What do Pagans do on Halloween ?

Question

So, that is the question. What do you you Pagans do
on Halloween ? There is all sorts of rumors out there....
Some say erotic parties, blood drinking, well you get
the picture. Is this really true ? Or is this just another day ?
Be real, and please don't hold back. This is the 31st
of October, and there are strange stuff going on that
noone knows about , behind closed doors. Hmmmm.
What is going on today, ghouls and ghosts ? Best
answer wins.

Isn't this also the start of the an
era. 2008, a time of new beginnings.
So they tell me. Next year will be on
the upswing for the planet Earth.....
Especially in America.

Answer 1

Nothing special. Just the usual things we do every night

Answer 2

I use this night to help my children remember any loved ones that have passed. We will place a candle in the window so they can find the way home and have dinner with us and no that doesn't mean that there will be an extra body at the table but there will be an extra plate with food on it and will talk about that person and tell stories about all the things that we remember doing. Then I'll take the kids trick-or-treating.

I hope that helps shed some light on a few things for you. You should never worry about asking a questions about our beliefs; I will always answer them for you with respect and never put you or anyone down for wanting to know.

Answer 3

As a Wiccan, I do not celebrate Halloween. Halloween is a secular holiday that's all about dressing up, eating candy, and having some scary fun (which is not a bad thing at all!)

I celebrate Samhain (SOW-in), which is our last harvest festival and the day when we remember and honor our beloved dead. This is also the time of year when we commemorate the death of the God, who descends into the underworld for six weeks to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule.

Each year I hold a ritual at my home for a select group of friends. We create sacred space and invite the spirits of the four directions and elements to join us within it, as well as the Goddess and the God (thus recreating the universe in miniature). We then issue an invitation to our beloved dead to join us within the circle, where we offer them a plate of the "first bites" of the feast we will have after the ritual, burn incense in honor of them, and tell stories in remembrance of them. We also burn pieces of paper representing things that we want to be rid of in the coming year, since Samhain is the Wiccan New Year. We then share a small consecrated meal (cakes and wine). When we are finished, we bid farewell to the beloved dead and light a candle to guide them on their way back to the Summerlands. We then bid farewell to the Goddess and the God and the spirits of the four elements/directions, and then banish the temple space.

And then we feast. :-)

You can find a history of Samhain in ancient times here:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_np.htm

Answer 4

LOL
Um no. It's a holiday to honor the dead. There is usually a ritual of honoring them, an alter of the dead, pictures and stuff. Depends on the tradition for the ritual but it's usually a nice calling of the gods to praise loved ones. In wiccan and celtic based they call on the Crone of the triple goddess as her time is coming upon them and I THINK the death of the god? I can't remember. Then you have a BIIIIIIIG dinner, leaving a plate for the ancestors and have a big party where everyone laughs and tells stories of those who have gone before them. It's also some pagan paths New Year.
I know people like to think it's evil and crazy. But it's really rather boring compared to the rumors. Sorry to disappoint.

Answer 5

I'm going to a (non-pagan) party this evening, and will also be doing a private ritual to honor the Sabbat. No blood, though I do need to get some pomegranate juice on the way home from work.

Sorry to be so boring, but, ya know, so much of what's out there abut pagans is misinformation fed by fear and lack of understanding... you'd probably be bored to tears if you knew what really happened in a pagan Sabbat ritual.

Answer 6

We group together and practise low formation flying on our broomsticks....LOL. Seriously: I carved my pumpkin and place it center peice so it looks outside. I hang laterns either side of my door with tea light candles and decorate round the hall way and sjittingroom. I hand out sweets to the children who come to my door trick or treating. I had 82 children....and each one got wished a Happy Hallowe'en. Trick or treat began at 5pm and finished 8:30. When the last of the children went home I began celebrating Hallowe'en with a few drinks and burnt candles for my ancestors and all I new who have passed on. I burnt incense on honour of them as well.....there is more, but I would be typing volumes.

Answer 7

At the moment I'm waiting for more children to show up so I can give them candy. I know, terribly shocking.

Samhain (Oct 31) is the end of the old year and the beginning of the new within Wicca. It marks the transition from the light half of the year to the dark half. It is also a day of remembrance for the dead, although thankfully I have no one to say fairwell to this year.

Answer 8

I am a Pagan Hedgewitch. On Samhain (Pronounced Sar wain) Halloween, people like myself remember those who have gone before us. Samhain is a festival of rememberance and the veil between this world and the next is at it's thinnest and we can call forth the spirits of our departed loved ones and if they are willing they cross over to be with us. To share memories and to tell them about what is going on in this world.
Afterwards I have a magic balefire in the garden and have songs, music, dancing and stories. Drinking beer and eating pumpkin pie under the stars. powders are poured into the flames to change their colour as spells are cast for good fortune for the new year ahead. We have a great time.

Answer 9

Oooh, erotic parties, that sounds nice.

I guess we "pagans" do whatever we want. Halloween is not a religious holiday. It is a day to prepare for transition into a new season.

What do you "non-pagans" do on Halloween, thump the bible, drink Jesus juice and have your priests and pastors molest little boys (I suppose that's the "non-pagan" version of an erotic party).

Answer 10

lol - um no, we don't do any of those weird things.

many of us have rituals, either private or with friends and family. some do spell work, and most take their kids out trick or treating. i love wearing my ritual cloak out because nobody thinks it's strange today!