Halloween, Samhain, and (Secretly) Pagan Traditions Passed Down to Me

[calendulacraft]

Halloween isn't just a consumerist holiday about wearing masks and passing out candy. Just beneath this veil of festivities is the true meaning of the season ~ harvests and gratitude!

Even though I currently reside in the southern hemisphere where we are planting pumpkins rather than harvesting them. I still associate Halloween and Samhain with pumpkins, spooky stories, and a celebration of everything witchy.

Not just the green faced, warty witch but the healer, the tender to the garden, the organizer of the natural apothecary. The overlapping celebrations of Samhain and Halloween are about celebrating the witch in her ancient as well as modern form. But, more on that subject in tomorrow's post!

During the month of September and the first few days of October I spent time in my homelands of Northern California. Among the different projects I am involved in there I was also really happy to get to take part in my family's yearly tradition of decorating the home for fall.

My mom is very much a Christian and is very involved in her neighborhood Catholic church. Even so, the pagan roots remain and she has always been one of the most exuberant in seasonal living, in her own way.

There is very often a divide between Christianity and Paganism, but it really isn't necessary to make such distinctions. Some Pagans worship nature based gods and goddess of old. But others simply find living in harmony with the seasons as the basis for their belief. I suppose I fall somewhere in between and even though I wasn't raised as a Pantheist, I am so grateful to my mom for passing down the living tradition of living seasonally. Even if it is as superficial as decorating the home each season.

((my Mom and I checking out the pumpkin and squash selection at a local farm earlier on this month in Nor Cal))

And is it really superficial? Even if she isn't lighting a candle in honor of the green man or the holly king she* is* certainly lighting plenty of candles when fall comes around.

Here & Now

I am a continent away and celebrating spring rather than fall. Still, it is Halloween for me and I am celebrating the bounty of nature in my own way. Rather than harvesting pumpkins I am planting them. And am grateful for the seeds I am caring for and what they will become (both physically and metaphorically).

And as I wander the forest with a basket in hand, I am joyful at the abundance of spring and the special shade of green that is so unique to this season. I am surrounded by beauty!

As a pagan person who wants to be both connected with my local ecosystem as well as the worldwide pagan community, it can be hard to consolidate the mystical traditions surrounding Halloween that I grew up with and my new setting here in Argentina. Still, it seems important to maintain the traditions passed onto me and keep them alive, even if modified.

Comments

[phoenixwren]

Happy Samhain and Beltaine for the southern hemisphere! :)
!BEER

[calendulacraft]

Many thanks!! I actually like to celebrate a combination of both days in one!

[beerlover]

^{View or trade BEER.}

Hey @calendulacraft, here is a little bit of BEER from @phoenixwren for you. Enjoy it!

We love your support by voting @detlev.witness on HIVE .

[anafae]

So you’ve been in fall in California and then flew back into Spring, that must be a special feeling!

I still don’t know how I see the whole thing surrounding Halloween, it’s still pretty strange to me. When I grew up (in Germany), the 31rd of October was a christian holiday, the day of the Reformation. but nowadays all the kids put on weird costumes and ask everyone for sweets ^^

I do feel a hightened connection to Spirit these past two days. It is a special time of the year for sure.

[calendulacraft]

Yeah I did just that. It was very magical to get to celebrate the fall traditions I grew up with as well as get back time to see the first blooms of spring!

I know what you mean, the part of kids going around asking for candy does make me feel a bit conflicted about the holiday. But, I feel what is nice about Halloween is that there is something for everyone. So many people I know prefer to stay home, make candles, do little rituals, or just watch scary movies while others like to dress up and go out and celebrate.

I found this video to be interesting, how Halloween IS both a Christian and Pagan day:

I hope that the spirits you feel are kind to you and that you have a meaningful celebration and do whatever resonates with you!

[qurator]

Manually curated by ewkaw from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

[calendulacraft]

thanks for the curation!