Mrvice o svemu
28.10.2005., petak
Black metal boosts language interest
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A deep enthusiasm for the Norwegian languages is thriving at La Sapienza University in Rome. The modern and historical languages are seen as an exotic and romantic subject thanks to student passion for Norwegian Black Metal bands. Teacher Sven Otto Scheen's class full of black leather and metal-studded pupils in Rome is part of the NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) series Typisk Norsk (Typically Norwegian), which examines aspects of the Norwegian language. Almost all of the 15 students studying Norwegian in Scheen's class are doing so because of their devotion to Norwegian Black Metal bands. "There is no doubt that it is interest in Norwegian Black Metal that has gotten them to chose Norwegian studies," program host Peter Schjerven told newspaper VG. One of the students is the lead for Italian metal band Eligor, and can sing some songs in Norwegian, including a song called "Geitost" (Goat cheese). "They (the students) have told me that they have Black Metal bands as role models, especially the Norwegian. The know the story about Greven (musician and convicted murderer Varg Vikernes) and have a good overview of all the other groups," Scheen said. "They are very curious about norrønt (Norse) and nynorsk (New-Norwegian - Norway's second official language, constructed from its regional and historical dialects), which appears to them as something primeval, Teutonic, anti-classical and possibly also a bit occult. There is something neo-Romantic about their view of Norway," Scheen said. Scheen said he was considering sending some of his students to summer school in Norway, so they could see it for themselves. (taken from:Aftenposten Norway, Norwegian news in English) |
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Restored church draws black metal fans The restored stave church in Fantoft in Bergen has become a pilgrimage site for black metal music fans from across Europe. The draw - they want to visit the site of the church-burning that Greven (The Count), the one-man band Burzum, alias Varg Vikernes (photo), was suspected of carrying out, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports. Several hundred people attended the consecration of Fantoft stave church after its reconstruction in 1997. PHOTO: MARIT HOMMEDAL/SCANPIX On the cover of the Burzum EP album "Aske" (Ashes) one can see a picture of the charred ruins of Fantoft stave church. Varg Vikernes is serving a sentence for murder and church burnings.  Guide Arne Dyrøy is not terribly thrilled about some of the new tourists to Fantoft. "The church has received unwelcome attention because of the 1992 fire and we have had visitors wearing T-shirts with pictures of the burnt ruins. This is very disrespectful," Dyrøy said. Dyrøy told NRK that many of the black metal tourists ask about Greven, and want to visit him in Bergen Prison. The church as also been visited by a Canadian film team making a documentary about black metal music. Torgrim Øyre, music reviewer and assistant organizer of the annual Bergen metal festival Hole in the Sky, agrees that the Fantoft burning was a "classic event in Norwegian black metal history" but believes the pilgrimage is a phenomenon limited to "slightly nerdy" foreigners. Dyrøy told NRK that he kept a watchful eye on the black metal tourist crowd. "As a rule they are very polite and easy-going but I am a bit on guard in case they try some kind of stunt," Dyrøy said.  |
27.10.2005., èetvrtak
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A deep enthusiasm for the Norwegian languages is thriving at La Sapienza University in Rome. The modern and historical languages are seen as an exotic and romantic subject thanks to student passion for Norwegian Black Metal bands. Teacher Sven Otto Scheen's class full of black leather and metal-studded pupils in Rome is part of the NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) series Typisk Norsk (Typically Norwegian), which examines aspects of the Norwegian language. Almost all of the 15 students studying Norwegian in Scheen's class are doing so because of their devotion to Norwegian Black Metal bands. "There is no doubt that it is interest in Norwegian Black Metal that has gotten them to chose Norwegian studies," program host Peter Schjerven told newspaper VG. One of the students is the lead for Italian metal band Eligor, and can sing some songs in Norwegian, including a song called "Geitost" (Goat cheese). "They (the students) have told me that they have Black Metal bands as role models, especially the Norwegian. The know the story about Greven (musician and convicted murderer Varg Vikernes) and have a good overview of all the other groups," Scheen said. "They are very curious about norrønt (Norse) and nynorsk (New-Norwegian - Norway's second official language, constructed from its regional and historical dialects), which appears to them as something primeval, Teutonic, anti-classical and possibly also a bit occult. There is something neo-Romantic about their view of Norway," Scheen said. Scheen said he was considering sending some of his students to summer school in Norway, so they could see it for themselves. |
Nagellstev
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[Ågots Lokke] Eg steve så Solen går bak åse ned Skuggan blir så lange Natta kjem snart att Tekje meg i fange Krøttret ut i kven står Eg åt setersdøle går Mørkt det er i kvar ein bygd I dei djupe dale Her på fjell har solen dreg Ned å gå til garde Tes seg kvile under tak Morgo er ho tidleg vak Snart eg gjer ho klar i kveld Så går eg til kvile |
26.10.2005., srijeda
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Goth
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Goth A goth girl as seen on the satirical cartoon South Park This article is about the contemporary goth/gothic subculture. For the Germanic tribes of the same name, see the Goths. Goth is a modern subculture that first became popular during the early 1980s within the gothic rock scene, a sub-genre of post punk. It is associated with gothic tastes in music and clothing. Styles of dress range from gothic horror, punk, Victorian, fetish, cybergoth, androgyny and/or lots of black (inspired by the beatniks). However, there is no dress code for goths. Since the mid-1990s, styles of music that can be heard in goth venues range from gothic rock, industrial, punk, metal, techno, 1980s dance music, and several others. This does not represent a variety of music that is considered gothic mainstream, but rather a convention among DJ and nightclub owners to condense the number of nights devoted to any particular music venue. In the early eighties, the number of Gothic or Death Rock bands were limited in number, and can be listed as The Cure, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees. By the mid-eighties, these bands began proliferating, including Sisters of Mercy, This Mortal Coil. The nineties saw the growth of eighties bands and emergence of many new bands, most released by the Cleopatra label, such as Mephisto Walz, Switchblade Symphony, London After Midnight, Christian Death, Alien Sex Fiend. In the US, the subculture grew especially in New York and Los Angeles, with many nightclubs featuring gothic-industrial nights. Bands such as Marilyn Manson and Cradle of Filth and other spin-off bands with names and clothing are often confused with being Goth. The popularity of This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance resulted in the creation of a music label called Projekt that produces what is colloquially termed Ethereal Goth or Darkwave. |
The Origins of Halloween
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The Origins of Halloween copyright © 1989, Rowan Moonstone In recent years, there have been a number of pamphlets and books put out be various Christian organizations dealing with the origins of modern-day Halloween customs. Being a Witch myself, and a student of the ancient Celts from whom we get this holiday, I have found these pamphlets woefully inaccurate and poorly researched. A typical example of this information is contained in the following quote from the pamphlet entitled "What's Wrong with Halloween?" by Russell K. Tardo. "The Druids believed that on October 31st, the last day of the year by the ancient Celtic calendar, the lord of death gathered together the souls of the dead who had been made to enter bodies of animals, and decided what forms they should take the following year. Cats were held sacred because it was believed that they were once human beings ... We see that this holiday has its origin, basis and root in the occultic Druid celebration of the dead. Only they called it 'Samhain', who was the Lord of the Dead (a big demon)".1 When these books and pamphlets cite sources at all, they usually list the Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana, and the World Book Encyclopedia. The Britannica and the Americana make no mention of cats, but do indeed list Samhain as the Lord of Death, contrary to Celtic scholars, and list no references. The World Book mentions the cats and calls Samhain the Lord of Death, and lists as its sources several children's books (hardly what one could consider scholarly texts, and, of course, themselves citing no references). In an effort to correct some of this erroneous information, I have researched the religious life of the ancient Celtic peoples and the survivals of that religious life in modern times. Listed below are some of the most commonly asked questions concerning the origins and customs of Halloween. Following the questions is a lengthy bibliography where the curious reader can go to learn more about this holiday than space in this small pamphlet permits. 1. Where does Halloween come from? Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the ancient Celtic festival called "Samhain". The word is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with "cow". 2. What does "Samhain" mean? The "Irish-English Dictionary" published by the Irish Texts Society defines the word as follows: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalling the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troop swere quartered. Fairies were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it, the half-year is reckoned. Also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess)."2 The "Scottish Gaelic Dictionary" defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Souls. Sam + Fuin = end of summer."3 Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. Eliade's "Encyclopedia of Religion" states as follows: "The Eve and day of Samhain were characterized as a time when the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken... Not a festival honoring any particular Celtic deity, Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during that period."4 The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "Lord of Death" as such. 3. Why was the end of summer of significance to the Celts? The Celts were a pastoral people as opposed to an agricultural people. The end of summer was significant to them because it meant the time of year when the structure of their lives changed radically. The cattle were brought down from the summer pastures in the hills and the people were gathered into the houses for the long winter nights of story-telling and handicrafts. 4. What does it have to do with a festival of the dead? The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tír na nOg. They did not have the concept of Heaven and Hell that the Christian Church later brought into the land. The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous mounds, or sidhe, (pronounced "shee" or "sh-thee") that dotted the Irish and Scottish countryside. Samhain was the new year to the Celts. In the Celtic belief system, turning points such as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of sea and shore or the turning of one year into the next, were seen as magickal times. The turning of the year was the most potent of these times. This was the time when the "veil between the worlds" was at its thinnest and the living could communicate with their beloved dead in Tír na nOg. 5. What about the aspects of "evil" that we associate with the night today? The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. The fairies, however, were often considered hostile and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of man taking over their land. On this night, they would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds where they would be trapped forever. After the coming of the Christians to the Celtic lands, certain of the folk saw the fairies as those angels who had sided neither with God or with Lucifer in their dispute and thus were condemned to walk the Earth until Judgment Day.5 In addition to the fairies, many humans were abroad on this night causing mischief. Since this night belonged neither to one year or the other, Celtic folk believed that chaos reigned and the people would engage in "horseplay and practical jokes".6 This also served as a final outlet for high spirits before the gloom of winter set in. 6. What about "trick or treat"? During the course of these hijinks, many of the people would imitate the fairies and go from house to house begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house so the homeowner could gain the blessing of the "good folk" for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed.7 The folks who were abroad in the night imitating the fairies would sometimes carry turnips carved to represent faces. This is the origin of our modern Jack-o-lantern. 7. Was there any special significance of cats to the Celts? According to Katherine Briggs in "Nine Lives: Cats in Folklore", the Celts associated cats with the Cailleach Bheur, or Blue Hag of Winter. "She was a nature goddess, who herded the deer as her cattle. The touch of her staff drove the leaves off the trees and brought snow and harsh weather."8 Dr. Anne Ross addresses the use of divine animals in her book "Pagan Celtic Britain" and has this to say about cats: "Cats do not play a large role in Celtic mythology ... the evidence for the cat as an important cult animal in Celtic mythology is slight".9 She cites as supporting evidence the lack of archaeological artifacts and literary references in surviving works of mythology. 8. Was this also a religious festival? Yes. Celtic religion was very closely tied to the Earth. The great legends are concerned with momentous happenings which took place around the time of Samhain. Many of the great battles and legends of kings and heroes center on this night. Many of the legends concern the promotion of fertility of the Earth and the insurance of the continuance of the lives of the people through the dark winter season. 9. How was the religious festival observed? Unfortunately, we know very little about that. W.G. Wood-Martin, in his book "Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland", states: "There is comparatively little trace of the religion of the Druids now discoverable, save in the folklore of the peasantry and the references relative to it that occur in ancient and authentic Irish manuscripts are, as far as present appearances go, meager and insufficient to support anything like a sound theory for full development of the ancient religion."10 The Druids were the priests of the Celtic peoples. They passed on their teachings by oral tradition instead of committing them to writing, so when they perished, most of their religious teachings were lost. We do know that this festival was characterized as one of the four great "Fire Festivals" of the Celts. Legends tell us that on this night all the hearth fires in Ireland were extinguished and then re-lit from the central fire of the Druids at Tlachtga, 12 miles from the royal hill of Tara. This fire was kindled from "need fire" which had been generated by the friction of rubbing two sticks together, as opposed to more conventional methods (such as the flint-and-steel method) common in those days.11 The extinguishing of the fires symbolized the "dark half" of the year, and the re-kindling from the Druidic fires was symbolic of the returning life hoped for and brought about through the ministrations of the priesthood. 10. What about sacrifices? Animals were certainly killed at this time of year. This was the time to "cull" from the herds those animals which were not desired for breeding purposes for the next year. Most certainly, some of these would have been done in a ritual manner for the use of the priesthood. 11. Were humans sacrificed? Scholars are sharply divided on this account, with about half believing that it took place and half doubting its veracity. Caesar and Tacitus certainly tell tales of the human sacrifices of the Celts, but Nora Chadwick points out in her book "The Celts" that "it is not without interest that the Romans themselves had abolished human sacrifice not long before Caesar's time, and references to the practice among various barbarian peoples have certain overtones of self-righteousness. There is little direct archaeological evidence relevant to Celtic sacrifice."12 Indeed, there is little reference to this practice in Celtic literature. The only surviving story echoes the tale of the Minotaur in Greek legend: the Fomorians, a race of evil giants said to inhabit portions of Ireland before the coming of the Tuatha Dé Danann (or "people of the Goddess Danu"), demanded the sacrifice of 2/3 of the corn, milk and first-born children of the Fir Bolg, or human inhabitants of Ireland. The Tuatha Dé Danann ended this practice in the second battle of Moy Tura, which incidentally, took place on Samhain. It should be noted, however, that this story appears in only one (relatively modern) manuscript from Irish literature, and that manuscript, the "Dinnsenchus", is known to be a collection of fables. According to P.W. Joyce in Vol. 2 of his "Social History of Ancient Ireland", "Scattered everywhere through our ancient literature, both secular and ecclesiastical, we find abundant descriptions and details of the rites and superstitions of the pagan Irish; and in no place -- with this single exception -- do we find a word or hint pointing to human sacrifice to pagan gods or idols."13 12. What other practices were associated with this season? Folk tradition tells us of many divination practices associated with Samhain. Among the most common were divinations dealing with marriage, weather and the coming fortunes for the year. These were performed via such methods as ducking for apples and apple peeling. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be.14 In Scotland, people would place stones in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year. 13. How did these ancient Celtic practices come to America? When the potato crop in Ireland failed, many of the Irish people, modern descendants of the Celts, emigrated to America bringing with them their folk practices which were remnants of the Celtic festival observances. 14. We in America view this as a harvest festival. Did the Celts also view it as such? Yes. The Celts had 3 harvests. Aug 1, or Lammas, was the first harvest, when the first fruits were offered to the Gods in thanks. The Fall Equinox was the true harvest. This was when the bulk of the crops would be brought in. Samhain was the final harvest of the year. Anything left on the vines or in the fields after this date was considered blasted by the fairies ("pu'ka") and unfit for human consumption. 15. Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance? Yes. Many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druidism and Wicca, observe this day as a religious festival. They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends and family, much as the mainstream US does the national Memorial Day holiday in May. It is still a night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events. It is also considered a time to wrap up old projects, take stock of one's life and initiate new projects for the coming year. As the winter season is approaching, it is a good time to do studying on research projects, and also a good time to begin handwork such as sewing, leatherworking, woodworking etc., for Yule gifts later in the year. And while "satanists" are using this holiday as their own, this is certainly not the only example of a holiday (or even religious symbols) being "borrowed" from an older religion by a newer one. 16. Does this involve human or animal sacrifice? [IMG]http://img439.imageshack.us/img439/7/x10671azz9ag.th.jpg[/IMG] Absolutely NOT! Hollywood to the contrary, blood sacrifice is not practiced by modern followers of Wicca or Druidism. There may be some people who think they are practicing Wicca by performing blood sacrificing but this is not condoned by reputable practitioners of today's neo-Pagan religions. |
Samhain Rites
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NROOGD Samhain -- 1987 A Cymro-Norse ritual TOOLS: Drinking Horn Hammer (Mjollnir) Sword Pentacle/Stone Bowl of Salt Water Censer & Incense CELEBRANTS: White Priestess (Skadi) Gold Priest (Freyr) Red Priestess (Freyja) Red Priest (Heimdallr) Black Priestess (Vala) Black Priest (Odin) Procession, consisting of Soulers (any small number) and White Mare. Skadi takes the sword around the circle with these words: Sharp bright steel the circle scribes; Carving, cleaving world from world. Freyja banishes the circle with the hammer and these words: Mankind's friend, by Mjollnir's might Banish beings that bode us ill! She stands in the center and to each quarter and above and below she makes the Hammer-Sign, saying: Holy hammer, hallow and hold us. Vala seals the circle, carrying pentacle and bowl of salt, saying: Stout stone shield us, shut the circle. Skadi asperses the circle (Vala follows with censer) with these words: Be all bless'd who bide herein, By stone and sea, by storm and sun. Now Heimdallr takes the sword and calls the quarters as follows: Wisdom's wain, East wind I call thee! Thoughts thy thanes that thrive in newness. Breathe and bless, blow all clean; Watch and ward, O wind of mind. Summer's savour, South wind come now! Bright the blessings you bear with you. Strong of spirit, sun-like fire; Watch and ward, O wind of soul. Wild and wet, West wind I summon! Sea-spray bearing, singing, shouting; Beats the Earth's blood in thy breast; Watch and ward, O wind of heart. White with winter, North wind, waken! Stone's strength bringing, snow-cloaked wind. From the Frost-realms, fresh and chill, Watch and ward, O wind of form. The Priestesses and Priests stand opposite each other, and each one of the pair invokes the other, as follows: Skadi (to Freyr) Lord of life, hail Land-master! God of grain that grows and dies And rises reborn, full of richness; Fallow fields shall yet be fertile -- Spring sap runs as stirs your phallus -- Bless barren Earth, let it bear again! Freyr (to Skadi) Show-shoes striding, hail swift huntress! Wild one, free and willful Goddess, Bow and blade you bear beside you, Finding food to fend off hunger. Winter will not leave us wanting; Give good hunting, grant us skill! Freyja (to Heimdallr) Standing steadfast, hail far-seer! Watchful one, on rainbow waiting, Horn at hand to rouse the heroes, News you know from Nine Worlds over. People's parent and our patron, Open our eyes to altered sight. Heimdallr (to Freyja) Vanir bride, hail vision-giver! Capped in cat-fur, cloaked in feathers, Drumming for the dance of dreams, You haste to hunt out hidden things. Scant now the screen that hinders sight; Let us learn the lore of trance-work. Vala (to Odin) One-eyed wanderer, God of wisdom, Hunt-lord, hail, who leads the hosting! Nine nights hanging, knowledge gaining, Cloaked at crossroads, council hidden. Now the night, your time is near us -- Right roads send us on, rune-winner. Odin (to Vala) Every age your eye has witnessed, Cauldron-keeper; hail, wise crone! Rede in riddles is your ration -- Wyrd-weaving at the World-tree's root. Eldest Ancient, all-knowing one, Speak secrets to us, send us kenning. Odin reminds everyone what the festival is about, as follows: Odin: So comes the Souls'-day. summon for feasting Ancestors, ancients, honoured and blessed; Let in beloved ones, lend them your bodies -- Whom do you hallow? Hail them by name! Allow a few minutes for everybody to name the ancestor they want to welcome. Then Vala gives this admonition: Vala: As ancient Elders you learn from and honour, Let not the living ones moulder alone. Near is their knowledge nearer than spirits', Seen without ceremony, simply for asking. Both: Grandmothers, Grandfathers, great be their blessings Past ones and present we dance them all power! All the Celebrants but Heimdallr form a circle facing outward; Heimdallr goes to the West, and all say: Wide are the Worldgates; now the wights wander. Welcome within are the dead who were ours; Rest from riding here, revel and feast here; Come in, old kinsfolk, keepers of wisdom! Heimdallr cuts the Soulers' Procession into the Circle on "Come in", and moves to stand with the other Celebrants while the Soulers dance slowly around singing: Welcome Winter, waning season, Now with night the New Year comes; All who honour elder kinsfolk Dance the dead to earthly drums. Souls respected safeguard living House we'll hold, and hallow hearth; Blessings be on those who bide here, And indeed on all the Earth! The Celebrants begin also to circle, dancing in character, starting widdershins then spiralling in and out to end deosil, as in the meeting dance, while the Soulers encourage the outer circle to dance also. The intent should be for luck in the new year, and better connection with our Ancestors (as well as better treatment of our Elders!). "We Are The Old People" and "Blood Of The Ancients" are appropriate and may be sung in polyphony... As the providers of food, Freyr and Skadi bring forward the feast. Some food should be laid out for the ancestors, and people should be encouraged to let the ancestors use their senses for a while to enjoy the food with them. The Soulers in particular should receive Soul Cakes. A strong magical gesture would be for people to bring forward canned and other non-perishable food (which can be later given to a food bank or similar organization). Freyr speaks as follows: Cakes to us carry, corn from the storehouse; Wine defies winter, warm with caught ripeness; Milk made to cheeses, meat dried and salted; Last of the land's fruits ere the long sleep. Skadi speaks as follows: Good nuts and game-food are hunters' guerdon; Sleeping Earth's secrets yield to the seeker True buried treasure: onions, potatoes Forest shall feed us while the fields rest. Both say (if there is to be food donation): All who have aught to offer, now bring it; Wights, bear ye witness work with the givers. Feeding our fellows, let us be fed so, Sops for the spirit or sup for the flesh. If there is to be scrying and divination, it should be done now in a quiet space marked off as separate from the feasting-place. Freyja and Heimdallr lead the scrying and Vala and Odin lead rune-work, with the following optional speeches: Heimdallr: Let the lots tumble, loosing their learning; Word-wood and wit-stones, won through ordeal. Come up and cast them, while word is clearest Augers may answer aught the year holds. Freyja: Wide are the Worldgates, windows are open; Sights may be seen now, elsetimes but scarcely. Crystal and cauldron capture the vision; Mystery's meaning speaks to the mindful. Note: it is entirely appropriate for partying to go on inside the sacred circle (people can get up and move around), so that the Dead have the opportunity to enjoy their day before we bid them farewell; the circle should be cast large, with this in mind. The only constraint is to open in sufficient time to clean up the hall before the rental time runs out. The circle is opened as follows: Heimdallr: To watching winds, we wish fair wandering; Fan us sweet fragrance; Hail, farewell! ALL: To sleepless souls, we wish sweet resting; Friends will keep faith; farewell now! Gods and Goddesses, go with praises! Finished our festival; Hail, farewell! Celebrants ground with this formula: As from the Earth our energy comes, Into the Earth the excess flows; Earth and all empowered alike Be it so! Skadi: See: the circle is severed thus (she cuts) Merry meet, Merry part, Merry meet again! B*B Leigh Ann ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93) |
All Hallow's Eve
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All Hallow's Eve by Mike Nichols Halloween. Sly does it. Tiptoe catspaw. Slide and creep. But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin? 'You don't know, do you?' asks Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud climbing out under the pile of leaves under the Halloween Tree. 'You don't REALLY know!' --Ray Bradbury, from 'The Halloween Tree' Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A 'spirit night', as they say in Wales. All Hallow's Eve is the eve of AllHallow's Day (November 1st). And for once, even popular tradition remembers that the Eve is more important than the Day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October 31st, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year's festival. Not that the holiday was Celtic only. In fact, it is startling how many ancient and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and pre-Spanish Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead. But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the British Isles. The Celts called it Samhain, which means 'summer's end', according to their ancient two-fold division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane. (Some modern Covens echo this structure by letting the High Priest 'rule' the Coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership returned to the High Priestess at Beltane.) According to the later four-fold division of the year, Samhain is seen as 'autumn's end' and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pro- nounced (depending on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in Ireland), or 'sow-een' (in Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or (inevitably) 'sam-hane' (in the U.S., where we don't speak Gaelic). Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Celtic New Year's Eve, when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown. There are many representations of Celtic gods with two faces, and it surely must have been one of them who held sway over Samhain. Like his Greek counterpart Janus, he would straddle the threshold, one face turned toward the past in commemoration of those who died during the last year, and one face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year holds. These two themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined in Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year's celebration. As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living for this one night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan. And so the great burial mounds of Ireland (sidhe mounds) were opened up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find their way. Extra places were set at the table and food set out for any who had died that year. And there are many stories that tell of Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the gates of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed places by cock-crow. As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into the future. The reason for this has to do with the Celtic view of time. In a culture that uses a linear concept of time, like our modern one, New Year's Eve is simply a milestone on a very long road that stretches in a straight line from birth to death. Thus, the New Year's festival is a part of time. The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year's Eve represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to re-establishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and hence it may be used to view any other point in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading or tea-leaf reading so likely to succeed. The Christian religion, with its emphasis on the 'historical' Christ and his act of redemption 2000 years ago, is forced into a linear view of time, where 'seeing the future' is an illogical proposition. In fact, from the Christian perspective, any attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil. This did not keep the medieval Church from co-opting Samhain's other motif, commemoration of the dead. To the Church, however, it could never be a feast for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God -- thus, All Hallow's, or Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls. There are so many types of divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few. Girls were told to place hazel nuts along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one of her suitors. She could then divine her future husband by chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn and die.' Several methods used the apple, that most popular of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through the equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and then eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse will then appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, 'I pare this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart's name to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken paring o'er my head, / My sweetheart's letter on the ground to read.' Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of your hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out the initial letter as it moves. Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household. (The American pumpkin seems to have forever superseded the European gourd as the jack-o-lantern of choice.) Bobbing for apples may well represent the remnants of a Pagan 'baptism' rite called a 'seining', according to some writers. The water-filled tub is a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice's head is immersed. The fact that the participant in this folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft initiation ceremony. The custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of Celtic origin with survivals particularly strong in Scotland. However, there are some important differences from the modern version. In the first place, the custom was not relegated to children, but was actively indulged in by adults as well. Also, the 'treat' which was required was often one of spirits (the liquid variety). This has recently been revived by college students who go 'trick-or-drinking'. And in ancient times, the roving bands would sing seasonal carols from house to house, making the tradition very similar to Yuletide wassailing. In fact, the custom known as 'caroling', now connected exclusively with mid-winter, was once practiced at all the major holidays. Finally, in Scotland at least, the tradition of dressing in costume consisted almost exclusively of cross-dressing (i.e., men dressing as women, and women as men). It seems as though ancient societies provided an opportunity for people to 'try on' the role of the opposite gender for one night of the year. (Although in Scotland, this is admittedly less dramatic -- but more confusing -- since men were in the habit of wearing skirt-like kilts anyway. Oh well...) To Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays, or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter days. Because it is the most important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called 'THE Great Sabbat.' It is an ironic fact that the newer, self-created Covens tend to use the older name of the holiday, Samhain, which they have discovered through modern research. While the older hereditary and traditional Covens often use the newer name, Halloween, which has been handed down through oral tradition within their Coven. (This is often holds true for the names of the other holidays, as well. One may often get an indication of a Coven's antiquity by noting what names it uses for the holidays.) With such an important holiday, Witches often hold two distinct celebrations. First, a large Halloween party for non-Craft friends, often held on the previous weekend. And second, a Coven ritual held on Halloween night itself, late enough so as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters. If the rituals are performed properly, there is often the feeling of invisible friends taking part in the rites. Another date which may be utilized in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter day, or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style). This occurs when the sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio, an astrological 'power point' symbolized by the Eagle. This year (1988), the date is November 6th at 10:55 pm CST, with the celebration beginning at sunset. Interestingly, this date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated by the Church as the holiday of Martinmas. Of all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the only one that still boasts anything near to popular celebration. Even though it is typically relegated to children (and the young-at-heart) and observed as an evening affair only, many of its traditions are firmly rooted in Paganism. Interestingly, some schools have recently attempted to abolish Halloween parties on the grounds that it violates the separation of state and religion. Speaking as a Pagan, I would be saddened by the success of this move, but as a supporter of the concept of religion-free public education, I fear I must concede the point. Nonetheless, it seems only right that there SHOULD be one night of the year when our minds are turned toward thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both Pagans and non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld and its inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your jack-o'lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow's Eve. |
