Samhain v.Halloween

By Retrokali

As most of us already know, pagan holidays far pre-date Christian ones. A quicky little synopsis is that when the newish Christian church tried to convert the peasantry, the pagan peasantry said, “Sure we can celebrate Easter”, then went and celebrated Ostara too…they said, “yeah, All Saints Day, why not?” But only after lighting their Samhain balefire. The church wasn’t having any of that. So the pope and his buddies decided that Yule should be Christmas, Ostara should be Easter, and so on. They sort of superimposed the new Christian holidays smack dab on top of the already existing old pagan ones.

So what is a modern pagan to do? Do you celebrate Easter AND Ostara? Yule AND Christmas? I think that is entirely up to you, and your family, and is based on many different factors. But one holiday that I love celebrating the pagan side and the commercial side is Samhain/Halloween. And I celebrate them differently.

I would say that Samhain is the most sacred of all holidays to me. It is the Witches New Year, the time when the veil is thinnest; the time when seeing into the future is clear as a bell, the time when witches shine. Halloween is all candy, and fun, and costumes, and spookiness, and Target knick-knacks displayed throughout the house. There is definately some bleed through in the symbolism, as with all the pagan holidays, but I can say that Halloween is very different to me than Samhain.

My day starts with a Samhain greeting, and a vocal thanks to all my spirit guides, and helpers. I make sure to let them know how much I appreciate everything they do. My altar is usually set up several days before to reflect Samhain, but on Samhain morn I sit before it and tune into the day.

Then onto Halloween. Costume making, and food preparation eat up most of the day. As I celebrate Halloween by making Body Parts Dip, Spider cupcakes, Mummy Dogs, and Green Goblin punch I get swept away in the fun of it. The sense of abandonment of the norm. I love putting on my costume, and dressing up the kids, but as night falls I can feel the sacred Samhain creeping behind me.

Every year, whether I am a French Maid, or my more traditional witch, I don my large pentacle. It is the only night of the year when I can wear it anywhere, and I won’t get dirty looks. My super Christian family members don’t get offended; the grocery store clerk doesn’t balk. And why should she? The guy behind me in line is dressed as a gorilla. What difference does a pentacle make?

As night falls I breathe in the energy that is Samhain, the dark, somewhat ethereal energy. I excuse myself from all the passing out of candy, and trick or treating to sit in front of a small fire for a moment. Tossing in a handful of dried Rosemary from my garden I am thankful for the past year, and ask to see a glimpse of the next. Sometimes it is evident in the smoke; sometimes the visions come in my dreams throughout the night.

As I lay my head on my pillow that night having wiped away all the traces of glitter and dark eye makeup, I am glad. It has been another great Halloween and Samhain gone by.