BROKEN WINDOWS

Friday, October 31, 2003

A note on HALLOWEEN!

I have a "Pagan" friend who filled me in on the old Celtic notions of Halloween. So, here it goes:

The Celts practiced eight major ceremonies during the year that were associated with the sun and the moon. Of course, the solstices and equinoxes were observed as the fixed quater stations in the year (December 21, March 21, June 21, and September 21).This was in essence a landscape calendar, and festivals were associated with each one.

In addition to this, four cross-quarter stations were observed on the first full moon after each solar dates. These four periods were converted to stationery dates when Catholicism came to celtic Europe. Now these dates are Halloween, May day, Gound Hog's day, and the first harvest celebration in August.
The first full moon after the Winter solstice occured sometime in January or early February, this ceremony was accompanied with a certain nervousness, and it was performed so that the spring would indeed return, although there was doubt. Hence, the doubt we playfully place on the decision of the groundhog.

The first full moon after the Vernal equinox occured sometime in late April or early May, and this was associated with a ceremony celebrating fertility. Much partying and hanky-panky occured at this time.

The first full moon after the summer solstice occured in late July/early August, and this became a celebration of the first harvests of the year.

The first full moon after the Autumnal equinox singified the end of the Pagan year, and a most interesting holiday. Of course, today this is Halloween. Halloween was a floating holiday that was to occur with the first full moon when the sun was in the scorpion constellation. My source tells me that the Celts called this holiday Samhaim (pronounced Sowen), and that all harvisting of crops was to be completed by this date. Anything left unharvested was supposed to be left as an offering to the spirit world. For this was the time of year where the barrier between the land of the living and the land of the dead was weakest. Thus, providing the living an opportunity to communicate with ancestors for divinatory purposes. During this ceremony, people would prepare meals for their ancestors and leave them as offerings.

Once the full moon began to wane, this two week period was viewed quite ambivalently and people laid low. It was believed that the old sun had died, and the new one would be reborn on the Winter Solstice. At times, human sacrifices accompanied the Samhaim ceremony to insure the rebirth of a new sun, but it was not a common practice.

Interestingly, the Mexican day of the dead (Dia De Los Muertos) was a similar practice. That is why the Catholic friars fixed it in the same period as Halloween, although the original celebration was probably not too far away. I guess the lengthening of the nights reminds us of the land of the dead. Hope you enjoyed the guest blog.

4:53:03 PM |

Guest blogger on the way!

It's a last minute decision, but I've decided to go away for the weekend and leave my blog in the hands of my capable husband. He'll post a few stories, a couple of political rants (no doubt!) and perhaps a random thought or two. Meanwhile, I'll comment from afield when I get a chance.

I'll be back to blogging as usual next Tuesday.

One quick story before I go. We went to a small taqueria in Terry Town on the west bank last night for tacos (It's supposedly the only Mexican restaurant actually owned by Mexican-Americans in New Orleans). On one side of the road was "Voodoo Drive-Thru Daiquiris" and on the other "New Orleans Original Drive-Thru Daiquiris." Terry Town clearly loves its daiquiris.

I've heard there's a new law concerning open containers. The driver can have a daiquiri with him, but the straw wrapper can't be opened. No straw and you're good to go. I can't help but think this has something to do with all the fender benders and more serious auto accidents I see nearly every day. Nothing scientific about this observation, of course. It's hard not to make the connection, though, don't you think?

9:20:28 AM |

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