I hope everyone had a terrific Halloween. We did participate in the festivities in town. N. was Cleopatra and Y. dressed up as Superman. Tariq and I kept it simple by donning Slytherin robes. Naturally.
Over at Hey! That’s My Hummus, we also gave Halloween a head nod by discussing a “War on Halloween” with our guest (and best friend) Britt Reints of In Pursuit of Happiness.
Today, I’d like to introduce you to my friend and fellow blogger, Cissa, who has kindly agreed to write a guest post for me with the aim of sharing her unique perspective of this time of year. Enjoy!
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Hi, My name is Cissa, and I am a Wiccan. A witch, if you prefer the term, though to be honest, not all wiccans are witches and vice versa.
So, Halloween. My favorite holiday. Except I call it Samhain (pronounced SOW-in or SAH-vin). I know. I totally don’t get the spelling/pronunciation either.
Where was I? Oh yes, Samhain. So here’s some information on the things I believe that will help all of you understand me and my religion a little better.
For Pagans, and Wiccans in particular, Samhain is our New Year Celebration. See, the way we view the change of seasons, solstices, and equinoxes (called Sabbats, which happen about every 6 weeks) is in a pretty little circle we call “The Wheel of the Year”:
Samhain is the Celtic-Gaelic word meaning “summers-end”. Contrary to popular beliefs, it’s not about worshipping the devil, cooking potions in a cauldron or sacrificing people/animals to the gods. It is assumed Pagans/Witches got their negative connotations from the Catholics in the 600′s when they were trying to convert non-believers to the Christian faith.
The symbolism of this Sabbat is that of The Third (and final) Harvest; it marks the end of Summer, the beginning of Winter. It is a time marked by death when our ancestors are honored. It is believed that on this night, the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest point, making this an excellent time to communicate with the Other Side.
Samhain is considered by many Pagans, Wiccans, and Witches (especially those of Celtic heritage) to be the date of the Witches’ New Year, representing one full turn of the Wheel of the Year. This is the time of year for getting rid of weaknesses. Many rituals involve symbolic burning of your weakness in the ritual fire.
So, Samhain is the end of the year. And what does everyone do at the end of the year? Have a party! Which is exactly why so many Witches love this holiday. This is OUR holiday. Sure there are misconceptions, it’s exploited and many don’t understand its true meaning, but it’s the time of year we don’t have to be afraid of who we are. And that’s why so many Pagans/Wiccans/Witches love it, including me!
Cissa Fireheart is a Wiccan, wife, mother of 2 girls, and full-time student, currently residing in Manassas, VA. She can be found on her blog Heart of Fire at http://cissafireheart.com or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CissaFireheart.
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If you’d also like to share your own perspectives in a guest post, please e-mail me at faiqa@native-born.com.
I love that the time between the winter solstice and the spring equinox is known as the time for resting before another busy season of planting, growing and harvest. Seems like we don’t otherwise honor resting, but instead consider it a waste of time instead of a necessary part of the whole.
Yes. We are a crazy society now. I am sure our ancestors think there is something wrong with us mentally to not want the rest period, like, ever!
BTW Faiqa, I fully approve of the Slytherin Robes…Us Slytherin’s gotta represent!
This was really interesting – thank you both for sharing!
Slytherin. Whatevs. Everyone knows the cool kids are all in Gryffindor. *eyeroll*
Anyways, this was fascinating. First time it has EVER been explained to me. So thanks for sharing it.
I am so, so glad to see this. I studied Wicca and Paganism in general for a few years and really loved what I learned. (I’ve studied a lot of religions that I loved; the problem is, I can’t pick one because I just can’t get myself to believe in a higher power.) I am so sick of seeing Wiccans berated and called devil worshipers. I love the origins of Halloween, and find it comforting, since I miss my Popi so much.
Thank you, Faiqa, for hosting Cissa, and thank you, Cissa, for sharing this. Checking out your blog now…
Happy (belated) Halloween to you all!
Thanks for this!
I love learning about people’s religion, culture, perspectives and all the other things that make us gloriously different.
thanks for opening this up to cissa, faiqa.
cissa, thanks for taking the time to share some info. i love that you explained the wiccan view of halloween in a way easy enough for me to understand! think you would be up for educating me on lughnasadh or should i just hit up daddy google?
I can totally do a Lugh post in August….maybe I should start do this for every Sabbat at my own blog, eh? hehe.
I think the spelling/pronuncation thing is Celtic, like the name Siobahn being pronounced Sha-von or Padrig being prounounced Pat-rick.
Anyway.
I love learning about different modes of belief. Thank you, Cissa, for the lesson!
I think you are right. My American Language with Spanish understanding just sees it all different, hence why my brain doesn’t see it making sense! hehe….
I love learning more about people! Thank you for the peed inside Wicca!