Samhain is the third and last of the Wiccan harvest festivals. This one being the harvest of meat or the culling of the herds. In the days before refrigeration this was the time of the year when as a responsible farmer you would kill off those animals unable to last the winter, allowing for one last huge feast until Yule.

But in these days when we get our food from grocery stores and not our barn, what does Samhain mean? Well it is also the traditional time to honor the dead and our ancestors. In Mexico around this time is a festival, called Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. On this day they prepare their deceased loved ones favorite meals and place it on their altar and go to the cemeteries to clean the gravestones of their ancestors. In some areas children dress up in costumes and ask passersby on the street for money or a small treat.You can obviously see some of our modern traditions in these ancient traditions.

Samhain is also a traditional time for renewal and reflection. Since it was the end of the Celtic New Year people reflected on the year past and made plans for the year to come. This is also a time that the veil between this world and the next is thin and the Sidhe and other spirits, both of the dead and those never alive can and do cross over for this night. Divination is another traditional activity on this night as well.

My traditions for Samhain include laying out a "mute supper" for any astral visitors that I may have. A mute supper being simply a plate of food set out for the dead at the table where we all eat. In fact in our family they get their own seat and everything. We also take the kids trick-or-treating and let them dress up pretty much however they wish. Then when they go to bed, the adults gather around and ritually extinguish the light of the old year and rekindle it from a new bonfire lit for this occasion, therefore bringing in prosperity for the next year. We will probably include Lassair in this event this year.

Blessed Be!