Halloween Stories!
Added 2024-10-25 15:06:46 +0000 UTCHello, hello, darlings! Since you've all been such good souls, I have decided to include a most special thread here. It was brought to my attention by Moon that you all had posted about October and Halloween traditions, and we both agreed that would be wonderful to include here, too!
Fill this thread with posts about historical facts about Halloween, scary stories, family traditions, or your own fun Halloween memories.
I will start with a Samhain (the pagan Celtic celebration of Halloween) tradition!
Samhain is the time when the "barrier" between the living world and the world of the dead is at its most penetrable; because of this, spirits are thought to roam our world during this time. Some spirits are good, while others are malevolent.
The main purpose of Samhain is to honor and remember our ancestors and loved ones who have passed, but not in a sad way, necessarily. On the contrary, they're celebrated. A touching tradition is the "dumb supper", where the living prepare a meal and serves it at the table on Halloween night, as close to midnight as possible; one of the settings is meant for the deceased loved one. Then, the living participants eat from their own plates in silence ("dumb" is an old word for not speaking).
It's thought that the spirit of the deceased will join in and "eat" from their plate while enjoying the company of the others. During the silence, people reflect on the memories of the passed loved one. It's a solemn, touching practice that lets those involved recall the good times with the deceased. And this is not only limited to ancestors; deceased friends, family members, and pets can be included, too!
The food that was served to the deceased can then be left outside for wild animals.
