Musings of a Massachusetts Witch
Our Family’s Samhain Traditions
Samhain is my favorite of the eight annual Sabbats that my family and I observed as part of the Wheel of The Year. It is a time for us to let go of the old and look ahead to the new, to break out of negative habits and to begin a healthier way of being. We understand that in dark silence comes the whisperings of new beginnings. We reflect on nature’s cycle of life, death, and rebirth as it marks the end of the harvest season. Samhain is our spiritual new year.
Our family celebrates this festival together. The children begin to look forward to it as soon as the weather turns cooler because they are aware that this sabbat is special. If Samhain falls on a week day then we keep them out of school so that we can spend the day together my husband if needed will also take the day off from work. My sister, her boyfriend and children celebrate with us. This sabbat is a family affair.
Our celebration begins around nine o’clock in the morning with everyone arriving at our house for a leisurely breakfast that I lovingly prepare for everyone. We discuss our scheduled plans for the day and what the children have decided to wear for that evening as they will be donning costumes to pass out the treats to the anticipated Trick-or-Treaters.
After we are all finished eating breakfast and the dishes have been washed, dried and put away, we head out to the local park to collect twigs, leaves and acorns. These items will be used to craft Sentinels (our gaurdians) that we charge with the energy of protection. We do this each year removing the old Sentiels from above the doors and windows and replacing them with the new ones we craft that day.
From the park we visit a local produce stand where we chose at least two large pumpkins perfect for hollowing out and carving to look like protective spirits. We also purchase a few small gourds which we will leave at the graves of our ancestors. The boys and men happily discuss how they will do the pumpkin carving, what the faces should look like and what technique they will use, as they examine our chosen pumpkins.
This is a time to celebrate the lives of our ancestors, family members, friends, pets and others whom we loved and cared about who have transitioned. We welcome their visits for we view death as a natural end to life. With this belief in our minds we pay a visit to the cemetary where our (my sister and my) Grandmother, Grandfather and Meimei are buried. We visit each grave lighting a candle, burning some incense and extending an invitation to each loved one, to come to our home and join us that evening as we hold our ritual ancestoral dinner. We take a few moments to meditate and feel the energy that is so available to us at this time of year. We leave behind one of the small gourds that we purchased.
From there we travel home as we have a lot of things left to do. We need to set out the white candles in the first floor windows to mark the way for our invited spirit guests, set up our ancestor altar with photographs and personal items of those we wish to honor on this night, craft our Sentinels, carve our pumpkins, bake pumpkin bread, make hot apple cider and begin preparing dinner. Dinner usually consists of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and dessert; my Grandmother’s favorite meal.
We set an extra chair and place setting at the table for our ancestors whom we invited to dinner. Our carved pumpkin becomes the centerpiece for our table. We are sure to enjoy dessert before the main entrée in honor of our Grandmother. Dessert first or you may not have room later, was her motto. During the meal The Remembrance Cup is passed from family member to family member as we recite our genealogy line. We also share memories that we have of each of our grandparents. We do this with love, honor and respect. The setting is left in place on the table overnight.
Once the ritual dinner is completed, the children scamper upstairs to change into their costumes. I prepare a Reading table for my guests. Earlier in the week I was sure to send out invitations to my Samhain Open House. This evening time and space are temporarily suspended; the Veil between here and there is the thinnest allowing those who have transitioned to communicate with those who are still on this physical plane. Knowing this I offer my friends, family members and clients Tarot Readings. I schedule appointments beginning at seven o’clock and ending around midnight. I offer them homemade pumpkin bread and the hot apple cider that we prepared that afternoon. It is always such an amazing experience.