samhain/all hallow's eve & in search of a deeper meaning...

when i look back to my childhood, or to american lives in general, i feel that there is a serious lack of meaning to our festivals. so much of our celebration seems to be based on materialism/consumerism. it is everywhere, as i am sure that you have all noticed.


i wonder how much of this is simply because the americas are a "melting pot" (the term i was taught in middle/high school). with so many peoples, religions, & cultures living together...how are we to have agree on common traditions. perhaps in response to this lack of a consensus, we opted to forgo any & all.


now that i have children of my own, and even more so since discovering the beautiful world of waldorf, we are beginning a journey to rediscover our roots & our heritage. a journey to give our "american holidays" a sense of meaning & reverence.


today we discover the deeper meaning of samhain, which literally means 'summer's end'. samhain is a festival often celebrated over a few days, mainly october 31st thru november 1st/2nd. it marks both the end of the harvest, and the end of the lighter half of the year. it also marks the beginning of the darker half of the year.


it is at this time of the year that the gaelic people believed the veil between the world of the living & the world of the dead was at it's thinnest. people dressed up in costume to both mirror & placate the spirits. offerings were made to appease those who had crossed over to the world of the dead. alters, also, are set up in remembrance of loved ones no longer with us.


we were invited to attend a local samhain celebration at orin's homeschool cooperative & relished the chance for the boys to experience something beyond an hour or two of costumes & candy.

i look forward to delving a bit deeper into this festival next year...
luke skywalker (from return of the jedi)
harry potter...did you know "harry potter doesn't have boobies." (i heard that from at least five different children. :)

thor (norse god)

laura ingalls & repecheep (from chronicles of narnia)

faeries!

native american chieftain...

an evil king...

little red cap & a nurse...

lovelies...

a little black cat...

king arthur...

ehren (our turtle)...

i love it!

these lovely women discussed samhain and the songs, stories, & traditions within...

our ancestral alter...

making corn husk dolls...

and dream catchers...

pumpkin carving...

the children made pots from micacious clay during their friday sessions...

part of a session on primitive pottery...

a nursing gnome...:)

the pots were fired over these sacred flames, started with just sticks & a bit of flint.

we sang songs of blessing & gratitude to infuse the pottery with strength & also to call forth the fire spirits...

the apple cider press (in action)...