Samhain is a Celtic holiday. The Celts divided the year into two seasons, the light half and the dark half. Samhain is a celebration of the Beginning of the Dark half of the year, and was actually considered to be more important than its counterpart, Beltane for its magickal potentials.

Samhain is considered a “cross-quarter” Sabbat, even though it always falls on the 31st, and the cross-quarter doesn’t officially occur until the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Scorpio, sometime in the 1st week in November. (Note: In 2005, Samhain actually occurs on November 2, 2005 at 6:03AM EST, on the same day as the new moon.)

Samhain also symbolizes the death of the God, the final turn of the wheel. The days become shorter, the nights longer. Also, Samhain falls between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice, a time when the “veil between the worlds” becomes very thin. It is a time to pay homage to our elders and ancestors that have passed from this world to the next.

This time is a time much like Thanksgiving, a celebratory feast in which we celebrate the year’s bounty, and remember those who have passed. Many people of the Craft hold traditional “Dumb Suppers”, called a Feast of the Dead, in which a large meal is prepared and eaten in silence, with an extra place set in remembrance of our ancestors. Many also light a candle to bring in the “New Year”, lighting their way through the darkness of the upcoming months until Yule.

Our ancestors would celebrate this night as they waited for the rebirth of the Oak King who was born of the earth itself that had started warming again after the winters coldness. Bonfires were often lit in the fields and crops and trees were “wassailed” by toasting them with apple cider.

Children were often escorted from home to home and they would give out gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were placed in baskets along with boughs of evergreens and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun, the evergreen boughs immortality; the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest and the flour represented triumph, light and life.

Holly and evergreen not only decorated the outsides of their homes but was also brought inside in hopes of inviting the Nature Sprites to come and enjoy the celebrations and a sprig of holly was kept by the door all year long as a constant invitation of good fortune to come into the families lives.

The highlight of the Yule festival came with the lighting of the Yule log. This was a log that either had to have been harvested on the households land or must have been given as a gift, it could not be purchased. Once it was taken into the house it was decorated with evergreen, apple cider or ale would be poured over it followed with flour and set on fire with a peice of last years Yule log that had been set aside for this exact reason. The log would burn through the night and be left to smolder for the next 12 days before it would be put out. Ash was traditionally the Yule log of choice as it was the sacred tree of the Teutons. Ash was thought to bring light in to the hearth at Solstice.

As Modern day practitioners of the old celebrations one might go looking for a piece of wood such as oak or pine that was flat on one side to be used as base and large enough to drill 3 holes into so that it will hold 3 candles (red, green and white for the seasons; green, gold and black to represent the Sun God; or white, red and black to represent the Great Goddess). Then continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves and dust with flour.

The deities of Yule are all the Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses and Triple Goddesses; of them might be the Dagda, and Brighid (daughter of Dagda). Brighid taught the smiths how to tend fire and how to shape metal. Brighid’s flame shines like the flame of a new light and it pierces the darkness and shines into our spirits while Dagdas cauldron which is always full assures that Nature will always have abundance for its children.

Imbolc, or Imbolg, is the midway point between winter and spring. It is also called Candlemas. This is a time to celebrate the Triple Goddess Brid in her maiden form. Brid is the Goddess of fire, inspiration, craftsmanship and midwifery.

Imbolg is a celebration of all life being reborn from the cold winter months. Imbolg literally means “in the belly”.

Many choose to celebrate Imbolg by taking the time to nourish the spirit within us by perhaps choosing a “magickal name” and examining your spiritual path. This is also an excellent time for taking stock in your herb cabinet and gathering the supplies you may have run low on. Many take this time to work on creative projects as well that express the Craft; some by painting or sculpting; others by creating wreaths and such.

There are many ways of celebrating Imbolg. One way may be to create your own “eternal flame” or at least one that burns through the holiday; this can be done by selecting a nice white candle to light or if you are fortunate to have a fireplace you could choose a nice piece of wood to burn. This is also a prefect time for dining with your family and giving thanks to those who have helped you through your spiritual journeys whether it is family, elder or friend. Take this time to express your gratitude and share what you have learned from this person with others present. Think of this as a way of nourishing your own inner growth. After the meal is a good time to share the chores of cleaning up as this will show respect for the host and hostess. You could consider this a physical action to show that you understand the interconnections of life and your respect for all that you have been given. Be sure to end your evening with a private reflection on your own actions and your growth throughout the winter months. This is a perfect time for seeing how much you have grown spiritually. Be sure to write down your emotions and thoughts in your Book of Shadows during this High Holy Sabbat.