The fire festival of Samhain is celebrated beginning at dusk on 31 October and ends the following day, at dusk on 1 November. This festival welcomes the winter season on the ancient Irish calendar, which is also called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). This is also the Celtic New Year. Our Celtic Ancestors believed that all began with the ending, with the sacrifice of death, with the fertile potential of the dark so thus the beginning of the fire festival celebrations at the ending of the day and the Celtic New Year at the ending of the light part of the year.
Of course, our ancestors would have celebrated Samhain and the Celtic New Year in synch with the moon (as the Gregorian calendar has been in use for less than 500 years), specifically the new moon in Scorpio, which this year falls on 4 November. This season of moving through the threshold of Samhain is known as Hallowtide, the time from the new moon to Samhain followed by All Saints Day on 1 November and All Souls Day on 2 November and the cross quarter day which is half-way between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice.
Like other indigenous cultures around the world that remember and celebrate the ancestors of our heritage, so do we, at Samhain.
Following are ideas to honor our Irish lineage and those who have made our presence here possible.
· Foods to honor the ancestors: colcannon (see recipe below), hazelnuts, apples, soda bread, honey, butter (fresh churned), whiskey, milk.
· Invite your ancestors to join you for a meal and make a plate for them at the table with their favorite foods and drink.
· Smoke a clay pipe (or any version you have available) and invite them to share wisdom through the smoke.
· Create an altar to honor your ancestors. Include photographs, representations of the land you are from, symbols of the life they led, herbs they would have used to nourish, whiskey.
· Consecrate a candle dedicated to the Ancestors and burn it all season long, as a symbol of the light they offer through the dark.
· Leave whiskey at the threshold to your front door, so they know they are welcome, as a sign of hospitality.
· Carve a turnip (which is indigenous to our Irish landscape) and insert a tea light and place it as a centerpiece on your hearth or dinner table.
· Create a hearth in your home, a place to invite the Ancestors to gather with you.
· Begin a project that you will work on with the hands of your Ancestors, grandmother’s guiding yours: knit a scarf, crochet an altar cloth, knead soda bread, create a piece of ritual jewelry.
Irish Soda Bread
2 cups of whole wheat flour (or a combination of white unbleached and wheat)
1 tsp (level) of salt
1 tsp (level) of baking soda (bread soda)
8- 10 oz of buttermilk or sour milk
Mix the dry ingredients with your hands (and the hands of your ancestors) and then add enough of the milk to form a firm pliable dough. Shape into a round loaf and cross an X through the loaf with a sharp knife. Place the loaf on a baking sheet in a 450 F (230 C) oven for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 400 F (200 C) for an additional 20-30 minutes until cooked through. When fully cooked the bread will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Cool and then slice and serve with lots of KerryGold butter!
Colcannon
There are a variety of takes on this delicious potato dish and whichever version you choose, the Ancestors will be delighted when you leave a big helping for them on Samhain. This is my favorite recipe for colcannon.
Boil 2 pounds of potatoes and then mash with plenty of butter (Kerrygold!) and organic cream, salt and pepper
Steam 2 cups of finely cut green cabbage and stir into the mashed potatoes
Grate 1 cup of Dubliner cheese (or another favorite Irish cheddar) and stir into the mashed potato/ cabbage mix.
Spread this into a baking dish and bake at 400 F degrees for 20-25 minutes until it is lightly browned and bubbling at the edges. Remember to serve a large portion for the ancestors! x
