ALL HALLOW'S EVE
Halloween.
Sly does it. Tiptoe catspaw.
Slide and creep. But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin? 'You don't know, do you?' asks
Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud climbing out under the pile of leaves
under the Halloween Tree. 'You don't REALLY know!' --Ray Bradbury from
'The Halloween Tree'
Samhain. All Hallows. All
Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en.
Halloween. The most magical
night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year,
Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns,
bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night
of ghost stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with
mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from
the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A 'spirit night', as they say in
Wales.
All
Hallow's Eve is the eve of All Hallow's Day (November 1st). And for
once, even popular tradition remembers that the Eve is more important
than the Day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October
31st, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for the great
Celtic New Year's festival. Not that the holiday was Celtic only. In
fact, it is startling how many ancient and unconnected cultures (the
Egyptians and pre-Spanish Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a
festival of the dead. But the majority of our modern traditions can be
traced to the British Isles.
The
Celts called it Samhain, which means 'summer's end', according to their
ancient two-fold division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to
Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane. (Some modern Covens echo
this structure by letting the High Priest 'rule' the Coven beginning on
Samhain, with rulership returned to the High Priestess at Beltane.)
According to the later four-fold division of the year, Samhain is seen
as 'autumn's end' and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pronounced
(depending on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in Ireland), or 'sow-een'
(in Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or (inevitably) 'sam-hane' (in
the U.S., where we don't speak Gaelic).
Not
only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end
of the old year and the beginning of the new.
Celtic New Year's Eve, when the new year begins with the onset of the
dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown. There are
many representations of Celtic gods with two faces, and it surely
must
have been one of them who held sway over Samhain. Like his Greek
counterpart Janus, he would straddle the threshold, one face turned
toward the past in commemoration of those who died during the last year,
and one face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting
to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year holds. These two
themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are inexorably
intertwined in Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year's
celebration.
As a
feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they wished,
return to the land of the living for this one night, to celebrate with
their family, tribe, or clan. And so the great burial mounds of Ireland
(sidh mounds) were opened up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so
the dead could find their way. Extra places were set at the table and
food set out for any who had died that year. And there are many stories
that tell of Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the gates
of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed places by
cock-crow.
As a
feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into
the future. The reason for this has to do with the Celtic view of time.
In a culture that uses a linear concept of time, like our modern one,
New Year's Eve is simply a milestone on a very long road that stretches
in a straight line from birth to death. Thus, the New Year's festival is
a part of time. The ancient Celtic
view
of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year's Eve
represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the
universe dissolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to
reestablishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that
exists outside of time and hence it may be used to view any other point
in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading,
or tea-leaf reading so likely to succeed.
The
Christian religion, with its emphasis on the 'historical' Christ and his
act of redemption 2000 years ago, is forced into a linear view of time,
where 'seeing the future' is an illogical proposition. In fact, from the
Christian perspective, any attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil.
This did not keep the medieval Church from co-opting Samhain's other
motif, commemoration of the dead. To the Church, however, it could never
be a feast for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those
hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God - thus, All Hallow's, or
Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls.
There
are so many types of divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it
is possible to mention only a few. Girls were told to place hazel nuts
along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one of her
suitors. She could then divine her future husband by
chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn and die.'
Several methods used the apple, that most popular of Halloween fruits.
You should slice an apple through the equator (to reveal the
five-pointed star within) and then eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse
will then appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making sure the
peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, 'I pare this apple round
and round again; / My sweetheart's name to flourish on the plain: / I
fling the unbroken paring o'er my head, / My sweetheart's letter on the
ground to read.' Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of
your hearth.
The
considerate little creature will then spell out the initial letter
as it moves. Perhaps the most famous icon of the
holiday is the
jack-o-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish
or Irish origin. However, it
seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the
road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who
might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they
cast the same spell of protection over the household. (The American
pumpkin seems to have forever superseded the European gourd as
the jack-o-lantern of choice.) Bobbing for apples may well
represent the remnants of a Pagan 'baptism' rite called a 'seining',
according to some writers.
The water-filled tub is
a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice's head is
immersed. The fact that the participant in this folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind
the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft initiation
ceremony.
The
custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of Celtic origin with survivals
particularly strong in Scotland. However, there are some important
differences from the modern version. In the first place, the custom was
not relegated to children, but was actively indulged in by adults as
well. Also, the 'treat' which was required was often one of spirits
(the liquid variety). This
has recently been revived by
college students who go 'trick-or-drinking'. And in ancient times, the roving
bands would sing seasonal carols from house to house, making the
tradition very similar to Yuletide wassailing. In fact, the custom
known as 'caroling', now connected exclusively with mid-winter, was
once practiced at all the major holidays. Finally, in Scotland at
least, the tradition of dressing in costume consisted almost exclusively
of cross-dressing (i.e., men
dressing as women, and women
as men). It seems as though ancient societies provided an opportunity
for people to 'try on' the role of the opposite gender for one night of
the year. (Although in Scotland, this is admittedly less dramatic -
but more confusing - since men were in the habit of wearing skirt-like
kilts anyway. Oh well...)
To
Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays, or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter
days. Because it is the most
important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called 'THE Great Sabbat.' It is an ironic fact that
the newer, self-created Covens tend to use the older name of the
holiday, Samhain, which they have discovered through modern research.
While the older hereditary and traditional Covens often use the
newer name, Halloween, which has been handed down through oral tradition
within their Coven. (This is
often holds true for the
names of the other holidays, as well. One may often get an indication of a Coven's
antiquity by noting what names it uses for the holidays.)
With
such an important holiday, Witches often hold two distinct celebrations.
First, a large Halloween party for non-Craft friends, often held on the
previous weekend. And second, a Coven ritual held on Halloween night
itself, late enough so as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters. If
the rituals are performed properly, there is often the feeling of
invisible friends taking part in the rites. Another date which may be
utilized in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter day,
or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style). This occurs when the
sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio, an astrological 'power point'
symbolized by the Eagle. This year (1988), the date is November 6th at
10:55 pm CST, with the celebration beginning at sunset. Interestingly,
this date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated by the Church as the
holiday of Martinmas.
Of
all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the only one that still boasts
anything near to popular celebration. Even though it is typically
relegated to children (and the young-at-heart) and observed as an
evening affair only, many of its traditions are firmly rooted in
Paganism. Interestingly, some schools have recently attempted to abolish
Halloween parties on the grounds that it violates the separation of
state and religion. Speaking as a Pagan, I would be saddened by the
success of this move, but as a supporter of the concept of religion-free
public education, I fear I must concede the point. Nonetheless, it seems
only right that there SHOULD be one night of the year when our minds are
turned toward thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both Pagans and
non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld and its
inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your jack-o'lanterns
burn bright on this All Hallow's Eve.
