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What Do Modern Witches Do at Halloween? ~*~Goldunicorns~*~ |
What Do Modern Witches Do at Halloween?
It is an important holiday for us. Witches are diverse, and practice a variety of traditions. Many of us use this time to practice forms of divination (such as tarot or runes). Many Witches also perform rituals to honor the dead; and may invite their deceased loved ones to visit for a time, if they choose. This is not a "seance" in the usual sense of the word; Witches extend an invitation, rather than summoning the dead, and we believe the world of the dead is very close to this one. So on Samhain, and again on Beltane (May 1st), when the veil between the worlds is thin, we attempt to travel between those worlds. This is done through meditation, visualization, and astral projection. Because Witches acknowledge human existence as part of a cycle of life, death and rebirth, Samhain is a time to reflect on our mortality, and to confront our fears of dying.
Some Witches look on Samhain as a time to prepare for the long, dark months of winter, a time of introspection and drawing inward. They may bid goodbye to the summer with one last celebratory rite. They may have harvest feasts, with vegetables and fruits they have grown, or home-brewed cider or mead. They may give thanks for what they have, projecting for abundance through the winter. Still others may celebrate with costume parties, enjoying treats and good times with friends. There are as many ways of observing Samhain as there are Witches in the world!
Other names for this holiday include:
All Hallows Eve ("hallow" means "sanctify"); Hallowtide; Hallowmass; Hallows; The Day of the Dead; All Soul's Night; All Saints' Day (both on November 1st).
For early Europeans, this time of the year marked the beginning of the cold, lean months to come; the flocks were brought in from the fields to live in sheds until spring. Some animals were slaughtered, and the meat preserved to provide food for winter. The last gathering of crops was known as "Harvest Home, " celebrated with fairs and festivals.
In addition to its agriculture significance, the ancient Celts also saw Samhain as a very spiritual time. Because October 31 lies exactly between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice, it is theorized that ancient peoples, with their reliance on astrology, thought it was a very potent time for magic and communion with spirits. The "veil between the worlds" of the living and the dead was said to be at its thinnest on this day; so the dead were invited to return to feast with their loved ones; welcomed in from the cold, much as the animals were brought inside. Ancient customs range from placing food out for dead ancestors, to performing rituals for communicating with those who had passed over.
Communion with the dead was thought to be the work of witches and sorcerers, although the common folk thought nothing of it. Because the rise of the Church led to growing suspicion of the pagan ways of country dwellers, Samhain also became associated with witches, black cats ("familiars" or animal friends), bats (night creatures), ghosts and other "spooky" things...the stereotype of the old hag riding the broomstick is simply a caricature; fairy tales have exploited this image for centuries.
Divination of the future was also commonly practiced at this magically-potent time; since it was also the Celtic New Year, people focused on their desires for the coming year. Certain traditions, such as bobbing for apples, roasting nuts in the fire, and baking cakes which contained tokens of luck, are actually ancient methods of telling fortunes.
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| Alias | Date | Reply |
| §ilent Echo |
10/22/2005 4:49:00 AM |
Lol, I do not use the word holiday for ANY Sabbat *grins* Good information however! |
| KatScan |
10/22/2005 8:14:00 AM |
Very informative post. :) |
| What the Base? |
10/22/2005 9:54:00 AM |
LOL @ Sur5r!! This post was great though!! Blessed Be!! |
| christiansoldier |
10/22/2005 10:06:00 AM |
Witchcraft has been condemned time and time again in the bible. God calls it a abomination. I am not throwing insults at the witchcraft thingy. We all have free will. Please dont take this as a insult. :-/ Please? i just felt the holy spirit tell me that i needed to reply to this post, and tell what God says about it. ISA 8:19 - "19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?", 1Timothy 4:1 - "1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." , 2kings 17:17 - "17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in [a] the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.", Acts 19:19 - "19A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas." - Again, this is what the bible says, and please dont take this as a insult from me.. I am just stating what I believe. I still love you guys. :-) |
| You Choose |
10/22/2005 1:32:00 PM |
I can only say what I know from two people that claimed to be witches (one was a friend of my step-mom and the other was a college friend of my sisters years back). They both celebrated what we call "Christmas" on Halloween accept they didn't call it Christmas. I don't know what they called it but I know they opened and exchanged presents. |
| OGGY DOGGIE |
10/23/2005 1:37:00 PM |
Witchcraft, wiccan or paganism...(w/e it is) coinfuses me lol. too many words, days, meanings...makes my head spin!! |
| DanL |
10/28/2005 6:45:00 PM |
Witches enjoy their holidays just as do Christians. Many are on or about the same day because of Constintine who to some extent merged the Pagan with the Christian faiths. "Namaste" ~DanL~ |
| Hagatha |
10/28/2005 6:50:00 PM |
Thanks for sharing this information. |
| goldunicorns |
10/29/2005 3:07:00 AM |
dear on ward... no insalt taken, to each their own but I have to tell ya pagans were here LONG before the bible and christ....and it was the roman cathlics that started with the fact that pagans were an abomination becase they could NOT make us follow them... so you may beleave in what you chose that is your choice. We on he other had chose to go with our family lines and we are happy to take those that just dont feel like chrisianity or any faith that is not fullfilling for them, with out judgement. oh and a little fact for ya, WE NEVER SOLD OUR SOULS TO THE DEVIL, you can not sell something to some one that does not exsist. We do not beleave in hell and we do not beleave in a devil, so there for you can not sell your soul to something that is not there. sorry. BLESSED BE!!!!!! |
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