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by Kammio on July 26th, 2008

Kammio

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How do i set up an altar for Samhain?

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  • by gmeades on July 26th, 2008

    gmeades

    To begin with, no such God ever existed.
    http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_sa.htm

    History of the Festival -
    Contrary to a popular Internet-based rumor, Samhain was not the name of some ancient Celtic god of death, or of anything else, for that matter. Religious scholars agree that the word Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") comes from the Gaelic “Samhuin,” but they’re divided on whether it means the end or beginning of summer. After all, when summer is ending here on earth, it’s just beginning in the Underworld. Samhain actually refers to the daylight portion of the holiday, on November 1st.

    Around the eighth century or so, the Catholic Church decided to use November 1st as All Saints Day. This was actually a pretty smart move on their part – the local pagans were already celebrating that day anyway, so it made sense to use it as a church holiday. All Saints’ became the festival to honor any saint who didn’t already have a day of his or her own. The mass which was said on All Saints’ was called Allhallowmas – the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before naturally became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually morphed into what we call Halloween.

    Samhain is a night of magic, the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. It’s the night best suited for calling upon the spirits, seeing fairies or encountering a ghost. Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us.

    Many modern Witches and Pagans mark Samhain as the beginning of a new year. This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Think about the things you did in the last twelve months. Have you left anything unresolved? Is there a whole bunch of stuff on your To Do List that you just haven’t gotten around to yet? If so, now is the time to wrap things up. Once you’ve gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year.

    For some of us, Samhain is when we honor our ancestors who came before us. If you’ve ever done genealogy research, or if you’ve had a loved one die in the past year, this is the perfect night to celebrate their memory. If we’re fortunate, they will return to communicate with us from beyond the veil, and offer advice, protection and guidance for the upcoming year.

    If you want to celebrate Samhain in the Celtic tradition, spread the festivities out over three consecutive days. You can hold a ritual and feast each night. Be flexible, though, so you can work around trick-or-treating schedules!

    Bringing the Holiday Home
    Consider decorating your home with symbols of the season. Like all holidays – whether spiritual or secular -- decorating your house is one of those things that are a matter of personal taste. You can either go crazy with witches and pumpkins everywhere, or you can go for a more subtle effect and toss a few strategically placed acorns in a dish and be done with it. It’s entirely up to you.

    Samhain is the last of the three harvest holidays, following Lughnasadh and Mabon, so keep the harvest theme in mind when you’re decking your halls and walls.

    - Use branches and brightly colored leaves, gourds and pumpkins, pomegranates, Indian corn, and apples. It’s the time of year when the world is dying; take advantage of it and get in touch with your darker side. While it may creep out some of the neighbors, Samhain is the perfect opportunity to take some grave rubbings, hang scythes and skulls on the walls, and put out other symbols of Death.

    -Feel free to raid the local discount stores for goodies, but really, if you’re handy with a hot glue gun and have an imagination there is little you can’t do. Home-made decorations are always nicer and more personal, so take the time to put a few out. You’ll be glad you did, because inevitably someone will say to you, “Wow! I never thought of doing that! How clever of you!”

    - Find some inexpensive wire baskets at thrift stores, or some pretty bushel-style ones. Fill them with harvest foods, such as gourds, apples, and miniature pumpkins. Place them on tables throughout your home.

    - Get a plain terra-cotta flower pot or vase, and use acrylic paints to decorate it in browns, oranges, and other colors of fall. Gather twigs from your yard or a local park, and display them in the vase. If you’re using a flower pot, get some green florist’s foam to stick in the bottom.

    - Fill a Mason jar with acorns and dried leaves. Add some pumpkin pie seasoning. If you don’t have any, make your own by combining equal parts nutmeg, allspice, clove and cinnamon. Cover the top of the jar with a scrap of fall fabric, and tie in place with a ribbon or raffia. Leave your “acorn potpourri” jar in places where it can be smelled and admired.
    Get some hay bales and stack them in your yard. Make a scarecrow with old clothes, newspapers, and a pumpkin head. Hang Indian corn around the house in bundles.

    - Carve jack-o-lanterns! If you have very young children, they may have more fun painting their pumpkins than carving them. Painted pumpkins will last longer than carved ones anyway. Use acrylic paints for brighter colors. Make one for each member of your family, and place them at the front door to greet visitors.

    - For some reason, in the fall, the creative juices really get flowing. Maybe it’s because of the changes in the weather, or perhaps it’s because we know the new year is approaching and we want to start it on a high note, using our imagination and creativity to kick things off.

    - This is the time of year when we're in the kitchen nearly all day, either coming up with new recipes, craft ideas for the kids, or sewing costumes for the upcoming celebration.
    http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/holidaysandcelebrations/a/samhain.htm

    Comments

    • It's a Holiday!!! wicca?

      Kammio

      by Kammio on July 26th, 2008

    • It's a Celtic holiday, similar to Thanksgiving. Wiccan's adopted it as a holiday, as well. But there is no God specifically identified with the holiday, (read the info in the link above to find out about the misunderstanding) and therefore no purpose in setting up an altar. some further info -
      http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htmi

      gmeades

      by gmeades on July 26th, 2008

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