Halloween Haunts: Tradition by Heddy Johannesen

The ancient Celts celebrated the Sabbat of Samhain on the eve of October 31st, marking the Celtic New Year. Samhain means summer’s end, pronounced “samhuinn” (Scots Gaelic spelling) when they protected their herds in the stables and stored their harvest for the cold winter. They feasted, burned need-fires, and divined with the spirits of those departed.

I’m a Witch. I enjoy Samhain on October 31 by performing what is known as a dumb supper. During a dumb supper, not a single word is uttered. I lay a black tablecloth on the table and use black dishes, napkins, and cutlery. I set food for me, my ancestors, and Spirit on the table.

Necromantic incense fragrances the air. A black votive candle rests at each plate and a white votive candle sits at the head of the table. Black candles absorb all light and draw in energy. White is spiritual and represents Spirit. A candle burns at the windows near carved pumpkins to guide the dead wandering the earth to the light.

The ritual honors the spirits present on the most magickal night of the year. I place a photo of my late beloved grandfather on the table from my altar. I leave offerings such as a bowl of beans, honey or herbs.

I invite Spirit to the ritual, leave a chair and plate empty for Spirit, and welcome Spirit in with a prayer. I offer the food and wine to my ancestors first, and give thanks for the bounty from my garden harvest. Root vegetables, stews and soups, pomegranates, homemade breads, cheese and wine, mead or ale corresponds to the autumnal season.

After the meal, I thank Spirit and clean up the table. I leave some food for the ancestors and Spirit, snuff the candles then toss out the candle stubs. The dumb supper can be performed alone or with family members and friends. It is a deeply moving and emotional experience, if done with love and from the heart. Samhain is about honoring those who have passed before you though they should be worshipped every day of the year.

Last Samhain, I visited a cemetery. I strolled among the graves and stopped at an apple tree. The apple tree grows in and outside the cemetery. It is between the worlds. Ants crawled over the decaying apples on the ground. The veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thinnest on October 31st. This symbolized the arrival of Samhain to me: the season of death and rebirth, a sacred tradition carried by my ancestors to the present time.

The Horror Writers Association is an excellent organization that aids writers in all levels of their writing careers. The HWA has helped me learn more about the different writing markets available to writers.

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: Halloween Haunts contributor Christopher Alan Broadstone is offering one e-book copy of his novel Puzzleman. Enter for the prize by posting in the comments section. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by e-mail. You may enter once for each giveaway, and all entrants may be considered for other giveaways if they don’t win on the day they post. You may also enter by e-mailing membership@horror.org and putting HH CONTEST ENTRY in the header.

HEDDY JOHANNESEN is a Witch and writer who believes October 31st should be every day of the year. She works on her garden, bossed by her furry familiars, and brews potions in her cauldron. Her writing has appeared in Naming the Goddess, Paganism 101, The Queen of the Sky Who Rules Over All the Gods: A Devotional anthology dedicated to the Goddess Bast, Crone Newsletter Ezine, Eternal Haunted Summer Ezine, Circle Magazine, Essential Herbal Magazine, Pets Quarterly, Canadian Stories, and Horror Novel Reviews: One Hellacious Halloween EBook. She keeps two blogs at http://ladyspiderwitch.wordpress.com/books/ and https://heddyjohannensen.wordpress.com.

She can be followed on

Twitter: @magicka66

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