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Go Back   Spiritual Forums > Religions & Faiths > Wicca

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  #1  
Old 27-09-2012, 07:37 AM
norseman norseman is offline
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"Halloween" ?

This year [and forever more] can we please not use that ridiculous word "Halloween" to describe an ancient festival. Use "All Hallows" if you must, although even that is an attempt to cover over a pagan festival. The correct word is Samhain.
Halloween is just a trivial import from across the Atlantic designed to promote commercial interests.
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  #2  
Old 27-09-2012, 11:24 AM
Adrienne Adrienne is offline
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the word Samhain just doesn't quite have the same feeling, lol ! but I will give it my best effort . Using the word " Halloween " is a guaranteed way to get a reply from you or should I say " scolding " instead of reply ?

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  #3  
Old 27-09-2012, 05:19 PM
miss_vanora miss_vanora is offline
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I typically try to use Samhain instead of Halloween. Samhain gives me goosebumps...the good kind! So this won't be a problem for me. :)
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  #4  
Old 27-09-2012, 05:24 PM
sesheta
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Being a witch, I do use the term "Samhain" around other witches/wiccans, etc..people who know what I'm talking about! But in general conversation, if you use the term "Samhain" people give you a blank stare and say "What??" And explaining just becomes a debate, or argument....so it all depends on the company, I guess
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  #5  
Old 27-09-2012, 06:13 PM
Adrienne Adrienne is offline
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I see them as two different things, Samhain as a real pagan festival, Halloween as a fun type holiday tradition without any offense meant to the pagan festival. Most people have never even heard of Samhain, I will confess I didn't ......til Norseman mentioned it. Different things for different people. Just curious, who was Sam ?
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Old 27-09-2012, 08:20 PM
norseman norseman is offline
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Halloween is pure "Walt Disney" and meaningless.

SAMHAIN

Samhain marks the first day of the Celtic New Year. It is celebrated on November 1. Most consider October 31 to be the Eve of Samhain.
Samhain is the "Feast of the Dead." The Celts would celebrate by placing food on tables to honor the spirits of the dead. On this night, the veil between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead is lifted, making communication with spirits easier. The Dark Mother- the crone- and her aging consort, the Dark Father (the god and goddess) were honoured on this night also. Pagans today still celebrate Samhain both to honor the god and goddess, as well as the deceased.

Celebrated in the northern hemisphere on 31st October, Samhain is the Celtic new year. It is also a Celtic fire festival. In the southern hemisphere this is celebrated on or about 30th April as it refers to the new year in terms of natures cycle NOT a date.

For our ancestors, this was a busy time, the flocks and herds were back from the hills and many were selected for the cull. These would be mainly the young male animals, the old, injured and infertile animals. The young and pregnant stock would be kept within for safety during the winter. Apart from butchering the meat, the feast would comprise the offal meats, which are difficult to preserve. There would be hides to tan, fleeces to prepare, salting, drying and smoking of meat.

Children would be able to go to any hearth to be fed, as the villagers would be taking turns with cooking and smallest childcare, for the normal life still had to go on. Here we see the earliest beginnings of the tradition of Trick or treat, as the children would be largely unsupervised and be up to all kinds of mischief.

The villagers would be gathered now, traders returned with news from the wider world, and in return they would learn what had been occurring in the village whilst they had been away, the births, accidents and deaths.

So it was the time to remember as they went within for the almost hibernation time of winter, when repairs to harnesses, tools, weapons, etc would go on during the months of short cold days. The children would learn by song and story, and the older members would tell the old tales and sing the old songs.

It was at this time that country folk would be considering how many of their animals they would be able to keep over the winter months, there was a need to ensure that fodder to feed the animals would last until spring when the livestock could be let out to pasture again, if there isn't sufficient fodder then the herds and flocks need to be reduced.

Following the cull there was plenty of meat available to be dried, smoked or cured for the winter and also enough for a feast. Because this was the time of the cull, death and rebirth are much on the mind. This is also the time to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed onto the next level, it is considered that the veil between the two worlds are at their 'thinnest' and that our ancestors are able to draw nearer to us and join our celebrations.

http://youtu.be/fHkR7ihE9iQ
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  #7  
Old 28-09-2012, 04:02 AM
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I always say Samhain or Sowen; The #1 thing that offends me around this time of year is your stereo typical Witch image on everything.

Orgins of this image goes back to the trials, where they used to beat women many innocent women until they confessed to being witches. Beatings so bad they had broken noses and green bruised skin no teeth or broken ones also.
These beatings was not beatings against Witches but beatings against Women. These types of image's should be outlawed!
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  #8  
Old 28-09-2012, 07:26 AM
norseman norseman is offline
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So right in this, Occultist ! [xx]
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  #9  
Old 28-09-2012, 01:10 PM
Quintessence
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Er... growing up in the United States, I kind of object to how Halloween is being negatively painted here. But that's neither here nor there with respect to this thread. Halloween is not the same as what most Neopagans celebrate. Related, but not the same. Frankly, I use neither name. I'm not Celtic, and I see no reason to use Celtic names for my holidays. I usually just call it MidAutumn, since I celebrate it at the true cross-quarter date (exactly halfway between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice). I have a good half-dozen other names for it, but I tend to keep those private to my personal path.
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  #10  
Old 28-09-2012, 02:23 PM
norseman norseman is offline
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It's an old bone we are chewing here, Q
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