i read somewhere once that 'samhain' is a pagan holiday..is it also coming uP? i also read that it is also a celtic holiday..do both the irish and pagans celebrate it? do they celebrate it in for the same reasons and in the same sense?
First, allow me to explain that Celtic does not equal Irish. Ireland became better known for it's Celtic past, but they are not the same. Celts were the tribal (and originally nomadic) people who inhabited most of central Europe around the first century BCE. Roman conquest either wiped them out or pushed the majority of them back to Ireland by the 5th century AD where they were later converted to Christianity. St. Patrick chasing the snakes out of Ireland is a metaphor for converting many of the Pagans to Christianity, thereby nearly destroying Pagan worship in Ireland. Samhain (pronouced Sow-Hen or sometimes Saw-ven) is nothing more than the celebration of the New Year. Pagans (and more correctly Celtic Pagans) celebrated only two seasons of the year: Summer and Winter. Beltain, celebrated in May is the end of Winter, sometimes incorrectly called the "Rites of Fertility" but it was the start of the farming/mating season. Samhain is the start of the new year and is the beginning of the long dark of Winter. It is also the night when the veil between the world of light and life and the other side, the afterlife, is the thinnest. It is the time when we say goodbye to those who have crossed over. When Pagans were converted to Christianity (many of them forced) holidays were moved to coincide with the Pagan calendar of holidays (known commonly as "the wheel) and Samhain became All Saint's Day and the night before became known as "All Hallow's Eve or Halloween. And yes, I know, I sound venomous toward Christians. I'm really not. Just grumpy because the weather ruined my camping trip this weekend .
It was the Irish who brought Halloween to America. So yes the Irish still celebrate it. So do the Scots (gaels). Some attribute Samhain to the death of a god, but that is symbolic of the death of the sun, as it retreats into winter. Samhain is the night to honor dead loved ones, and ancestors, and a night that the "veil" between the world of spirit and physical is thinned, allowing the dead to cross over with ease. Some set extra places at their dinner tables for "guests" that might stop by. well shit LOL after typing that I glanced up and noticed Zoomie covered it lol. Well you did good enough so its cool. But on Beltane, i would like to add the celebration of the Father Belenous, Bel, and his union with the Mother that resulted in the birth of our people. It is that first, summer celebration second, in my opinion.
The guys pretty much cover it, they're good like that. Samhain is basically halloween, so yeah, go figure. There are plenty of ritual ideas and such on pagan websites. Irish and pagans are not the same thing. In fact the Irish are more likely to be Catholic or protestant (hence the fighting over it), but hey any excuse for a party. I'm British (close but no cigar) and over here halloween is pretty much the secular good time it is in America, though a bit more low key (it hasn't quite taken off yet). Pagans are of all races, as it's just a religious affiliation. I'm pagan, in the religion sense. Also have celtic ancestry (well not totally sure but it's a good bet) Scottish and Welsh, rather than anything else. The Celts definetly got around.
