Mysteries of Samhain

In Original Sinner, the story takes place over the course of one night—the first night of the festival of Samhain. There is a certain irony to this pagan celebration being integral to Eve’s quest for redemption. But I also chose it to illustrate the connection between religions. Many Christian holidays fall on pagan ones and it is not by coincidence. It was a very astute way of drawing people from one belief system to the other. 

In the ninth century, Pope Gregory declared Samhain was to be known as Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day (November 1^st). The day before (October 31^st) was renamed All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide, and the day after was All Souls Day (November 2^nd). Keeping with Celtic tradition, these days honoured the dead. Hallowmas was for the newly canonised, and All Souls was for the others waiting in purgatory. The Christian celebrations mimicked many of the Samhain rituals, including wearing masks, parades of ghosts and skeletons and offerings of food to the spirits.

Samhain, in Gaelic, means ‘summer’s end’. It began at nightfall, on All Hallows Eve, known today as Halloween. This was the time to sacrifice to the gods in thanks for bountiful harvests, and to ensure protection and good heath through the lean months ahead  The action in Original Sinner, takes place over the course of this one night—from dusk to dawn. The story begins with Eve building a bonfire as fire was an integral part of the Samhain festivities. On that night, all hearth fires in homes were extinguished. The druids built huge bonfires and conducted sacred rituals, and afterwards each household would take a burning brand and light a new fire in their hearths.

One of the key aspects of Samhain was divination. A girl divined her future husband by placing hazelnuts along the fire grate, each one symbolising a suitor. She would supposedly marry the one that popped and flew across the room. Or a snail was left to crawl through the hearth ashes in the hope of it spelling out a sweetheart’s initial.

And of course, there were apples! Apple peel was thrown over the shoulder, and landed twisted in the shape of a sweetheart’s initial. A maiden might slice an apple horizontally to reveal a five-pointed star of pips in the middle. If she ate this by candlelight before a mirror, the image of her future spouse would appear over her shoulder. Young girls would carve their initials on apples and put them into a bucket of water hoping young men would ‘bob’ for them. The belief that the woman needs a man to be happy is something I explore in Original Sinner.

Jack-o’-lanterns were originally carved from potatoes or turnips, and lit with a candle. They were offered to Jack, a soul rejected by both god and the devil. I love the idea of humans offering succour to a being beyond the reach of good and evil! It is thanks to the pagan festival of Samhain we have such wonderful traditions around Halloween today.