This month's topic probably doesn't come as a surprise for you. Halloween is only a few days away, but so is Dia de los Muertos and Samhain.
I picked Samhain for today's post. I have to admit that I didn't know much about Samhain except that it marks the end of the harvest season and is a day to honor the dead. On Samhain the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is so thin that the fairies can pass through easily and the dead can revisit their homes. Celebrating starts on the 31st of October, Samhain Eve, while Samhain itself, the 1st of November, was the Celtic New Year.
In the last few days I read more about Samhain than ever before, about mumming and guising and souling, and to be honest, it was a little confusing, and I'm not sure if I know so much more now, a feeling that I often have when browsing on the internet.
Maybe I got you interested in doing a bit of browsing yourself?
For this post I not only looked up rituals, but also symbols, and I spontaneously made this pentacle pendant, a symbol that you still find in Neo-Paganism today.
The star represents the five elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.
Wanna see what our other members have to say? Check it out here! I will add more links as they follow.
The Crafty Chimp
Jewelry Art by Dawn
Ponder - the Cat
Until today, I wasn't familiar with Samhain; very interesting read and it's rather surprising to learn that it's very similar to Dia de los Muertos. I always learn something new from you, Cat!
ReplyDeleteAlso love that pendant - you're so talented on the loom!
Thank you!
DeleteHere in Germany and other European countries there's a different, almost lost tradition. No pumpkins, but "turnip ghosts"!