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The holiday owes its appearance to the ancient Celts. This people lived on the territory of modern Europe even before our era – at least 1000 years before the birth of Christ. The tribes of the Celts existed until the third century of our era, and then mixed and dissolved in other peoples.
The main settlements were in the British Isles. But some tribes founded colonies in France, Italy, Austria and Germany. However, Samhain, according to historians, originated and took root in the territory of modern Scotland and Ireland.
When is Samhain celebrated in Our Country and the world in 2022
The holiday has a fixed date – night from October 31 to November 1. Fixed not in any official documents, but in people’s memory. In 2022, Samhain will be celebrated in dozens of countries around the world.
history of the holiday
Before our era, the Celts did not have any October and November. Samhain was celebrated according to the lunar calendar. And, as you know, it is constantly changing. Historians suggest that the celebration of Samhain fell at the beginning of the third autumn moon. There are other theories that tie the celebration to the autumn equinox.
In those ancient times, Samhain was something like the New Year – the end and at the same time the beginning of the cycle. It was celebrated for three nights in a row: while the old moon was replaced by a young one. According to another version, they celebrated seven nights – they started three days before the end of the lunar month.
Like many archaic societies, two things were important to the Celts – crops and livestock. Therefore, Samhain, as historians believe, was associated with the end of agricultural work and preparation for the new season.
Once upon a time, people largely relied not on themselves and science, but on mystical powers – gods and spirits. Therefore, as befits pagan cultures, supernatural meanings were mixed with the everyday celebration of the harvest.
The gods of fertility must be thanked for the year. And at the same time ask them for blessings so that the next season will be fruitful. The grazing time has just ended – part of the herd is sent for slaughter and meat preparation. This is both a sacrifice and a harbinger of a hearty feast.
Since the turn of the year in paganism is always a borderline time, when a break occurs between the world of people and spirits, Samhain did not avoid the appearance of myths. The Celts believed that on the night of the celebration, the Seeds, local celestials, come into the world. Insanely beautiful and powerful spirits. Partly for their sake, all the celebrations were started.
There is another Celtic myth associated with Samhain. The goddess of summer and fertility Aine temporarily leaves, and after Samhain the world will be ruled by Kaleh – an icy old woman. Another god – Cernunnos – becomes a destructive element, probably the personification of winter and death.
Interestingly, Cernunnos is a horned god. He is often depicted with a goat’s head. Just exactly like in Christian mythology they draw the devil and demons.
Of course, over time, the pagan triumph of Samhain did not escape the influence of religion. And since for a true Christian all pagan cults are from the evil one, the triumph of fertility with his ideas of transition between worlds turned into a demonic rite.
Following this, the idea of Samhain quickly began to be perceived not as a celebration of the New Year, but as a dark time when horned devils come out to hunt in our world. An educated person will notice that such a conviction has nothing to do with the worldview of a Christian. But one must understand that Samhain was celebrated by ordinary peasants who were busy surviving, not self-educating. Therefore, the story about the day of spirits has taken root.
Holiday traditions
Since the Samhain holiday has been around for several millennia, a lot of traditions have accumulated for it by 2022. Some are now forgotten and only found on the pages of historiography. Others have been transformed and maintained in the modern world.
- The main tradition of Samhain is a generous feast. The nobles gathered their subjects and rolled up a holiday.
- It is believed that on Samhain you can not go beyond the boundaries of your city or village. This tradition also comes from the awareness of the borderline time: a lost person can be dragged away by unclean spirits.
- It is impossible to avoid participation in folk fun. They believed that a person who had broken away from the collective, who did not walk Samhain, simply would not pass into a new time cycle.
- The images of skulls played a protective function among the Celts. They were hung on the fence. The role of the skull was often played by some kind of fetus. For example, turnip. And later in America they began to use pumpkins. Eyes and a mouth were cut out on them, and sometimes a candle was placed inside.
- On Samhain, fire rituals were used, such as jumping over a fire. They can be compared with the Slavic Maslenitsa or rituals on the night of Ivan Kupala. Fire as a symbol of purification was present in many ancient cults.
- It was also customary to guess on Saiman. For example, they burned the peel of the fruit and looked at the outlines of the burning. Or they broke an egg into water in order to make predictions for the future by its shape.
- Like many celebrations, Samhain has its own ritual dish. The Celts baked bread in various shapes. For example, in the form of horns, as a sacrifice to the very god Cernunnus.
- With the rooting of Christianity and the imposition of pagan and religious worldviews, Samhain became a day of remembrance for the dead. Here everything is again explained by the idea of a break between the two worlds.
- Samhain in Our Country in 2022 is usually celebrated with festivals of Irish and Scottish music. Here the traditions of St. Patrick’s Day are mixed in with its unbridled drunken fun. Fans of Celtic culture organize festivals. And some, as in the old days, last three nights in a row.