Samhain: The Celtic New Year
By A.R. Fiedler
Harvest and New
beginings
Ancient festival
Celebration of nature
A time of renewal
Communion with ancestors
Root of Hallow’een
Who celebrates
Samhain?
-The Celtic People of Ireland
-Pagan practitioners
The Celtic Calander
“beginning in darkness and
working towards light”
Two Halves
Four Quarters
Imbolc (Feb)
Beltane (May)
Lughnasa (Aug)
Samhain (Nov)
When Is Samhain
Celebrated?
Samhain (Sow-in) literally “the end of summer”
Time of the crone
Starts at sundown
From Oct. 31st to Nov. 1st
“a time between years”
Preparations
Herd brought from pasture
Sacrifice of the weak
Harvest gathered and
stored
“faeries blight”
A Time of Gathering
General Armistance
Meeting with your enemy
Political boundaries disolve
diplomacy
Settling of Debts
Feasting with family
Lighting and Extinguishing
the Fires
Home fires put out
Darkest night
“fire of bones”
Hygienic
Prayers/hopes
Return with fire
The start of a new year
Ashes to ashes
Protection/fertilization
The Thinning of the Veil
A time in between
The dead walk the earth
Leave out food and drink
Let no mortal hand touch it
Leave all doors and windows unlatched
Entertain the dead
The young play games
The old review the year, encourage the attention of the
dead
Protection
- A humble parshell - The Pooka
Christianity
-Samhain became Hallowmass
-Commemorate the souls the the blessed dead
-Modern day Hallowe’en
References
Biege, Bernd. Samhain, A very Irish Feast
http://goireland.about.com/od/historyculture/qt/trad_s
amhain.htm
Barrett, Suzanne. Samhain, the eve of all hallow
http://www.irelandforvisitors.com/articles/samhain.ht
m
Haggertu, Bridget. Samhain, the Irish new year
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Sam
hain.html
Photo Credits
Samhain: wilsonsalmanac.com
The hallow: wilsonsalmanac.com
Calendar: about.com
Face: ferdawg.blogspot.com
Bonfire: heavenandearthessentials.com
Cross/pooka: googleimages.com
The saints: ferdawg.blogspot.com