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~Magickal Graphics~
Samhain also known as Halloween, Hallowe'en, All Hallows Eve and Allhelgona amongst others takes place on the last day of October. It is the end of summer, where only summer and winter are recognised as seasons. In certain traditions this is the start of the new year. It is followed by All Saints Day in the Church calendar.


It is believed that the Veil between the worlds is at its thinnest at this time and so it is both a time to be wary of spirits – hence the jack'o'lanterns to scare away evil spirits – and to remember the ancestors. Some people hold a dumb supper at which their loved ones who have passed over are welcome at. It is an idea time for divination, be it through tarot cards, runes, scrying, or other means.

Apples are traditional for this festival, plain for apple bobbing, and covered in caramel as toffee apples/candy apples. Pumpkins are carved into lanterns, though any squash can be used, and before the American influence of pumpkins took over, the more traditional turnips and swedes prevailed in Ireland and Britain.

Colours include black, orange, grey, deep blue, deep purple, and burgundy. Stones like obsidian and amethyst are appropriate for October.

Other correspondences include: skulls, bones, apples, pumpkins, sickles, scythes, representations of your ancestors, cornucopia, root vegetables, died leaves, acorns and nuts, divination tools, mulled wine, dark breads, images of deities related to death (eg Osiris, Hecate).

munanna introduced me to Allhelgona; the Swedish version of All Hallow's Eve - full name Alla Helgons Dag which translated to English would be "All Saints Day". For the protestants of the Swedish Church it's the time to go put flowers and little white candles on the graves of their loved ones. Below, I mention my own Samhain ritual.

Some pagans worry about the more fun aspects of Halloween, like eating sweet foods, dressing up, and watching scary movies. The pagan about.com guide puts it like this: Think of Samhain and Halloween like this - one is spiritual, one is secular. There's no reason they have to be mutually exclusive at all. You can still observe the fun and silliness of Halloween -- and pig out on candy, if you like -- while maintaining the more somber traditions of honoring the dead at Samhain. The reverse follows; there's nothing pagan about putting on a costume for fun, and paganism has no exclusivity on honouring ancestors.

Soul Cakes –Discworld readers are familiar with the Soul Cake Duck, and this is the origin of that reference. Soul cakes were traditionally baked as a gift for the spirits of the dead. In many European countries, the idea of "Souling" became an acceptable alternative for Christians. The cakes took many different names and shapes -- in some areas, they were simple shortbread, and in others they were baked as fruit-filled tarts. Still other regions made them of rice flour. Generally, a soul cake was made with whatever grain the community had available. That text comes this site which has four recipes if you want to try baking something for the festival.

This page gives ideas and links to ideas for decorations, recipes, and rituals.

Passing Over Ritual

(I posted about this already but I'm making it part of the Samhain post too)

I took this ritual from a book of eclectic witchcraft; when someone passes over (dies) you light a candle for them and say your goodbyes, maybe asking specific deities or spirits to help guide them to the Other Side. The exact form this memorial takes should be up to the mourner. As pets don't get funerals, I carry out this passing over ritual for lost animal companions, and find it both difficult and heartbreaking, and comforting and necessary, in equal measure.

I use a tea light candle for this ritual and when I've finished the ceremony, which is only a few minutes long, I blow out the flame and let the wax solidify. Then I store the candle in an envelope or bag marked with the name of the pet.

At Samhain I take out the candles. I light each one in turn, remembering the pet and the good times we had together, and tell them that if they want to visit me in spirit form while the veil is thin, that they are welcome to do so. Then I extinguish the candle and move on to the next. Finally, I put all the candles away for the following year.

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Across the world, in the Southern Hemisphere, it is Beltane, a fire festival full of fertility symbolism – the time of Brighid rather than the Cailleach.