Samhain is an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Observed from sunset on 31st October to sunset on 1st November, Samhain holds a significant place in the spiritual calendar of the British Isles. Because it marks a kind of ending, divination rituals, such as scrying, were common as people sought guidance for the transition into darkness and then forward into the coming year.  Offerings of food and drink were left outside homes to appease the dead and ensure a bountiful winter. Communities would light bonfires on hilltops to ward off evil spirits and honour ancestors, a practice still echoed in some rural areas today.

During this liminal period, it was believed the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead was stretched to their thinnest, allowing spirits to cross over and interact with the mortal realm. This sense of crossing boundaries and venturing into the Otherworld is echoed in The Mabinogion, where journeys between worlds and encounters with supernatural beings are recurring themes.

Closely intertwined with the mythic, Samhain’s customs have evolved and merged with other traditions, shaping the modern celebration of Halloween. We have six  ‘houses’* in our tradition, and for the past few years this celebration has taken place under the auspices of the ancient mother goddess Don.  We have chosen to work with the story of Ceridwen from the Mabinogion, using the themes in a variety of different ways to uncover what is hidden within the myth. When delving beneath the clothing of the myth we look for the principles and meaning underlying its content, and this can lead us into working with the abstract as well as the concrete.

Central to Samhain in the past were the themes of death and rebirth and rituals intended to protect people from mischievous or malevolent spirits. Disguise, and masking were often part of this and Ceridwen’s myth echoes these customs, with its story of shape-shifting and enchantment. The Mabinogion stories are full of journeys through thresholds to other states of being.

For many, Samhain remains a time for reflection, remembering loved ones who have passed away, and embracing the changing seasons to connect participants with the deep mythological currents of the land. Our old myths remain a source of inspiration, reminding modern celebrants of the ancient stories that shape our understanding of life, death, and the mysteries in between. In planning this weekend, we hope the old stories will cast their spell again.

*Note: Our six houses are the houses of Arianrhod, Don, Morgan, Lleu, Llyr and Bran.

There is also a seventh house, Broda, about which more soon.