Samhain

Samhain (pronounced "Sow' en") heralds the beginning of the Celtic New Year. As the days grow shorter, the weather colder, and trees shed their leaves, the agricultural season comes to a close ... and a beginning. For in the dark of winter, cold forces seeds to germinate in preparation for their spring emergence. In winter's sleep, all the earth lies in wait for the light and the warm rays of spring--Imbolg to the Gaelic people of Éire and Alba. Ancient lore explains Winter in the story of the old woman goddess, Cailleach, who struck the ground with her hammer, and made it hard until Imbolc. It is the time when Celts believed the gates to the otherworld were opened and they could communicate with the dead. Later, in the Christian era the festival has been reassigned to the Feast of All Saints, however, many of the customs surrounding it concern this understanding of the accessibility to the dead at this time. November is a month of special devotions to the dead. It was thought that at the feasts of Samhain and Bealtaine (May 1st), supernatural events took place. Some believe Samhain is the time the fairy mounds open and the Sídhe--the fairies (pronounced "Shee")--swarm. Some believe the Sídhe are the spirits of the dead, others the Tuatha Dé Dannan. Nevertheless, it was a dangerous time to be abroad at night for fear of abduction by the Sídhe as they traveled around the countryside. Over hundreds of years, many of the customs and practices of the pagan Celts have been absorbed into Christianity. Halowe'en has been celebrated more than two thousand years in Ireland. Its origins are steeped in antiquity. Even today, some people will tell that the moan of the bean Sídhe ("banshee") foretells of a death in a family by morning.

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The long barrows where dead heroes were buried are also the fairy mounds which open up at Samhain. On this evening, it was customary to leave a milk and barley offering for the Sídhe. It was also a time for family feasting, to mark the laying in of a good harvest for winter. To avert the threat of famine, a cake might be thrown against the door. It was a time for storytelling and games, often games of divination, for this was the night of the Devil, and Samhain was his time. Among the pagan Celts, it was also a time of sacrifice of the black sheep in memory of those who had died in the year. Stories of ghosts and hauntings abound in rural Ireland. It is said that William Butler Yeats had the fairy faith and incorporated much fairy lore into his poetry. In his book Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888), he said:

Feasting and merrymaking played a big part in rural homes. The mistress of the house prepared a special feast in honor of the night. Colcannon, a mashed potato and kale or cabbage dish with a reservoir of creamy melted butter, was a favourite. Boxty bread, made from mashed potatoes and flour was also popular, as was Báirín Breac - Barmbrack. The folk traditions were taken to America by Irish emigrants, and the familiar "Trick or Treat" chant echoes old beliefs in the ill-wishing of witches.

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The Ulster Cycle is peppered with references to Samhain. Many of the adventures and campaigns undertaken by the characters therein begin at the Samhain Night feast. One such tale is Eachtra Neraí ('The Adventure of Nera') concerning one Nera from Connacht who undergoes a test of bravery put forth by his King Ailill. The prize is the king's own gold-hilted sword. The terms hold that a man must leave the warmth and safety of the hall and pass through the night to a gallows where two prisoners had been hanged the day before, tie a twig around one man's ankle, and return. Others had been thwarted by the demons and spirits that harassed them as they attempted the task, quickly coming back to Ailill's hall in shame. Nera goes on to complete the task and eventually infiltrates the sídhe where he remains trapped until next Samhain. Taking etymology into consideration, it is interesting to note that the word for summer expressed in the Eachtra Neraí is samraid. The other cycles feature Samhain as well. The Cath Magh Tuireadh (battle of the plain of pillars or the plain of towers) takes place on Samhain. The deities Morrígan and Dagda meet and have sex before the battle against the Fomorians; in this way the Morrígan acts as a sovereignty figure and gives the victory to The Dagda's people, the Tuatha Dé Danann. The tale Macgníomhartha Finn (the boyhood deeds of Fionn) includes an important scene at Samhain. The young Fionn Mac Cumhail visits Tara where Aillen the Burner, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, puts everyone to sleep at Samhain and burns the place. Through his ingenuity Fionn is able to stay awake and slays Aillen, and is given his rightful place as head of the Fianna.

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In medieval Ireland, Samhain became the principal festival, celebrated with a great assembly at the royal court in Teamhair - Tara, lasting for three days. After being ritually started on the hill of Tlachta, a bonfire was set alight on the hill of Teamhair, which served as a beacon, signaling to people gathered atop hills all across Ireland to light their ritual bonfires. The custom has survived to some extent, and recent years have seen a resurgence in participation in the festival. Pope Boniface was instrumental in superimposing a Christian festival over the pagan tradition. He adopted the festival of the dead to become the festival of all saints and martyrs. Originally, it took place on 13 May, but a century later, Pope Gregory III shifted it to November. In Ireland, All Saints Day was instituted in 998 A.D. by Abbot Odilo of Cluny, and by the thirteenth century, the Christian festival of the dead was firmly established though the old pagan rituals persisted as folk customs.

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In the traditional Gaelic world, cattle were the primary unit of currency and the center of agricultural and pastoral life. Samhain was the traditional time for slaughter, for preparing stores of meat and grain to last through the coming winter. The word 'bonfire', or 'bonefire' is a direct translation of the Irish tine cnámh. With the bonfire ablaze, the locals extinguished all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit its hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the area together. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side by side, and the people would walk between the fires as a ritual of purification. Often the cattle and other livestock would be driven between the fires, as well. Today people leap over the dying fire 'for the craic', usually without knowing the ancient roots of this behaivour.

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Today, much of the past beliefs have moved into the background as costumed children move about the neighborhoods begging sweets in their annual celebration of Hallowe'en. In Baile Átha Cliath - Dublin, a family might be found watching a program on television rather than setting out a portion of barley and milk to appease the Sídhe. However, beneath the cloak of Christianity, Ireland's age old rituals permeate the lives of country and city people alike. The rituals of a pagan culture steeped in antiquity, are very much evident in the country people, their beliefs and practices, especially on Samhain, the eve of the Celtic new year. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities celebrated down through the last several centuries, and up through the present day all over the country. In Waterford, Oíche Shamhna is called Oídhche Na h-Aimléise, "the night of mischief". It was a custom for boys to assemble in gangs and descend on farmers to levy a sort of blackmail, good-humoredly asked for, and as cheerfully given, according to Kevin Danaher in his book The year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs.