Samhain

Samhain is the Irish word for November. Tonight the old year goes out. From here the dark half of the year begins.

Irish: Samhain, November.

Le Blond, A Bonfire and Moonlight, 1650–67. Cleveland Museum of Art.

In Scottish Gaelic the word is Samhainn. In both, it is also simply the name of the month. Irish, Scottish Gaelic. Look at the sky at nightfall tonight. Note the time; it comes earlier every evening now. Until 21 December.

In Ireland, the old story goes, every fire was put out on Samhain night. Then they were all lit again from one fire on a hill. So tonight, let one thing go out.

Geoffrey Keating, about 1634: the fire of Tlachtga, County Meath.

Honthorst, A Boy Blowing on a Firebrand, 1621–22. Art Institute of Chicago.

Bonfire was once bone-fire. Old fires burned whatever the year had left. etymonline Blow out a candle tonight on purpose, and light it again. One fire.

In the Greek story, this is when Persephone goes below. She ate one pomegranate seed, so part of every year she lives there. She always comes back up in spring.

Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

Persephone Painter, about 440 BC. The Met.

Pomegranate means “seeded apple”. Grenadine is the same word. Latin pomum granatum. Eat one seed at a time and notice how long it takes. A small rite.

When Demeter searched for her daughter, Hekate came to meet her with a torch in her hands. When Persephone came back up, Hekate stayed at her side. Which is why there is a light in your hand.

Homeric Hymn to Demeter 51–53, 438–440.

Circle of Rosso Fiorentino, Diana and Hecate. The Met.

Trivia is Latin for “three roads”, and Trivia was one of Hekate’s names. Latin. Find a place where three roads meet, and stand there a minute. A crossroads.

Down here it’s quiet. The three cards are awake again. Hold your light on one until it turns over.

You leave something below and go back up. Your light is lit again from the one fire. Bring your own light.

Next turning: the winter solstice, 21 December.

Gerard Dou, Girl with an Oil Lamp at a Window, about 1660. Rijksmuseum.

We go down for the old stories and bring them back up to you. Oh, that’s so cathartic.¹

¹ Aristotle, Poetics 1449b.

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