Hello friends! Samhain is almost upon us, so I thought I would show off my decorations. :) I put most of them out a while ago, but I just carved the pumpkin today. šš±š
I tried to take a photo with the candle lit, but it's daytime so even with the blinds closed it was still pretty bright in here
Samhain is the original holiday from which Halloween comes. It's the Celtic new year. Samhain runs from sunset 31st October through sunset 3rd November, or the three days around the full moon closest to there.
Originally in Ireland the tradition was to carve a turnip. Pumpkins became the tradition in America. The idea is that the veil between worlds is thin at Samhain, so spirits can cross over. This is why you might set a place for your dead loved ones at the table, why you give treats to those who ask (because they could be spirits!), why costumes (because any mischievous spirits will think you are a spirit too and leave you alone), and carve a turnip/pumpkin, to scare off any ill-intentioned spirits.
Bobbing for apples was originally a tradition to predict how the new year was going to go for you.
Huge bonfires were lit and offerings made (and for the record because I've been asked this before: no, modern Druids do not sacrifice people or animals, and we don't even know if ancient Druids did, either; that tale comes from the Romans, who were conquering Celtic lands and killing Druids, so it could have just been propaganda on their part, which we know the Romans did in other instances. But if they did do it, so did plenty of other ancient peoples, including monotheists (it's in the Bible, and not just animals, as Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son Issac until he got a sign to stop), so it wouldn't have been unique to them. So please don't come at me with any bigoted nonsense, thanks.
And if you're wondering, pentacles are a symbol of protection, the Goddess, and of Paganism in general. They have nothing to do with the Christians' boogeyman.
So a happy Samhain to all! May the new year being peace and blessings to people around the world. š