November 1st, Samhain, the festival that celebrates the remembrance of the dead and the saints (All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, All Saint’s Day)
This festival commemorates the beginning of the dark season, a time of rest when nature is asleep. It is the time of change from the season of light to the season of darkness. Everyday activities change. Farming work draws to a close and the herds are brought in from the fields; work begins anew in the forests. Lamps are relit and fires rekindled; people gather around the fire to tell stories in the long evenings. The candle and the apple symbolise this festival. Samhain is a time of passage from the world of the living to the world of the dead. A small altar made up of objects that belonged to and images of one’s ancestors is placed on the oldest piece of furniture in the house.
This festival provides a point of entry to the other world. It is associated with a great many customs having to do with the remembrance of the dead and with predictions.
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