Halloween? Samhain?

The end of October/Beginning of November is the time for a few festivals across the world - but what are they really celebrating?

Hello, I’m Rachel. I write about nature and creativity to encourage connection and wellbeing. This is one of my posts noting the changes in the seasons and how humans mark it around the world. To read about other points in the year go to my homepage and click on the marking the seasons tab. To find out more about this publication go to this post. It’s another longish one!

---

How do you feel about the festivals happening at the moment? Depending where you live or what religion you follow, it might be All Hallows/AllSouls, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, or Samhain. Love it, indifferent, hmm- not so sure, actively avoid? (I know Diwali is happening at the moment this year but while it has some common themes, it’s not linked to the others.)

These festivals are linked. Some might not like me saying that, please bear with me. Over time, traditions from various festivals and cultures have blended to create the modern Secular version of Halloween, and some of the original meanings have been lost. Consumerism, the media, and historical (sometimes current) negative messaging by some Christian leaders, particularly in medieval times, have contributed to this distortion. It has been used to demonise and control pre-Christian religions and scare followers about what might happen if you don’t follow the rules. It is now inextricably linked with evil and horror. Does it matter? Can’t people just have fun? Well yes - of course. I am cdertainly not against a good celebration - it is a core need of human beings. But if people conflate the current version of Halloween with these older festivals and traditions, this causes a problem. This has been a harder essay than my other marking the season posts - because I am worried about upsetting people. I also don’t want to misrepresent any cultural traditions (I have carried out a lot of research as I always do). 

---

So, let’s start with some facts, as much as you can find about traditions from hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years ago, across different countries and cultures. 

I’ll begin with All Saints/Hallows Day 1st Nov, followed by All Soul’s Day on Nov 2nd - giving us All Hallow’s Eve on 31st Oct (known together as All Hallows Tide). This is observed in the Catholic church and by some Protestants. It is a time to honour the Saints (All Saints/Hallows Day) and Christians who have passed on (All Souls Day). Church services are held with offerings of flowers and prayers, and people visit memorials and graves. It was moved by the Pope in the 8th Century from its original date in Spring. Other Christians celebrate it at different points in the calendar.

Some sources profess that All Hallows Tide was moved to incorporate or supersede the existing Celtic festival of Samhain. As is the case with history the sands of time have covered what really happened. But there is no doubt that All Hallows Eve gives us the word Halloween. 

Photo by Zoran Kokanovic on Unsplash

Moving back in time to Samhain. This is a Celtic/Gaelic festival marked from sunset on 31st Oct to Sunset on 1st Nov. First, let’s address how to pronounce it. As it is not an English word, it is not Sam/Hain. It varies across the different Gaelic languages, but the best way to explain it, with English phonemes is Sow wen (sow to rhyme with cow). Click here and here to hear it. As with all Celtic/Pagan festivals, the exact origins are floating around in the ether. What seems to be commonly agreed is that it is the festival in Celtic/Gaelic areas for the end of the growing season/harvest and a time to honour the ancestors and those passed on. Celtic beliefs held that (as in other cultures) this was when the veil between the worlds of the living and departed was thinnest and souls could pass between. There are many traditions associated with Samhain, it may have been that each area had its own and that they changed over time. But there was fire and lights, the sharing of food, leaving of gifts for the departed, and the wearing of costumes. This is where it can get messy, were people carrying out the traditions and rituals to scare off spirits, or helping to guide lost souls? What is clear is that it is not about celebrating the bad spirits, making sacrifices, or practicing black magic. Modern Celtic religions such as Wicca, or Druidry celebrate with similar traditions to the ancient ways - with altars to honour nature, life, and those who have passed on. They have a final harvest feast before the start of winter. Certainly, no flying on broomsticks or putting frog’s legs in cauldrons. 

What about the Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos? This is celebrated on 1st/2nd November, predominantly in Mexico though other Central/South American cultures have similar traditions. It is a time to gather with friends and family to honour and remember those who have passed. It is marked by the creation of altars with offerings to the dead including flowers and gifts, and feasts including the favourite foods of the departed. A common symbol is the skull, which gives us the beautiful and elaborate costumes and face painting associated with the celebration. There is a festive tone to the event as people remember those passed on in positive ways. It is a celebration of life. 

Photo by Eduardo Dorantes on Unsplash

These are the main festivals at this time in terms of my English/Western European understanding (do other cultures in the Global South and East have any similar traditions and festivals?) They have all contributed to the current version of Halloween as we see it today. Can you see the similarities, rather than the differences? As a primary school teacher, I encouraged us to look for the common threads between religious festivals. They are nearly always celebrated by coming together with friends and family, a feast, sharing of gifts, and the of lighting of candles or fires - it is just the religious reasoning that changes. For the Gaelic and Christian religions, these are the main times for remembrance of those who have died thus one reason why they can meld together. 

So how have we got to the version of Halloween we have today? It is too simplistic to blame American influences or even commercialisation, but this version with a focus on evil spirits, huge amounts of sweets/candy, dressing up in costumes to scare others, the proliferation of horror films, and huge amounts of often single use, plastic decorations seems at times to have little to do with the original festivals. It has become an almost fully Secular festival. 

As with all traditions, many aspects of modern Halloween have traditional origins. Let’s start with the dressing in costume. This occurs in many cultures and traditions throughout the year; as a way to trick evil spirits, to hide from them, but also to carry out activities that might not usually be acceptable.

Costumes might have been like this Photo by Mallory Johndrow on Unsplash

I understand in America Halloween costumes are often milder than in the UK so we can’t entirely blame American imports for that. Some of the costumes worn in ancient ceremonies seem a lot more scary to modern sensibilities than wearing a sheet to be a ghost! What about trick or treating? It is linked to the wearing of costumes and going from house to house but also comes from people leaving out food to appease or feed the spirits as happens in many festivals. One of its original influences may be the pre-Christian Scottish tradition of guising where at different times of the year, people sometimes children, sometimes the poor of the village, dressed in disguise to go from house to house collecting food and gifts. And the pumpkins? Well, they really should be turnips. This originated in Christian Ireland and is only a couple of centuries old. Aside from the link to Samhain with lighting candles/fire this seems to come from the story of Stingy Jack who tricked the Devil and as punishment roams the land with only a light in a carved out turnip. This story was taken to America by Irish Immigrants where pumpkins were used instead to ward off evil spirits. Think I prefer Pumpkin pie or soup to a turnip version (if you make a jack-o-lantern, remember to use all of it!)

Photo by Bianca Ackermann on Unsplash

One of the activities I remember most from childhood Halloweens is apple bobbing - do people still do this? But it has absolutely nothing to do with any of this! It is thought to have been introduced by the Romans from their festival for Pomona, the Goddess of fruit and one of the traditions was apple bobbing. And of course - Halloween does coincide with the apple harvest. 

It is the horror aspect I am most uncomfortable with. It’s why there aren’t many images in this essay. Should we really have a festival that means people are scared or even menaced in their own homes? Where there is deliberate damage carried out? I know people that really don’t like it and are deliberately not at home on Halloween. Where another religion is represented in a twisted dark theatrical manner? I know I am in a minority as I have never liked horror/thrillers, even dramas set my adrenaline going in a very negative way. I know that some people love it, and want to be scared, especially in a mild, theatrical way. I know many people, especially those with young children do trick-or-treating in a fun and safe way. Humans have always been fascinated by the idea of the darker side of nature. Hollywood with its films, TV with its dramas, and mockumentaries have taken this and run, adding to the distorted way Pagan traditions and mythology are represented. Until recently, I hadn’t thought about it that deeply, I loved dressing up for various events (I think I carry off green face paint rather well!) I enjoyed carving pumpkins because I love being creative. I knew the secular version of Halloween wasn’t representative of Samhain (or All Hallows Tide). I wanted to write this so people could understand more about the original meaning behind celebrations at this time or at least not conflate horror, black magic, and evil with the traditions and cultural events of an ancient peaceful culture. We don’t need to change what we do, just be a bit more aware and think about our language. If you don’t like Halloween - for whatever reason but would like to do something at this time, I hope finding out more about these festivals and their common themes of time with friends and family, honouring those passed on, giving thanks to the harvest, preparing for the darker months and having fun has been helpful. 

Maybe find your own ways to celebrate. I’m lighting candles, and eating pumpkin soup and locally grown apples. In the tradition of Dia de Los Muertos, I’m remembering my loved ones who have passed on with happy memories.

Happy October into November however you are spending it.

Oh, one quick thing. I do have a big issue with the proliferation of single use plastic decorations and costumes for Halloween, especially the use of spray cobwebs to decorate the outside of houses. This can have devasting consequences for wildlife, either eating it or getting trapped in it. Make your own decorations from paper? Swap costumes with others or raid the charity shops? Don’t leave the pumpkins out for any snuffling creatures find them as they can cause problems instead put them on the compost after. See this article for more. Have a read of my post from last year for more on this (and some ways to be creative in Autumn).

A nudge from nature

Want to support me in writing more essays like this? Click below to drop me a donation. Thank you!