But what is the real Hallowe'en? 

Why do we do the Hallowe'eny things we do?

For those of us who follow the "old ways" of Western paganism, Hallowe’en is one of our sacred days, marking the end of one year and the beginning of another - the end of the harvest season, and the approach of winter. It is also the time of year when the dead among us are never so near.

The roots of Hallowe’en are buried deep in history. They reflect how our ancestors viewed the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth in the seasons of nature and the seasons of the soul.

Our Western European ancestors lived a life intimately tied to the fertility cycles of the earth, regularly planting their crops in the spring and harvesting them in the fall. They marked and celebrated the seasons through the solstices and equinoxes. In between these pivotal solar celebrations, there were other festivals and holy days, such as Imbolc (in February), Beltane (May), and Lammas (August), that found their place on "the Wheel of the Year." Finally, in the late fall or early winter came the celebration in honour of the gifts of the harvest - gifts to sustain our ancestors through the winter. This festival was known by the Celts as Samhain. Pronounced "saw-ween" or "sav-een" - and immortalized as Halloween - it simply meant "summer’s end." 

Samhain was a highly spiritual holiday. The annual cycles of birth, death, and rebirth in the natural world had convinced the Celts and other ancient peoples that human life and death was also a spiral of regeneration and renewal. They believed the dead are not permanently "dead and gone," but simply reside in another place. How does this jibe with the perennial philosophy of reincarnation? Perhaps the dead continued on as "memoryforms" as long as a direct ancestral connection persisted. Then, their soul-energy would finally move on to be newly incarnated on the physical plane. Whatever the truth, it was during this special, transitional time of year that many of our ancestors believed the veil of separation between the dead and the living was at its thinnest.

The dead were not necessarily all sweetness and light. They were feared as much as revered, and considered a powerful, potentially mischievous force to be reckoned with. As a symbol of respect and inclusion, and as a gesture of appeasement, the Celts would leave the dead choice offerings of food, often during nightlong Samhain vigils. These gatherings were frequently marked by the telling of scary stories around the bonfire. In contrast, during another Samhain ritual called the "dumb supper," no one spoke a word and places were respectfully reserved for the dead to join the feast if they desired. These offerings of respect and propitiation to prevent tricks or mischief from playful or malicious spirits are actually the basis of today's innocent "trick or treat."

It was around the seventh century that Samhain began its transformation into Halloween and the modern pagan's "Hallowe'en." It is a sad truth of history that the God of an old religion can become the demon of a new one. As Christianity suppressed the indigenous religions of Europe, the Church condemned the pagan deities as devils and forbid their worship. Ironically, the Church built its new cathedrals on many of the sacred sites of these very demons and superimposed the Christian holy days upon the pagan festivals. Eostra became Easter, Yule became Christmas, and Samhain became All Hallows Eve, and later All Saints Day. Samhain ceased to be a celebration. The beloved dead were now to be viewed solely as marauding devils set loose upon a world made vulnerable by its original sin, the Church the only true protection. Instead of making food offerings, the faithful were encouraged to say prayers. The bonfires were now kindled to drive away the demons - especially those poor souls trapped in purgatory between heaven and hell. 

Halloween as it is commonly celebrated today is a purely social festival, with no real spiritual significance. But for those of us who still honour the ancient gods, "Hallowe'en" is a time when the gods are in their darkest, most fearsome aspect. The male God is now the Lord of Death, preparing souls for their next incarnation. The Goddess wears her "crone" aspect. She is the Wise Woman who speaks hard truths and carries the God within her who will be reborn at the Winter Solstice.

A modern Witch's Hallowe'en is a sacred time, festive and solemn. In our various Wiccan traditions, we may celebrate this holy day in different ways, but our intentions are much the same. We honour our Beloved Dead who have died in the past year and our ancestors long past. We may practice divination to determine what we need to learn for our soul’s growth in the coming year. We may cleanse and energise our "magickal" tools to purge the energies of the previous year. We may stay up all night, feasting and doing vigil, to watch the sunrise and honour the New Year. We honour the memory of those who died during "the Burning Times" - the Christian Inquisition - when hundreds of thousand of pagans who defied conversion were burned at the stake. And we seek ways to deepen our connection to God/dess, no matter what name we use to call its Presence and Power into our daily lives.

Blessed be. And Happy Hallowe'en.

To this day, Hallowe'en remains full of symbols of the old culture. What do they mean?

• On Samhain eve, jack-o’-lanterns were sheltered candleholders carved out of apples, turnips, beets, pumpkins, or other vegetables. Their faces or other designs would let the light out while protecting the inner flame from the wind. The scarier the design, the better to frighten celebrants during the all-night lore-telling of the Samhain vigil. 
• Costumes and masks helped Samhain celebrants enter more fully into the "Mystery" of the occasion, bringing them closer to the spirit world. 
• The pitchfork was not just the tool of the harvest; it was the Trident of Fertility in both Celtic and Hindu teachings. Scarecrows would guard the fields from crop failure. 
• Skeletons have come to us from their dance through the streets of Mexico on the Day of the Dead, an old Aztec/Mexican holiday of great pageantry and procession. 
• Vampires are similar to ancient counterparts in Babylon, Assyria, Crete, and Germany. But the Central European vampires - the model for Dracula and other pop vampires of modern times (and Halloween costumes) - were much more theatrical and spiffily dressed. Anne Rice is the latest mythmaker to ramp up the sex appeal of these creatures of the night.