{"id":222,"date":"2015-10-27T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/thewitchesnextdoor\/?p=222"},"modified":"2017-10-15T09:59:13","modified_gmt":"2017-10-15T17:59:13","slug":"13-samhain-traditions-wellat-least-at-our-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thewitchesnextdoor\/2015\/10\/13-samhain-traditions-wellat-least-at-our-house\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Samhain Traditions (Well,at Least at Our House)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It\u2019s Samhain-tide and for the two of us that means we observe all sorts of serious and not so serious traditions. Here\u2019s our top 13 Samhain\/Halloween activities. Yes 13\u2026because 13 is witchy.<\/p>\n

1) Ancestor Dinners<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 Think about the typical scene from your favourite holiday movie or hallmark commercial when the whole family gathers in the dining room around a beautifully set table. Now imagine that with a lot more black, and instead of great aunt Millie actually sitting over there at the head of the table with great uncle Tom by her side, there\u2019s an urn with their ashes, lovingly placed. That\u2019s how we do an ancestor dinner. Lots of great food. Toasting the dead. Remembering their names and telling their stories.<\/p>\n

\"That<\/a>
That is Phoenix. That is not Gwion, but it\u2019s one of his favorite pictures of Phoenix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2) Dressing Up<\/span><\/strong><\/em> \u2013 What other time of the year can you wear what you want, dress in all of your witchy finest and \u201cregular\u201d folk don\u2019t bat an eyelid? Okay\u2026truth be told, we pretty much dress the same way all year anyway, and we can just about get away with it because of where we live and work, but it\u2019s the \u201cnobody batting an eyelid\u201dpart we like the best.<\/p>\n

3) Movie Marathons<\/strong><\/span><\/em>\u00a0-Cheesy and campy as it is and completely not Authentic Pagan (whatever that means) we do love our movie marathons. You know \u2018em. You love \u2018em. It\u2019s time to watch \u201cThe Craft\u201d, \u201cHocus Pocus\u201d, \u201cNightmare Before Christmas\u201d, \u201cThe Witches of Eastwick\u201d, \u201cThe Wicker Man: (1973 only) and, of course, we cap it all off with our own midnight margaritas, as we watch \u201cPractical Magic.\u201d High-brow magic? Hardly, but ya know, cuddling on the couch together watching movies is still pretty cool<\/p>\n

4) Going To The Pumpkin Patch<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 We still do this even if our kids don\u2019t go with us (especially if our kids don\u2019t go with us). We tromp up and down the rows of pumpkins, oohing and ahhing at the different shapes and sizes. Just what are those flat, bright orange warty ones anyway? There\u2019s kettle corn and getting lost in corn mazes and hot cider and the promise of dark nights and cool evenings. Of course, it was 87 degrees Fahrenheit\u00a0at the pumpkin patch, so it was a cold beer this year, but we really thought about the coming dark and cool nights.<\/p>\n

5) Carving Pumpkins<\/span><\/strong><\/em> \u2013 We\u2019ve done this for years with our kids. We roast the seeds and sprinkle them with garlic. We listen to soppy Halloween songs like<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A picture from Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cthe Monster Mash\u201d. We\u2019ve been known to do the \u201cThriller\u201d dance in the living room. One of us does a pretty good Vincent Price impression and it isn\u2019t Gwion!<\/p>\n

6) Walking In The Graveyard<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 Sonoma County is blessed with several old rural graveyards. The earliest markers are from the mid 1850\u2019s or so. We walk in near silence, stopping to remark on an epitaph that speaks to us of longing or love or terrible loss. We say the names on the gravestones out loud. We sometimes collect graveyard dirt for magical workings or leave spell work with the dead for them to finish for us.<\/p>\n

7) Deck The Halls<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>\u2013 Alright, some might equate this phrase with the another big holiday in December, but for us, it\u2019s a time to pull out everything Samhain and Halloween related. Our house is always bedecked with altars and candles and pictures of our beloved dead, but we really pull the stops out for Samhain.<\/p>\n

8) The Veil Being Thin<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 In all seriousness, Samhain is an important and potent holy day (actually, it lasts for many weeks with us). We pay more attention to our Ancestors. We take stock of our year. We mourn and celebrate those that have left us since last Samhain and listen for whispers and messages and comfort that might come in dreams and visions.<\/p>\n

9)Even Muggles Believe<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 Every year at public rituals, there are those lookie-loos that come and join us. Some want to gawk at the witches, some will write books without really asking permission (but that\u2019s another post) and others come with a genuine, compelling pull to see if some thing or some gods might just be real. And occasionally they find just what they are looking for!<\/p>\n

10) Pumpkin Flavoured Everything*<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 Pumpkin coffee. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin beer. Pumpkin pancakes. All pumpkin, all day, every day. There\u2019s something interesting about pumpkins though. Most of us have access to fruits and vegetables all year long, whether they are in season or not. In the scheme of things, this is actually pretty terrible for our bodies and the environment. As much as pumpkin pie in June sounds terrific, we\u2019re actually pretty glad that some things really are only available seasonally.<\/p>\n

11) Samhain Rituals<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>\u2013 Coming together with our various communities; small and large, public and private, sacred and profane, coven and the curious, is simply amazing. The trust and passion and care and holding and tears and<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>
Courtesy of Starhawk.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

support and laughter and deep, deep witnessing and grief and being given space to grieve loudly and fully is just exquisite. We Pagans do this well.<\/p>\n

12) Preparing To Rest<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 After the tumult and business of Samhain, we tend to go to ground. Yes there are those \u201cother\u201d holidays in November and December, but we tend to ignore most of those traditions in favour of our own family traditions. What we do most between Samhain and Imbolc is rest and let go and slow down and dream. One year we even created a hibernation rite to ritualize our intention of reeeaaalllyyy slowing down for a few months.<\/p>\n

13) Happy New Year<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u2013 There\u2019s no evidence that Samhain was ever originally celebrated as \u201cThe Witches New Year\u201d, but by Merlin\u2019s beard, doesn\u2019t it sound like a good idea? We actually write out intentions for the coming twelve months and then let them go to ground and rest in the earth for a few months. We look at the list again around Imbolc\/Brigid and see what is calling to be brought forth.<\/p>\n

So, for what it\u2019s worth, Happy Witches New Year to you and yours.<\/p>\n

*The inclusion of number 10 was purely Phoenix\u2019s idea. Gwion will tolerate a pumpkin beer or two, but beyond that YUCK! Pun\u2019kins are just gross.<\/p>\n

\u00a0You can like our Facebook page at The Witches Next Door<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All pictures used with permission<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a time to pull out everything Samhain and Halloween related. 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