Concept in Definition ABC

In the Celtic culture before Christianity the changes of season and the beginning of the harvests were accompanied by celebrations. Changes in nature were understood to have a cyclical nature and for this reason reason the calendar Celtic was known as "The wheel of the year". Thus, during the days leading up to the end of summer took place the festival of Samhain, in which the last harvest was celebrated and, at the same time, the memory of the dead.

The word samhain is of Gaelic origin and literally means "end of summer"

In Celtic culture it was understood that during this celebration there were unique energies that activated the spirituality of man. For this reason, during the feast days divination rituals were celebrated in order to predict the future of events.

In some way, Samhain was seen as a moment of transition, since a cycle of nature had been overcome and a new period was heralded.

The current Halloween festival and All Saints' Day come from the Samhain

The Celts celebrated the end of summer because they knew that the days of darkness would follow, when the Sun no longer provides heat and crops do not develop. With the passage of time Christianity was imposing itself as religion official in Europe and the old pagan holidays were adapted to Christian beliefs. In this way, the festival of Samhain became the holiday of Halloween and in the countries of Christian culture it became the day of all saints.

Anthropologists who have studied these celebrations maintain that they raise a deeply rooted concern in the human soul: the need to reflect on our mortal condition.

Wicca is a neo-pagan movement and its followers continue to celebrate Samhain

This neo-pagan religion emerged in England around the middle of the 20th century and was promoted by Gerald Gardner, a novelist dedicated to the thematic occultist. Its followers organize festivals related to the cycles of the Moon and the Sun and, in a very special way, they celebrate the end of summer with witchcraft rituals and spells.

Taking as reference the ancient Celtic rituals, those who practice Wicca celebrate Samhain to remember loved ones who have already passed away and, in parallel, organize a community with special delicacies and rituals of gratitude (this banquet symbolizes the idea of gratitude that we should feel for the gifts that nature provides us).

Among the followers of Wicca, the end of summer is an ideal time to carry out an analysis of our past and to eliminate everything that hurts us spiritually.

Fotolia photos: Olga / Bourbonbourbon