Celebrating Samhain in a Sea of Halloween

     This week, Witches and perhaps other Pagans under the Pagan religion umbrella will celebrate the most important day on the Wheel of the Year, Samhain. It is the final harvest festival of the season, marking the end of Summer, and it is a time when the veil between this world and the world beyond is the thinnest. It is a time to honor our ancestors and those who have gone before us. It is a very sacred and solemn time of year. But all around us is the billion-dollar industry of “Halloween.” Halloween is second only to Christmas in money spent. For many of us, especially those of us with young children, we want our kids to have the fun Halloweens we grew up with. We want them to have costumes, candy, haunted houses, and parties. It is all part of just being a kid. Even adults take the opportunity of Halloween to kick back and have a little fun. Adult Halloween costumes are big business, too. So, for Witches and other Pagan faiths who observe Samhain, how do we walk that balance of fun and the true meaning of the day? Or do we?

     I have been a Witch for roughly 25 years. In that time, I have tried to educate others on what the true meaning of the day is. I have tried to start close and work my way out, starting with my husband. He is a Christian, and before meeting me, I don’t think he knew what the true meaning was. He is certainly not one to want to ruin fun for kids, but at the same time, as a Christian, his faith tells him that many of the trappings of what I will call “American” Halloween are a bit Satanic. That is fine with me because while I am a Witch, as a conservative, I also believe wholeheartedly in the freedom of religion, the freedom to believe and worship as you see fit. I think that now, he would be the first one to try to explain to his fellow Christians the fact that there are differences between what I celebrate as a Witch and what they would believe as Christians to be of the occult.

 

    All of us, as Witches and Pagans, have family and friends who are not Witches and Pagans that we attempt to teach what our holidays are about. We all run into varying degrees of acceptance or non-acceptance and choose our battles accordingly. I consider myself in the lucky column because I can’t think of one non-Pagan friend who doesn’t accept my faith. They are all very amenable to explanations of Witch holidays.

     But we all have to leave the house at some point, and that is where society’s acceptance, or not, of the explanation of the true meaning of Samhain starts to get a little tricky. While I will be ecstatic if Donald Trump is reelected, there is another part of me that is concerned. Maybe I will have nothing to worry about, I hope so. While I think we are all excited to see the Republican Party and the conservative movement becoming the party of hard-working, everyday average Americans from all walks of life, my concern has been for some time that, while the Republican Party says they are fighting for religious freedom, I get the sense that, because Republicans and conservatives are primarily Christians, they are fighting for religious freedom for themselves, and might forget the fact that, if you are going to call yourself a “big tent party,” you will have to actually be one. That means perhaps welcoming people into the Party who don’t worship the same way you do and standing up for their freedoms as well, even if you don’t agree with their faith.  

     But back to Samhain. Many Witches and Pagans must remain in the broom closet for almost as many reasons as there are Witches and Pagans themselves. Job and career reasons and child custody reasons, to name a few. I would be lying if I said I didn’t still have to be careful myself. Does American Halloween provide a good “cover” for our celebrations of Samhain? In many cases, yes. That Witch outfit you purchased doubles as a “costume” if a Halloween party should arise. Your cauldron is great for passing out Halloween candy. It’s kind of ironic in 2024 that we still have to disguise our tools of the trade as everyday household objects, just like our ancestors did. But now, at least, that disguise is no longer a matter of life and death. Maybe it is where we find that balance of fun and true meaning.

     There have been plenty of studies in the last several years that say that Pagan religions are among the fastest-growing religions in the nation. As more and more of those people feel free to publicly identify as a Witch or Pagan, and our celebrations become more known and public, wouldn’t it just be easier for society, in general, to find out what we believe and what we don’t instead of railing against it and declaring it all “evil?” Part of the societal problem is with the media. They love a good religious conflict story, especially if it pits Christians, who, let’s be fair, they do already have a bias towards, and Witches and/or Pagans.  

     It might be safe to say that Witches and Pagans will forever be in the middle of fun and solemnity when it comes to Halloween and Samhain. But what we can do is try to educate the people around us about the true and beautiful meaning of the celebration of Samhain as best we can. Because those people will talk to other people and say they know us. Sometimes, the best way to change hearts and minds is one at a time.