Post by Sage on Sept 30, 2006 7:32:20 GMT -5
Samhain, also know as Halloween or All Hallow's Eve, is the day where the viel betwen the worlds (the living and the dead) are thin. In my expierience it is a great way to communicate with loved ones who have passed on and settle issues among the left-unsaid discrepencies. (I know I didnt spell that right)
Here is the wikipedia (http://www.wikipeida.com) 's definition of Samhain.
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In some types of Paganism, particularly Wicca, Samhain is one of the eight annual holidays or sabbats. In some Wiccan denominations this feast, celebrated in the northern hemisphere on October 31 or November 1 is observed in the southern hemisphere on May 1.
The holiday, with Litha, is one of the most important among Wiccans [Witches], and public Samhain rituals invariably attract large gatherings. It is the last of the harvest festivals (after Lammas and Mabon); in some traditions it symbolizes the death of the old god; this happening is also commonly portrayed by Yule(Winter solstice) .
Wiccans believe that, on their holy day of Samhain, also called Hallowmas, the material world conjoinins with the world of the dead. At this time the spirits of the dead walk amongst the living. The dead can return to the places where they lived, so some traditions provide food and entertainment in their honor. Among the Wiccan Sabbats, it is preceded by the autumnal equinox, also known as Mabon and is followed by Yule (winter solstice). For some traditions or individuals[citation needed] within the Wiccan faith, the three days preceding Samhain, are the time when the Sun God Lugh,a vegetation god who is maimed at the first harvest or Lughnassadh (August 1), travels to the Land of the Dead, which is often called the "Summerland".
Wiccans do believe that the symbolism of the "veil between the worlds is thin" is integral to the belief system, but not all take the saying to be literal. According to Starhawk ("The Spiral Dance", 1979), Samhain is "the night when the veil is thin that divides the worlds [...] The gates of life and death are opened and to the living is revealed the Mystery: that every ending is but a new beginning." For Wiccans, both the Lunar holy days, called Esbats, and the Solar holy days, or Sabats represent a perpetual cycle of life and death.[citation needed]
Some Wiccan texts[citation needed] suggest the following: In parts of western Brittany Samhain is still heralded by the baking of kornigou, cakes baked in the shape of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold" horns as he returns to his kingdom in the Otherworld. The Romans identified Samhain with their own feast of the dead, the Lemuria. This, however, was observed in the days leading up to May 13. These sources assume that thereby with Christianization, the festival in November (not the Roman festival in May) became All Hallows' Day on November 1st followed by All Souls' Day, on November 2nd, after which the night of October 31 was called All Hallow's Eve, and the remnants festival dedicated to the dead eventually morphed into the secular holiday known as Halloween.
From an astrological perspective[citation needed], the setting of the Pleiades heralds the supremacy of night over day and the start of the dark half of the year that is ruled by the realms of the moon.
Here is the wikipedia (http://www.wikipeida.com) 's definition of Samhain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In some types of Paganism, particularly Wicca, Samhain is one of the eight annual holidays or sabbats. In some Wiccan denominations this feast, celebrated in the northern hemisphere on October 31 or November 1 is observed in the southern hemisphere on May 1.
The holiday, with Litha, is one of the most important among Wiccans [Witches], and public Samhain rituals invariably attract large gatherings. It is the last of the harvest festivals (after Lammas and Mabon); in some traditions it symbolizes the death of the old god; this happening is also commonly portrayed by Yule(Winter solstice) .
Wiccans believe that, on their holy day of Samhain, also called Hallowmas, the material world conjoinins with the world of the dead. At this time the spirits of the dead walk amongst the living. The dead can return to the places where they lived, so some traditions provide food and entertainment in their honor. Among the Wiccan Sabbats, it is preceded by the autumnal equinox, also known as Mabon and is followed by Yule (winter solstice). For some traditions or individuals[citation needed] within the Wiccan faith, the three days preceding Samhain, are the time when the Sun God Lugh,a vegetation god who is maimed at the first harvest or Lughnassadh (August 1), travels to the Land of the Dead, which is often called the "Summerland".
Wiccans do believe that the symbolism of the "veil between the worlds is thin" is integral to the belief system, but not all take the saying to be literal. According to Starhawk ("The Spiral Dance", 1979), Samhain is "the night when the veil is thin that divides the worlds [...] The gates of life and death are opened and to the living is revealed the Mystery: that every ending is but a new beginning." For Wiccans, both the Lunar holy days, called Esbats, and the Solar holy days, or Sabats represent a perpetual cycle of life and death.[citation needed]
Some Wiccan texts[citation needed] suggest the following: In parts of western Brittany Samhain is still heralded by the baking of kornigou, cakes baked in the shape of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold" horns as he returns to his kingdom in the Otherworld. The Romans identified Samhain with their own feast of the dead, the Lemuria. This, however, was observed in the days leading up to May 13. These sources assume that thereby with Christianization, the festival in November (not the Roman festival in May) became All Hallows' Day on November 1st followed by All Souls' Day, on November 2nd, after which the night of October 31 was called All Hallow's Eve, and the remnants festival dedicated to the dead eventually morphed into the secular holiday known as Halloween.
From an astrological perspective[citation needed], the setting of the Pleiades heralds the supremacy of night over day and the start of the dark half of the year that is ruled by the realms of the moon.
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