Celebrating Samhain with Your Children

Samhain is one of the most important festivals to pagans. Many of the modern Halloween traditions are derived from the customs the ancient Celtic peoples celebrating Samhain. One such custom was that of putting lights in hollowed-out turnips, to guide the spirits of our ancestors to us. You can think of all those carved turnips as ancestors of our modern jack-o-lanterns. Some pagans view Halloween as offensive, although many celebrate both secular Halloween and a more spiritual Samhain.

It is believed that the veil separating this world from the other worlds is thinnest at Samhain, allowing our ancestors to return to visit and guide us. Pagans have a different view of death than most people. The spirits of our ancestors are not to be feared, as they have given us life and love us as we love them. They are our fathers, grandmothers, great uncles, and great-great grandfathers. To pagans, death is a natural part of life, and a gift from the God and Goddess. Without death, there would be no room for new life.

Not all pagans agree on what happens after death. Most believe in some sort of afterlife, sometimes calling the place where spirits go after death Summerland, Tir n’a Nog, or Avalon. However people picture this place, it is generally believed to be peaceful and restful, a place where we wait and ready ourselves to be reborn again. Because after death comes rebirth and renewal, Samhain is also frequently considered to be the pagan New Year.

A Samhain altar requires some consideration. Aside from the usual symbols of the seasons, like pumpkins, gourds, and fallen leaves, you should also include symbols of you beloved family members and friends who have passed away. Pictures of them are always appropriate, as are objects that remind you of them. If you have some items that they left you, you should place them on your altar.