Samhain

Here's a little bit of information on Samhain (pronounced Sow-in or Sahm-hayn) Anything in (Italics) is my commentary.

• It is the third and final harvest feast.
• It is a day to remember and commune with those who have passed on.
• It is a celebration of the cycle of reincarnation.
• Considered the day when the "veil between the worlds" is thinnest.

According to Sabbats by: Edain McCoy, there are two possible sources for the origin of this Sabbat's name. The first being the Aryan God of Death, Samana. The second is from the Irish Gaelic word "Samhraidhreadh" which literally means "the summer's end." (I'm sure it does. Being half Irish I've seen some pretty long and interesting words with short meanings or short words with long meanings.)
For the Celtic people Samhain marks the end of summer and the beginning of the winter months, the day after Samhain being the Celtic New Year. In many European traditions, this is the night when the old God dies and is mourned by the Crone for the next six weeks.
Samhain is more popularly known as Halloween, a contraction of the words, "Hallowed Evening." and it retains much of the original form and meaning it had long ago in Celtic lands. The Church, trying to turn this day into a day of prayer, named it Michaelmas, the feast day of St Michael. Eventually, it was renamed the Eve of All Saints or All Hallows Eve and precedes All Saint's Day.

The preceding three paragraphs are paraphrased from the book Sabbats: A witch's approach to living the old ways. By Edain McCoy. I have provided an image and a link below if you wish to order the book through Amazon.com.

Hopefully I will have more posts concerning my favorite of all holidays over the coming weeks. I am planning on putting up a section on my traditions within the next few days!
Blessed Be!
Layla