Feast of the Dead
The Wheel of the Year Turns with Samhain
Growing up, I was blessed with a grandmother who was straight out of a fairytale. She had very little wealth but made magic with what she had, and you always left her house with presents—regardless that it wasn’t a holiday and she only lived across town. Her grandchildren’s arrival was cause for celebration, and our gifts to her (no matter how janky a craft) were received ecstatically, without a hint of condescension, and regarded as absolutely priceless treasures. Food was, without a doubt, her love language, and there was nothing she loved more than feeding us. She left this mortal realm almost eight years ago, but I look for every opportunity to keep her memory alive.
In this final installment of our Wheel of the Year series, we’re discussing the cross-quarter day of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). This Pagan fire festival marks the midway point between Summer and Winter—the name translates to “sun’s end”—and it ushers in a new era of darkness and cold.
Being the last day of the Celtic year, it was also known as the Witches’ New Year’s Eve. As a result, it will come as no surprise that the festival’s rituals often centered around death and rebirth cycles, many of which served as the basis for today’s Halloween traditions.
According to lore, from sundown on October 31 to dusk on November 1, the veil between the living world and the spirit world grows thin. This makes it the perfect time to connect with your ancestors. It is said that the homesick spirits of those who’ve passed will visit the old homestead to get warm by the hearth fire, perhaps enjoying the food offerings left by their kin in commemoration. Masks and costumes were worn to ward off any malevolent spirits who might also come through for a visit.
“Soul cakes” were a type of spiced cookie said to have contributed to modern day trick-or-treating. Depending on your source, the poor may have gone “souling,” traveling from house to house offering prayers for the dead OR “mummers” would don costumes to confuse the spirits and visit to sing and entertain—both in exchange for soul cakes. (Here’s a Soul Cake recipe if you want to try making your own. Bonus points if you get someone to perform for one!)
Another way to honor your dearly departed would be to hold a “dumb supper.” In this tradition, you set a place at the meal for them—a literal “feast for the dead”—and eat in silence to hold the space as sacred and to see if you can hear any messages they might have for you.
I can think of nothing that would please my grandma more than being invited to dinner. I can already hear her complimentary exclamation: “It’s just like the restaurant!”
For further reading on the Wheel of the Year:
I'm mexican so we get to have breackfast with our loved once 🥺 it's a tradition so I get to feel my sister's spirit once again