Happy Halloween everyone!

And don't forget, for some here, happy Samhain!

Pardon my ignorance, Samhain?

Boo!

old Celtic/pagan new year

Bob saget

Samhain

Pronounced "sow-in" or "sow-een" is the last of 3 harvest celebrated by a lot of modern day Pagans (myself included) as the beginning and end of the "wheel of the year".

It is the time of year to remember and honor those who have died in the preceeding year/s; think All Saints/Souls Day, and the Latin Dia de los muertos (day of the dead).

Point of clarification.

Pagan is not a religion, it is a term used to descibe anyone who is not part of one of the "major" religions, by members of those religions. It covers everyone from those who follow the spirits of thier ancestors, to those who's guides take the guise of other creatures, even those who pray to Elvis and Marylin <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />, and everything in between. Those of us who use the term to self-define do so, conciously or not, to build a unified front between those of us who's theological forbearers were burned as witches and hunted as animals by monotheists.

And not all of us consider samhain to be the new year, many more use the winter solstice or the spring equinox for that. That is pretty much a Celtic exclusive, although some Neo-druids and Wiccans following a heavily Celtic path do as well.

That's why I said Celtic <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

One of my ancestors,Jack Kavanaugh got so properly drunk one night his soul began slipping free.Next to him sat the divel himself to collect. Jack pleaded for one more drink before his trip down to hell. As he was broke ( a family tradition) Old Scratch turned himself into a siver coin, whereupon Jack tossed it in his coin purse secured by a small rosary. Divel says " let me out and I won't bother you in this pub again." Jack stupidly agrees. Later he's walking, well staggering home when himself pops up again to sieze his soul. Jack surrenders, but says he's powerfull hungry and could the devil fetch an apple from yon tree. Devil climbs up the tree, whereupon Jack produces his O' RITTER dagger and scratches a cross in the bark. The devil is besides himself, and promises never to bother Jack on earth again. So Jack frees him by batoning the cross off. Years later Jack passes on and goes to heaven, where Saint Peter refuses entry. So Jack remembers his old adversary and decides to go to Hell ( another family tradition.) Divel sees Jack and angrilly casts him back out into the eternal darkness of earthbound wandering. Jack cries he can't see to make his way, so Divel hurls a burning ember which Jack catches in a gourd, creating the sub sept of Kavanaughs known as the O'lanterns who bedeviled Doug's knifemaking ancestors with demands for a better light that could be had in yellow instead of orange, a colour much disliked by that peacable race. And the proper pronunciation of Savin is more like 'Sooooiin' or the noise content pigs make, which most closely duplicates gaelic when spoken in it's purest unintelligable form.