| Issue #31, October 27, 2006 |
Dreaming Of A White Witch New Year
For most of us, Halloween is a time to dress up in costumes, watch scary movies, throw parties and stuff ourselves full of sugar.
However, for the more than 750,000 (or 10 million, based on Barnes and Noble book sales) practicing “witches” in the United States, October 31st means a celebration of an entirely different sort: the celebration of Samhain, the Wiccan new year. Wicca is currently the fastest-growing religion in the U.S., so chances are, more than one person you know will be celebrating Halloween the Wiccan way this year.
Samhain is not a revelrous New Year’s Eve like the Christian version, but a time of remembrance for those who have passed on, and a time to rid yourself of the negative aspects in your life (similar to the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur), which is why most witches wear black on October 31st.
Samhain begins at sundown on Ocotber 31st; it is thought that the veil between the spirit world and the tangible world is thinnest on this night; Wiccans sometimes take nighttime walks in the countryside to mingle with the spirits of lost loved ones.
In traditional Wiccan homes, a plate of food is left outside for the souls of departed family members and friends, and a lit candle is placed in the window to light them on their way. The Samhain dinner is eaten in silence and thoughts during dinner focus on remembering those we have lost, and a place at the dinner table is set for them. Although the tone is somber, the Samhain dinner is an abundant feast that focuses on the fruits of the Autumn harvest. The usual seasonal delicacies are served at the Samhain feast, such as candied apples, apple and pumpkin pies, and apple-stuffed Acorn squash. Many Wiccans identify with the Celtic traditions, and Celtic dishes, such as the mashed potato and Kale dish Colcannon, are common additions to any Samhain feast. Meat-eating Wiccans also prepare a special roast of lamb or beef, or even a Thanksgiving-style turkey. For a festive touch, some Wiccan chefs incorporate the five-pointed-star-within-a-circle symbol into their cooking using cinnamon, icing or by carefully cutting the design into the tops of their pies.
After the silent dinner, Wiccans will usually perform a quiet family ritual at home. Some will take part in a larger, communal-prayer service as well. The Samhain rites focus on banishing the negative aspects of your life, asking the God and Goddess to help you stay on the right path, and helping the spirits of the deceased pass on to the other world.
The home altar, where the Samhain rituals take place, is bedecked with the fruits of the season – gourds, pumpkins, squashes, pomegranates, garlands of marigolds and chrysanthemums – in order to create a sacred space with those closest to you. After the altar is festooned, Wiccans’ thoughts turn once more to those whom they have lost, and they remember that death is not the end of life, but only a part of life’s cycle.
Then, the “magick” circle is opened with a prayer or invocation of the Goddess and God, which often references the God’s passing from the peak of his lifecycle to its end. The God is seen by some as a personification of the harvest, and the Goddess a personification of the earth; the Goddess changes from season to season, but the God must be born each Spring, live through the year, bear his fruit in Autumn, and die each winter.
Once the God and Goddess have been invoked, Wiccans write all of the negative aspects of their lives and all of the deeds that they wish they could undo onto a piece of paper, then burn it in the cauldron or fireplace to banish these negative things and cleanse themselves for the New Year.
Of course, after the dead have been honored and the circle of prayer closed, Wiccans celebrate their New Year with costume balls, festivals, and communal prayers, ringing in the new year with style and merriment. Many Wiccans actually celebrate twice, once on the eve of October 31st, and again when the sun is in fifteen-degrees Scorpio (November 7th this year), which is the official Lunar Calendar date of Samhain. This gives Wiccans a chance to have one evening of revelry, and another for the traditional ceremonies. If you happen to be fortunate enough to meet any Wiccans this Halloween Holiday season, be sure to tell them “Blessed be” and remember all of the wonderful things that Halloween means to them.
–Sabrina C. Mashburn
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