Laced with mystery, Samhain straddles as many beliefs as it does dates. Some think of as three days and others less while some even more. Some think it the beginning of their year as we enter the cold and dark beyond harvest and head for the return of the light. It is a time of fire.
The community celebrated around bonfires. Some villages ensured all other fires were out and the village lit each hearth from the flames of the common bonfire for Samhain. Some had two bon fires and each villager walked between the fires to purge and purify. The herds were purged of the weak and their meats gathered to sustain the people in the winter. The remaining animals were often marched between the bonfires to purify them and link them to the villagers as well. All bound together by the common flames and each better prepared for the season to come.
Samhain is also Halloween. The seeming innocence of bobbing for apples and the dark forces flying between worlds surface at this very special time. It is one of the most powerful Sabbats and is celebrated in many ways for those open to its energy.
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