't help but say it in my head as Sam-hayne, sue me.

What is Samhain?

Samhain is one of four ancient Fire Festivals that many witches, druids, and pagans alike celebrate. Samhain is on October 31st and November 1st in between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. It marks the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter. This is also the ancient Celts' New Year day. It is also a time to celebrate the dead or ancestors. They believed that the veil between worlds was thinnest on this day.

Where Did Samhain Originate?

Ancient Celts were the folks who are first recorded to celebrate Samhain, hence it's name being an old Gaelic name. However, Celtic revivalists and other pagans have helped the holiday gain more popularity over the years.

What are Some Samhain Traditions?

The oldest traditions of Samhain involve putting out the hearth's fire in their homes, harvesting crops, and lighting a community bonfire. They did this by using a wheel that which would then cause friction and spark a fire. This wheel represented the sun and was used along with prayers. They would offer sacrifices of cattle and when the festival was over, take a flame form the community fire home with them to relight their own hearth.

More modern tradition include:

Bonfires

Creating Alters for the dead or for associated deities

Creating Feasts

Making Pastries

Communing with Spirits

and more!

Can I Celebrate Samhain?

Despite what some people (though very few) will tell you, anyone of any origin can celebrate Samhain! Just be sure to educate yourself and don't disrespect the ancient tradition or deities involved in this sacred holiday.

Associations:

(These are not Traditional associations, they are modern pagan associations)

Revision!!! : Cailleach, the divine hag (literally means old woman or hag) and goddess of winter is very important during this time since she is in charge of the weather from Samhain to Beltane. I encourage you to look deeper into her as she is very interesting! You can read more about her here and I will make a whole post about her eventually!

Deities: The Morrigan is one of the main deities associated with this day, however, over the years as paganism has become a melting pot of pantheons, people have also considered other gods to be associated with the holiday such as: Pomona, Cernunnos, Anubis, Odin, Osiris, and Hecate to name a few.

Colors: Red, yellow, orange, most warm colors, black

Herbs: Mugwort, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, sandalwood, and dragon's blood.

Stones and Metals: Onyx, obsidian, tiger's eye, smoky quartz, ruby, copper, brass, Jet, black stones in general, darker red stones, etc.

Of course this is a list of the most common associations. If you have an item or god that you associate with the holiday you are more than welcome to celebrate with them! I am not one to gatekeep a holiday. :)