Do you put up Samhain decorations? What sort do you favor?
2006-10-04 05:32:53 · 15 answers · asked by Chickyn in a Handbasket 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
We decorate for the season. We use silk autumn leaves, pine cone garlands, dried berry branches, mini pumpkins and gourds, bales of straw, mums, nuts, apples and pomegranates. Mementos of our loved ones who have passed over are given a special place on our altar, for we use this time to give special honor to them. For us, this is the end of the harvest season; a time to review the last year and start our new year. We prepare the yard and gardens for winter. We don't see Samhain (or Bealtaine) as a single day but rather as a time of the year. We do various things to celebrate over the course of a week or two.
We don't have any interest in commercialized Halloween decorations.
2006-10-04 07:55:33 · answer #1 · answered by Witchy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What is Samhain?
Samhain (pronounced: sow-en) is a pagan holiday that is celebrated on October 31. It marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Winter.
In the past, Samhain was a festival for the time between the old year and the new year. It was a time for having bonfires and playing tricks. It was also thought a time when people could make contact with departed loved ones and foretell the future.
Today some people have special ceremonies on this day. Some people have parties and other people have special dinners.
One interesting dinner dish is called Colcannon. This dish is made of potatoes and cabbage. Items are put in the dish that are thought to tell the future. Traditionally these items are a thimble (for a spinster), a button (for a bachelor), a ring (for a marriage), and a coin (for prosperity).
The following recipe came from the Turning The Wheel site.
Colcannon: 4 cups mashed potatoes, 2 - 1/2 cups cabbage (cooked and chopped
fine), 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup onion (chopped very fine and sautéed), 1/4
teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Blend all ingredients (except cabbage) over low heat. Turn the heat to
medium and add cabbage (will be slightly green). Stir occasionally until warm
then add fortune items. Stir well.
Some people use decorations for their ceremonies or dinners. Fun things to use for decorating are autumn leaves or flowers, pumpkins, gourds, and autumn fruits and nuts. Candles also make pretty decorations for Samhain.
Some Decorations You Can Make For Samhain
Paper Twist Pumpkins
Sand Candles
The festival of Samhain has been celebrated for many years and is considered, by many, to be the origin of many Halloween traditions.
2006-10-04 13:43:31 · answer #2 · answered by shiningon 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Gorgeous: Samhain is the original Pagan celebration that became Halloween when the Catholic Church took over it in an attempt to convert Pagans.
The others have pretty much outlined the decorations for you already. ^^
2006-10-04 12:48:54 · answer #3 · answered by fiveshiftone 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We decorate for Halloween and are able to use the same decorations for Samhain, we just carve fresh pumpkins for Samhain as they usually don't keep long enough. (We celebrate on the actual cross-quarter day)
We use bales of hay, pumpkins, corn stalks, apples, pomegranates, squashes of many colors, Indian corn, chrysanthemums. If we use spider webs for Halloween, we remove these by Samhain.
Blessings )O(
2006-10-04 12:40:57 · answer #4 · answered by Epona Willow 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pumpkins,gourds,mums, Indian corn and such.
No pointy witch hats or skeletons.
Hansel and Gretal have no fear, we never really did eat children. That was just a rumor!
Samhain is our new year. We honor the death of the old year and the birth of the new one.It is a time to release old thoughts and bad habits and begin again.
2006-10-04 12:55:05 · answer #5 · answered by wordwitch7 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I can't at my apartment complex. Well, not on the outside anyway. But I plan on having some dried corn and squashes inside the doorway, as well as some tacky Halloween decorations for the kiddies. For my room, I have a cinnamon broom and some festive candles :)
2006-10-04 12:38:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, but I always think I should. Having said that, if I advertised with decorations, I would never be left alone by trick or treaters, not even dressed, simply begging for money or cigs.
BB
)0(
2006-10-04 14:23:41 · answer #7 · answered by Seph7 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Greeting chicky,
we warp 12.5 to the LGBT sector & find many unique-adjusted minds there. We can't dechiper which are trolls & which are not. We back here coz this sector is our prime directive. we apologize that we can't render much assistance to your request.
Btw what's Samhain. we borg r always interest in human beliefs.
2006-10-04 12:44:02 · answer #8 · answered by BorgPet6of10 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The usual Halloween stuff. I like spooky stuff, and I really get a kick out of the traditional witch.
2006-10-05 09:08:32 · answer #9 · answered by kaplah 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure. Pumpkins, corn stalks, things that celebrate the harvest season, I put the cauldron on the mantle...
2006-10-04 12:37:19 · answer #10 · answered by IndyT- For Da Ben Dan 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋