Samhain Celebrations

While visiting some of my favorite blogs this morning I popped into Nio's
She seemed to have some concerns about not having a ritual prepared for tomorrow night (Samhain). I tried to leave her a comment about it, but for some reason my wordpress and blogger accounts are messing each other up and they don't always recognize the other address, so it tells me I have an invalid entry.
Anyway I am sure others have out there are having the same problems (the ritual, not the computer) so I thought I would talk about some of the things I plan to do or have done in the past to celebrate Samhain.
I don't worry about a ritual. Usually the only time I do one is when I celebrate a Sabbath with a group. I tend to be much more low key here at home. Other than decorating the house and taking my grandson out trick or treating, I don't a lot planned. I probably will do some type of a dumb supper
The traditional Dumb Supper honors our beloved dead with a dinner observed in utter silence. I do not take it that far, because first of all I like to talk, and second I will probably have to tell one of the animals to get down and stop begging. I will however set an extra plate out.

Just in case you didn't know this already
"Ritual offerings of food for the dead have been made throughout history, showing the near-universal belief in an afterlife. Paleolithic humans have often been found buried with food. The Egyptians gave food to their dead in honor of the god, Osiris, while the Celts did so at Samhain—a magical time now known as Halloween. On the Roman holiday of Feralia (February 21), worship of the gods was suspended and the Romans made offerings of meat and cakes as a manner of appeasing the spirits. The Japanese thought it advantageous to provide the dead with their favorite foods. Modern religions observe this practice as well. Buddhists present food to the “Pretas”—lost, goblin-like souls—for the purpose of relieving their ghostly pains. Catholicism holds three days of observance for the dearly departed at All Saints Day on November 1, a practice inherited from the Celtic Samhain. The dead do not consume the food itself, but rather absorb its spiritual essence. Still practiced today, dining with the dead is an ancient tradition that honors our divine ancestors." (copied from the internet)


Here are a few more ideas for a Samhain Celebration:

Bob for apples. There were many divination practices associated with Samhain, many of which dealt with marriage, health, and the weather. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination based on the belief that the first to bite into an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. This is similar to the wedding tradition of the throwing of the bride's bouquet for women and her garter for men.
Apple peeling was another type of divination to determine how long one's life would be. The longer the unbroken peel, the longer the life of the one peeling it the rind
Carve jack-o-lanterns to light the way for the spirits who walk during this night.
Finish any incomplete projects and pay off lingering bills (if possible) to close out the old year and begin the new year afresh.
Set aside some time for scrying or other form of divination. Or if you don't divine yourself, get a reading.
Leave food out for the birds and other wild animals.
Put pictures of ancestors who have passed on your altar or festival table. Light a special candle for them, to show them the way to return and celebrate with you.
Visit the graves of your ancestors or, if this isn't possible, the nearest cemetery. Be still there, and listen for the voices of those who have passed.
Leave offerings of food and drink for them, and for the animals.
Tell ancestral stories and tales around the fire, or at the dinner table.
Have a mask-making ceremony in which you create masks to represent your ancestry.


No matter what you do remember to have a happy and safe Halloween/Samhain