WEBVTT - How Does Samhain Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam here say it with us. Sawen,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the correct pronunciation of the word, spelled s A

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<v Speaker 1>m h A i N. It's the name of an

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<v Speaker 1>ancient pagan festival that helped lay the groundwork for modern Halloween.

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<v Speaker 1>Not that one displaced the other. Sawen is still around

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<v Speaker 1>and is still celebrated today around the world. Contemporary Pagans,

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<v Speaker 1>from Wiccans to Druids gather each year to observe the

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<v Speaker 1>traditions and rituals associated with it. Beasts are shared, but

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<v Speaker 1>Sawin isn't just another costume party with an emphasis on

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<v Speaker 1>the creep factor. For observers and many pagan communities, it's

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<v Speaker 1>a deeply spiritual time of reflection and remembrance. Historical records

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<v Speaker 1>don't give us a very clear picture of what the

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<v Speaker 1>first Sawan celebrations might have entailed, and the festival is

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<v Speaker 1>Celtic in origin, and it's name comes from the Old

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<v Speaker 1>Irish language. During Ireland's early medieval period, which lasted from

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<v Speaker 1>about four hundred to eleven CE, Salwen marked the onset

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<v Speaker 1>of winter transition has always been a central theme of

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<v Speaker 1>this festival. One medieval Irish tale says that Salwen is

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<v Speaker 1>when the summer goes to its rest. Nowadays, Salwen is

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<v Speaker 1>usually observed from October thirty one through November one. That

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<v Speaker 1>puts it about halfway between the autumnelt equinox and winter

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<v Speaker 1>solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and Pagans living below the

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<v Speaker 1>equator often wait until April and May to hold their

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<v Speaker 1>Sawn rituals. By the time this holiday rolled around, the

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<v Speaker 1>summer harvests were over and done with, yet the harshest

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<v Speaker 1>part of the winter season was still a few weeks away.

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<v Speaker 1>According to the two thousand three book Stations of the Sun,

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<v Speaker 1>a History of the ritual year in Britain by historian

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<v Speaker 1>Robert Hutton, this made Salwin a perfect backdrop for important

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<v Speaker 1>tribal meetings in pastoral Ireland, some lasted for days. Quite

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<v Speaker 1>a few Irish folk stories are set during Sawen. Many

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<v Speaker 1>involved the death of kings and other dangerous or deadly happenings.

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<v Speaker 1>Supernatural forces became associated with the festival. Fairies, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>were said to be especially active during Sawen. While historians

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<v Speaker 1>debate its origins, at some point the belief arose that

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<v Speaker 1>Sawin was also a time when the spirits of one's

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<v Speaker 1>dead ancestors had easier access to our world, opening the

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<v Speaker 1>door for communication between the living and the deceased. But

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<v Speaker 1>Sawin got some competition in the late eight hundreds. More

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<v Speaker 1>than three hundred years earlier, Pope Bonifast the fourth had

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<v Speaker 1>established May nineteenth as a Christian day of remembrance, honoring

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<v Speaker 1>those who had died for their faith. But in eight

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<v Speaker 1>seventy three CE, this holiday, the Feast of All Holy Martyrs,

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<v Speaker 1>was moved to November one. Later it would be renamed

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<v Speaker 1>All Saints Day. Was the date change a bid to

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<v Speaker 1>christianize Sawen rituals. The idea has been suggested, but some

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<v Speaker 1>scholars have their doubts either way. Halloween as we know

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<v Speaker 1>it now owes a huge debt to Well Saints Day.

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<v Speaker 1>Another name that Christian tradition goes by is All Hallow's Day.

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<v Speaker 1>Past generations gave the night before that is October thirty one,

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<v Speaker 1>a title of its own, All Hallow's Eve. As time passed,

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<v Speaker 1>this was shortened to Halloween with a dash an apostrophe,

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<v Speaker 1>before the label ditched its punctuation marks and became simply Halloween.

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<v Speaker 1>Secular Halloween traditions these days may involve trick or treating,

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<v Speaker 1>costume parties and watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,

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<v Speaker 1>or a horror film. But if you're a modern day pagan,

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<v Speaker 1>you might have a slightly different itinerary. On October one

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<v Speaker 1>and into November one, dumb suppers are among the traditions

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<v Speaker 1>Sawan celebrants may choose to observe. This custom calls for

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<v Speaker 1>a place setting to be set out and often left

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<v Speaker 1>empty at an otherwise hearty meal. This symbolically acknowledges deceased

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<v Speaker 1>ancestors or other family members or friends who died. All

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<v Speaker 1>of the living guests eat in silence as they reflect

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<v Speaker 1>on the departed and the nature of life and death.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes attendees burn messages written for the person or people

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<v Speaker 1>in question. Sometimes the dinner's courses are handed out in

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<v Speaker 1>reverse order. There's lots of room for variation. Making the

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<v Speaker 1>tradition personal is often part of the concept. Sawin Observers

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<v Speaker 1>may also participate in quiet meditation or divination ceremonies, or

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<v Speaker 1>may decorate their personal altar with goards, dried coin, husks,

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<v Speaker 1>and other autumnal symbols. Because remembrance is such an important

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<v Speaker 1>aspect of Sawan. The altar will often include photos, symbols,

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<v Speaker 1>or belongings of loved ones who have died outdoors. Bonfire

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<v Speaker 1>rituals are Sawyn staple among Druids and other observers. A

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<v Speaker 1>pagan groups who keep gardens sometimes treat the festival as

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<v Speaker 1>a hard deadline for their harvests. Any edible material that

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<v Speaker 1>isn't gathered by the time Sawan ends is left behind

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<v Speaker 1>as a gift to the spirits and in keeping with

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<v Speaker 1>this festival's and assist on tradition, some observers treat Salwin

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<v Speaker 1>is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. But this

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean that all Wickens, Druids, and other contemporary Pagans

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<v Speaker 1>swear off of secular Halloween. Some enjoy the secular Halloween

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<v Speaker 1>season but just don't engage with it on October thirty one.

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<v Speaker 1>Others make time for both trick or treating and Sawin rituals.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Mark Mancini and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. For more and That's unless of other curious topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of i Heeart Radio or more podcasts my Heart Radio

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