A few years ago my family and I gathered together before we took the kids trick-or-treating and had a feast. We had cooked a leg of lamb and some rice pilaf and had some mead for the adults and cider for the kids.

The thing that made this feast different than any other was that there was an extra setting for the honored dead. Before we ate we said prayer honoring and inviting the ancestors to come and join us for the period of the meal.

This is called a Mute Supper and is probably one of the most common traditions in modern Wicca and Paganism for the Sabbat of Samhain. There are no set rules for this activity. But our Mute Supper is never solemn. We believe in honoring the dead through laughter and drink. A lot like an Irish wake. Of course your Supper can be solemn if that is what works for you.


But either way take the time this Samhain to lay out a supper for the dead. Honor your ancestors with this ritual. Maybe you have some stories to share with your kids about those that have passed.

Blessed Be!