The Story of Halloween goes back over 2000 years to the ancient Celts. Druidic priests regarded the day as the end of the year. Not only was it their day for celebrating the year's harvest, but October 31 itself was also the day of Samhain, a festival for honoring the dead. In order to appease the wandering spirits they believed roamed at night, the Celtic priests made fires in which they burned sacrifices, made charms, and cast spells.
PORTIONS of the Celtic holiday of the dead eventually passed into christian culture after the Romans conquered the Celts and tried to bring the Celts into the "Christian fold."
IT EVENTUALLY became apparent to the church leaders that the Celts, in spite of their conformation to some aspects of Christian culture, were stubbornly sticking with elements of their old religion. So, in the seventh century AD, the church moved its All Saints' Day, a holiday for honoring early Christian martyrs, from a day in May to November 1, thus associating it with the old Druid death rituals of October 31.
BY THE TENTH CENTURY A.D., the Catholic Church had added a new holiday, All Souls' Day. This day was set aside to honor all of the dead, not just the early Christian Saints.
CELEBRATION OF HALLOWEEN came to America with early Irish and Scottish immigrants. By then, though, it had already started to lose its mysterious overtones and was becoming merely a harvest celebration; a night of bobbing for apples, eating popcorn, and telling ghost stories around a bonfire. It was already changing into the holiday for children with which we in the 20th century are so familiar.HALLOWEEN, SAMHAIN, ALL HALLOW'S EVE is a fun, exciting, and terrifying holiday, all at the same time!
Thanks for celebrating All Souls' Day with Elswet. I hope you enjoy this section of the site!
Wiccan
Samhain Oct 31st The Witches New Year's Eve. The veil between the worlds is very thin and communication with the Other Side is easier. This also marks the Lord's rule beginning.
PREPARING YOUR ALTAR° Altar candles should be orange.
° Incense should be myrrh or patchouli, or both.
° Circle may be decorated with autumn flowers, small pumpkins, branches, Indian corn, and gourds.
° Circle candles sould always be for the elementals (green, yellow, red, and blue).
° Have a piece of "organic" paper; ie, parchment, onion skin, rice, etc., upon which you have written down all bad habits and weaknesses you would be shed of.
° Have a black votive inside your cauldron.
° Have a white votive sitting on the altar.
° Have some heather on the altar, an apple and a pomegranate.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CEREMONY
Sweep circle area; lay out circle and altar items; bathe and robe. Light incense and altar candles. Ring bell three times and say,
"The circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady and my Lord.
Take center candle from altar, light each candle of the circle moving north, then east, south and west and say,
(N) I call upon light and earth at the north to illuminate and strengthen the circle.
(E) I call upon light and air at the east to illuminate and enliven the circle.
(S) I call upon light and fire at the south to illuminate and warm the circle.
(W) I call upon light and water at the west to illuminate and cleanse the circle.
Take athame in upraised hand, begin circle at north and move around the circle north to east to south to west, and say,
I draw this circle in the presence of the Goddess and the God where they may come and bless their child, Say your magickal name.
Lower the athame at the north, and as you walk around the circle, envision a blue light shooting out from the point and forming the circle boundary and say,
This is the boundary of the circle. Only love shall enter and leave.
Return to the altar and ring bell three times. Place point of athame in the altar bowl of salt and say...
Salt is life and purifying. I bles this salt to be used in this sacred circle in the names of the Goddess and the God.
Pick up the salt bowl and use tip of athame to drop three portions of salt into the altar bowl of water and set salt bowl back in its place. Stir three times with athame and say...
Let the blessed salt purify this water that it may be lessed to use in this sacred circle. In the names of the Goddess and the God, I consecrate and cleanse this water.
Take the salted water bowl in hand and sprinkle water from it as you move deosil around the circle, NESWN and say...
I (speak your magickal name) am consecrated in the names of the Goddess and the God in this, their circle.
Take the wand and hold it aloft, with both arms open and upraised, at the north of the circle, envision a powerful bull arriving and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Earth, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I have body and strength, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to east, raise up wand, envisioning fairies devas or an eagle in flight arriving and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Air, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I breathe and think, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the south, raise up the wand, envisioning a fire dragon and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Fire, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I consume life to live, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the west, hold wand aloft, envision an undine, sea serpent or dolphin arriving, and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Water, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I feel and my heart beats, we are kith and kin!
Return to the altar and use wand to draw in the air above the altar the symbol of infinity (an 8 lying on its side), the sign of working between the worlds. Set wand on altar, raise up athame in both hands overhead and say:
Hail to the elementals at the four quarters! Welcome Lady and Lord to this rite! I stand between the worlds with love and power all around! Pour wine into your cauldron as a libation to the Divine in which they are honored by offering to them the first draught, then you drink. Ring bell three times and say,
I celebrate the dance of life to death to new life and the balance of the cosmos in my life! The last harvest is gathered and stored for the dark months ahead, and the wheel has turned to the time of the Hunter.
Ring bell nine times and say,
As this time is the veil between the worlds thin, and I welcome thee spirits who have gone before and thee others who pass between two worlds. This is the crone's time and with the Lord of the Shadows, she is the passage from life to life that all must take. They give a refreshing rest in the continuous turning of the spiral dance that goes and returns, yet ever moves on. With the Ancient Ones, I move with the dance unperturbed. Love gives strength; give to gain.
Take wand, hold it aloft and say,
Great Lady, fruitful mother, you have showered me with your bounty, and in this turning of the seasons, I bid you farewell as you walk now as crone with the Lord of the Hunt. I know that within you is yet another fruit waiting to be born, and I will bide patient until the mother returns.
Replace wand on altar, place cauldron on pentacle on alter, light black candle within it from the center candle and say
Here is the cauldron of endings and new beginnings. Into this burning flame do I cast my weaknesses and the habits that keep me from attaining my potential. By the death of these things will I live a better life. So mote it be!
Cast the parchment into the flame to burn. After it is reduced to ashes, ring bell nine times. Take the white candle and pass it through the patchouli incense and say,
With this candle and by its light I welcome you spirits this Samhain night.
This candle will be saved to be lit and polaced inside your jack-o'-lantern to light the way f0or spirit visitors. Because it was used in the Sabbat and was anointed, it will also screen for friendly spirits, which is why I usually do the Sabbat a couple of hours before sunset. Now take the heather in you power hand, hold it over the altar, and say,
I call upon the power of this herb to bless this house and the spirits that come to visit.
Drop the heather into the cauldron and say,
The air is purified and made pleasant for the spirits and others who may call upon me. Blessed be!
Take up the apple, hold it aloft over the alter and say
I call upon thee. Lord and Lady, to bless this fruit to be the food for the dead. Let any who visit find sustenance in this apple and pass on refreshed. So mote it be!
After the Sabbat is concluded, bury the apple in the garden, or in a pot of soil just outside your door.
Wine and cakes are usual taken after any Green ritual or rite. Then, the elementals are thanked and dismissed, and the circle is taken down.
OTHER ACTIVITIES- Bake cookies, cakes and goodies
- Build a bonfire and eat outside
- Bob for apples
- Drink apple cider warmed and spiced with cinnamon to honor the dead
- Do divinations for the next year
- Set out a Mute Supper for the dead who will come visit
- Trick or Treating is the final suggestion, but I always held parties at home for My children. It's safer for them and more private for the pagan Pparents.
