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Samhain - "Summer's end" From
ghoulies and ghosties Traditional Scottish Prayer Every year about this time I’m reminded of this old prayer as the days begin to get noticeably shorter. For me it is a reminder of our ties to the people of the British Isles and their spirituality, particularly the spirituality of the Celtic people. It is a reminder that at the end of October we celebrate All Hallows Eve. Samhain (pronounced Sow-in) literally means “summer's end.” In Celtic spirituality communities celebrated this feast at the end of the harvest, when families prepared for the long dark winter by stocking the pantries with cured meat and other food items for the winter months. This cycle acknowledged that planting, growth and harvest were all a part of humanity’s survival. They believed that the thin veil that separated life from death, that separated this world from the next reached its thinnest point at this time of year. They gathered to remember the legacy of their ancestors from generations past and--because of the transparency between this world and the next-- many believed that during this sacred time the spirits of those who had died could briefly return to this world. With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Hallow E’en, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven. There are definitely connections between the older Celtic spirituality and our Christian understanding of All Hallows Eve. It is from this connection that we maintain some of our Halloween traditions. The jack-o-lantern is one of them. Scary faces were carved into pumpkins and other gourds, and candles were placed inside and propped in front of houses to ward off any malevolent spirits that might wander through the thin veil into our world. But candles were also placed in windows to guide the dearly departed back to their former homes. Then there was the tradition of bobbing for apples. In ancient Celtic lore, at the heart of the Celtic Otherworld there grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical healing properties. Old sagas tell of heroes crossing the western sea to find this wondrous Otherworld, known in Ireland as Emhain Abhlach, and in Britainas Avalon- the legendary resting place of King Arthur. At Samhain when the apple harvest was in, old hearthside games such as apple-bobbing-- apple-dookin’ in Scotland-- reflected the journey across the water to obtain the magic apple. This will undoubtedly sound familiar to you: the game consisted of a large barrel of water in which a number of apples were floated. Each player tried to grab an apple using only their teeth, which inevitably led to a soaking. In another version, an apple and a lighted candle were placed on either end of a stick balanced in the middle and suspended from the ceiling by a piece of string. This was then spun, and those playing the game had to attempt to bite the apple without getting burned - a rather more painful fate than a good soaking! This year, rather than having a haunted house at St. Stephen’s, I would like to invite you to a Halloween costume party at the church on All Saints Day, November 1st: a Saturday. There will be a costume contest, so everyone --children AND adults-- are invited to come as their favorite saint, sinner, heretic, hero, goughlie, ghostie, or long leggedy beastie! Those of you who may still be faint of heart please come as you are! We will have traditional games, food and movies throughout the evening. So: come one, come all --and celebrate with family and friends. Festivities begin at 6:30pm. Greg+ For past "Rector's Word" articles visit our Archives |