This is an anonymously taken photo of Montreal from Mount-Royal.
The noisy Canadian Geese flying south for the winter remind us that summer has ended.
Fall is a time full of colour and bounty from farms in the province.
Apples are especially plentiful, reflecting an important part of Quebec agriculture.
Come Samhain, the geese are gone, the leaves are falling. Winter fast approaches.
Samhain
Time and Historical Background
Samhain is usually honoured after nightfall on the 31st of October. As a cross-quarter, his High Day can be astrologically calculated to be best celebrated when the sun is 15 degrees into Scorpio, the perfect point between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice.
The ancient Celts fit the year into two seasons - one warm in which things would grow, and the other cold and barren. Samhain, to them, signified the beginning of the latter, dark half of the year. They did not celebrate the eight High Days Neo-Pagans celebrate today, probably only the four cross-quarters. For the Celtic Druids, the time of Samhain would have been determined by environmental changes, weather and animal patterns.
Considered the last of the harvest festivals, Samhain was when the farmers would kill and cure the meat of animals who would be too weak to survive the winter.
The Celts believed that in the natural order of things, the dark half preceded the light. We can think of this in terms of pregnancy - gestation before birth. To Celts, a new day began with nighttime, followed by daylight. The day would end at sunset. Samhain, in turn, reminds us that a new annual cycle as begun. The summer-half of the year has ended, and the beginning of the dark half signifies the start of another year. This Celtic "New Year" 1 is a reminder of life cycles and not so much the great celebration of its secular counterpart on December 31st. With it's emphasis on honouring ancestors, Samhain can actually be a very somber affair.
Mythology
Julius Caesar reported that at this time, the Celts especially honoured the God of death and winter, whom he referred to as Dis Pater.3 In connection, Encyclopedia Mythica states that one of The Dagda's epithets is Ollathir, meaning "All-Father".
Mythically, The Dagda met The Morrigan by the river Unshin one Sahmain. They made love, and The Morrigan promised her support in an upcoming battle.4 I feel this arrangement is very important in understanding Samhain on numerous symbolic levels.
The Morrigan is a Goddess of war and power. A sorceress and shape shifter, she is also a Goddess of the land, and therefore possesses it's knowledge and secrets. In sexual union, The Dagda makes an offering of himself5 in order to gain the favour of the land, which would ensure their success. We can also see this impending "battle" as a symbol of surviving Winter.
The two deities play very different roles within the Celtic pantheon. Their union also brings us "the thinning up the veils", when the realm of the living (The Dagda) and the realm of the spirits (The Morrigan) become one. This makes it an ideal time to honour the dead- their souls are closest to us at this time.
*Note: This is a note to myself to make an addition here about Etruscan views on death, celebration, etc. Such care went into making their tombs, afterall, which is where we get so much of our archaeological info from! Also: Roman, if possible.
Modern Samhain Traditions
Most Samhain rituals today revolve primarily around communing with and honouring the ancestors.
The dumb supper is a popular Samhain rite. It is a meal served in sacred space and in complete silence so that sitters may receive their messages from the dead. Extra places are set and served in honour of loved ones who have passed away.It has been suggested that salt should not be used, as it traditionally is used to keep spirits away.
Personally, I make offerings to the dead during ritual, usually using grain, dried cranberries, apples and wine. I name the families of my ancestors, and friends who have passed. I give thanks for family - afterall, we would not be if not for the ancestors. I also resolve during this time to actually visit my family.
(1)
The Neo-Pagan Wheel of the Year also adapts the Solstices and Equinoxes, so I feel it's very important to distinguish Samhain from Yule, especially as far as "celebrating the Pagan New Year" goes. The Dedicant's Manual indicates similarities between the Celts' Samhain and the Equinox/Yule celebrations of the Norse.
I think it's distinctly inappropriate to say "Happy Samhain" to someone, or "Happy Witches' New Year!". I think these sort of celebrations are reserved for Yule, when the sun reemerges after the longest night of the year. This will be discussed in my article about Yule/Midwinter.
(2)
In November, my Roman-Catholic Nonna, who immigrated here from Italy, would create a candle-lit shrine with photos to pay respects all those she'd known who'd passed away. I was always curious about the origins of this tradition. Along with Remembrance Day on November 11th, the time around Samhain is distinctly meaningful to me.
(3)
Dis Pater is distinctly Latin. I associate this Father God mostly with The Dagda, Cernunnos and Donn within Celtic mythology.
(4)
James MacKillop. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 1998: Oxford University Press.
See sections: Samain, [sic] Dadga.
(5)
I see this myth as an extension of "The Sacrifice of the God" of the Wiccan mythos.It is unknown whether fertility rites were initially part of this High Day.