Happy Samhain, aka "Halloween"! No doubt, I post this every year, but being redundant never stopped me from being redundant again.

Halloween is the Celtic holy day Samhain: the Celtic New Year, the third harvest, and the day when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. At this time, spirits pass through the veil, visiting humans to bless them or to vex them. The Celts built bonfires to ward off angry spirits and left offerings to satisfy them. They also carved scary faces in turnips and beets to frighten the spirits.

When Catholic missionaries came into the British Isles, they adapted some pagan traditions to bring heathens into the fold, but tried to eradicate other traditions. To combat the popularity of Samhain (October 31), the Church instituted All Saints or All Hallows Day (November 1.) The Celts continued celebrating Samhain, but it became known as “All Hallows Eve = Hallowe’en.”

As descendants of the Celts immigrated, they took their rituals with them, the rites of Samhain included. Over centuries, memories blur, and though the origin of Halloween is lost to many, its rituals are still strongly visible. We built bonfires, we dress as skeletons, ghosts, and scary creatures to emulate visiting sprits, and we give sweet treats to ward off tricks. Pumpkins replaced turnips and we carve delightfully scary faces into them. The gleeful association with “evil” causes some Christians to denounce Halloween as a day given to the Devil; their ignorance and fear is the only defense for this allegation.

In Mexico and South America, the Day of the Dead has been celebrated for centuries; it is a time to remember and honor ancestors. Cultures throughout Asia and Africa do the same. When we forget those who came before us, we lose a part of who we are.

On Samhain, build a bonfire to ward off evil, treat the tricksters with propitiatory candy, but when darkness falls, put a much gentler flame on your windowsills: light a candle to guide home those spirits seeking one more night with their loved ones. Give them a beacon to bring them home from afar. Nope, I don't believe in spirits, but I do believe in remembering the dead because they are a part of who we are and I love the symbolism.