What is Samhain? The Witch’s New Year

The dumb supper is when a meal is hosted and consumed by the living, but the dead are invited to participate and given seats and places at the table as a sign of respect. Often the windows are open during a dumb supper to invite the spirits into the home, to be respected and revered by the inhabitants. Sometimes specific spirits are invited, other times the invitation is simply open for any spirit which chooses to partake. During the course of the dinner, the living attendants remain silent as they enjoy their meals, simply using the silence to remember those who have passed on.

As Samhain is one of the four Celtic Fire Festivals, it’s a great time to have a cozy bonfire or perhaps just a fire at home in the hearth. Meats can be roasted over the flames and thanks given to the animals who gave their lives to give you nourishment.

Carving Jack-O-Lanterns originally came from the myth of “Stringy Jack”, which is an Irish folktale about a man who tricked the devil and now has to wander the world with a lit piece of coal protected inside a carved turnip. This transformed into people carving their own turnips or potatoes and placing them in windows or doorways to scare away Stringy Jack and other potentially harmful or tricky spirits. Once Irish immigrants came to America, the tradition was continued with Pumpkins.

Trick-or-Treating is also derived from old Samhain traditions. The Celts believed that by dressing up they were disguising themselves from negative spirits who would wander the Earth on Samhain. In the Middle-Ages, “guising” was when children or impoverished people would dress in costumes and go door-to-door begging for food in exchange for songs or prayers. This practice was known as “souling” and the participants called “soulers”. In Ireland, the practice of mumming involved dressing up in costumes, and going door-to-door to sing in exchange for tasty cakes and baked goods.