Samhain, similar to Dia de los Muertos, is a holiday tradition to celebrate our ancestors. It starts on October 31st and is celebrated to November 2nd.
An altar is set for our departed ones to honor their memory. It is tradition to place a picture of the departed loved one, oranges, apples and seasonal foods on the altar. It is also traditional to include the departed one’s favorite items.
Historical Origins
Samhain has Gaelic origins. Gaels would celebrate the end of the harvest season and beginning of the winter. They also believed that during this time the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. They celebrated for 3 days straight, drinking and eating the food they harvested.
Food was placed on fields or outside villages as an offering to the fairies or Sidhs. Gaels would dress as animals and monsters so that fairies wouldn’t kidnap the soul of their ancestors, since they believed that during Samhain, the veil between worlds was at is thinnest; therefore ancestors would come and visit.
During the Middle Ages, those who celebrated Samhain would set altars for their loved ones and would host “dumb suppers”. During Dumb suppers, participants would consume seasonal foods such as oranges, apples, & traditional soul cakes. They would eat in silence as a sign of respect to their departed ones.
Samhain was later adopted by Christianity. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory declared November 1st “All Saints Day” followed by All Souls’ Day November 2nd.
Celebrate Samhain with The Mystic Collective
As part of our efforts to bring awareness to this holiday, The Mystic Collective is proud to host its first Samhain celebration!
November 1st, 2021 from 6-9pm at The Groovy Coop in McKinney, TX
We enjoyed three hours of yoga, Reiki, ritual, drinks & music with like-minded people.
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[ Citations ]
- https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain
- Samhain by Ellen Evert Hopman & Andrew Theitic
