WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Does Samhain Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of iHeart Podcasts. Hey BrainStuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum here with another classic episode from The Vault.

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<v Speaker 1>In this one, we get into the history and modern

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<v Speaker 1>traditions around Samhain, a fall holiday that helped inspire today's

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<v Speaker 1>celebrations of Halloween. Hey BrainStuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. Say it

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<v Speaker 1>with us, Samhain. That's the correct pronunciation of the word

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<v Speaker 1>spelled S-A-M-H-A-I-N. It's the name of an ancient pagan festival

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<v Speaker 1>that helped lay the groundwork for modern Halloween. Not that

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<v Speaker 1>one displaced the other. Samhain's still around and is still

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<v Speaker 1>celebrated today. Around the world, contemporary pagans from Wiccans to

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<v Speaker 1>Druids gather each year to observe the traditions and rituals

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<v Speaker 1>associated with it. Feasts are shared. But Samhain isn't just

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<v Speaker 1>another costume party with an emphasis on the creep factor.

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<v Speaker 1>For observers and many pagan communities, it's a deeply spiritual

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<v Speaker 1>time of reflection and remembrance. Historical records don't give us

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<v Speaker 1>a very clear picture of what the first Samhain celebrations

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<v Speaker 1>might have entailed. The festival is Celtic in origin, and

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<v Speaker 1>its name comes from the Old Irish language. During Ireland's

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<v Speaker 1>early medieval period, which lasted from about 400 to 1100 CE,

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<v Speaker 1>Samhain marked the onset of winter. Transition has always been

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<v Speaker 1>a central theme of this festival. One medieval Irish tale

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

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<v Speaker 1>Samhain is usually observed from October 31st through November 1st.

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<v Speaker 1>That puts it about halfway between the autumnal equinox and

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<v Speaker 1>winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. 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>Samhain 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 2003 book Stations of the Sun, A

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<v Speaker 1>History of the Ritual Year in Britain by historian Robert Hutton,

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<v Speaker 1>this made Samhain a perfect backdrop for important tribal meetings

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<v Speaker 1>in pastoral Ireland. Some lasted for days. Quite a few

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<v Speaker 1>Irish folk stories are set during Samhain. Many involved the

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>said to be especially active during Samhain. While historians debate

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>got some competition in the late 800s. More than 300

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<v Speaker 1>years earlier, Pope Boniface IV had established May 19th as

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<v Speaker 1>a Christian day of remembrance, honoring those who had died

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<v Speaker 1>for their faith. But in 873 CE, this holiday, the

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<v Speaker 1>Feast of All Holy Martyrs, was moved to November 1st. Later,

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<v Speaker 1>it would be renamed All Saints Day. Was the date

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<v Speaker 1>change a bid to Christianize Samhain rituals? The idea has

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<v Speaker 1>been suggested, but some scholars have their doubts. Either way,

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<v Speaker 1>Halloween as we know it now owes a huge debt

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<v Speaker 1>to All Saints Day. Another name that Christian tradition goes

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<v Speaker 1>by is All Hallows Day. Past generations gave the night before,

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<v Speaker 1>that is October 31st, a title of its own, All

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<v Speaker 1>Hallows Eve. As time passed, this was shortened to Halloween,

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<v Speaker 1>with a dash and apostrophe, before the label ditched its

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<v Speaker 1>punctuation marks and became simply Halloween. Secular Halloween traditions these

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<v Speaker 1>days may involve trick-or-treating, costume parties, and watching It's the

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<v Speaker 1>Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, or a horror film. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you're a modern-day pagan, you might have a slightly different

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<v Speaker 1>itinerary on October 31st and into November 1st. Dumb suppers

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<v Speaker 1>are among the traditions Samhain celebrants may choose to observe.

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<v Speaker 1>This custom calls for place-setting to be set out and

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<v Speaker 1>often left empty at an otherwise hearty meal. This symbolically

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<v Speaker 1>acknowledges deceased ancestors or other family members or friends who

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<v Speaker 1>have died. All of the living guests eat in silence

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<v Speaker 1>as they reflect on the departed and the nature of

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<v Speaker 1>life and death. Sometimes attendees burn messages written for the

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<v Speaker 1>person or people in question. Sometimes the dinner's courses are

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<v Speaker 1>handed out in reverse order. There's lots of room for variation.

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>or may decorate their personal altar with gourds, dried corn 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 Samhain, 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 Samhain's staple among Druids and other observers. Pagan

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

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<v Speaker 1>hard deadline for their harvests. Any edible material that isn't

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<v Speaker 1>gathered by the time Samhain ends is left behind as

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<v Speaker 1>a gift to the spirits. And in keeping with this

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<v Speaker 1>festival's emphasis on tradition, some observers treat Samhain as the

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<v Speaker 1>beginning of the Celtic New Year. But this doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 1>that all Wiccans, Druids, and other contemporary pagans swear off

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<v Speaker 1>of secular Halloween. Some enjoy the secular Halloween season, but

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<v Speaker 1>just don't engage with it on October 31st. Others make

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<v Speaker 1>time for both trick-or-treating and Samhain rituals. Today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article, Before Halloween, There Was Samhain, on HowStuffWorks.com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Mark Mancini. BrainStuff is a production of iHeart

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<v Speaker 1>Podcasts in partnership with HowStuffWorks.com and is produced by Tyler Klang.

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<v Speaker 1>For more shows from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeart Radio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.