The buds are long forgotten, leaves dance their way to the dank forest floor, and fog blankets the valley with its chilly embrace. Animals and plants alike feel the coming of the dark days ahead, and begin to prepare for the long cold of winter. Samhain, October 30th to November 1st, marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year. A time to celebrate the last harvests from the fruitful summer, a time to honor the dead as the veil thins and remember the ancestors that walked these lands before us.
This Walk With A Witch essay will be the second in the series covering a pagan holiday and its traditions. The first holiday covered in this series was Beltane which you can find on my artist page on Waste-Division.org. The pagan holiday in focus for this entry is Samhain, an ancient Irish-Celtic fire festival that is still celebrated and acknowledged today to mark the end of summer and usher in the dark half of the year. In modern society, this holiday is known as Halloween, a word which was derived from the Middle English term All-Hallowmass, translated to All Saints Day. As Christianity began spreading across northern Europe, the church began converting ancient Pagan holidays into Christian ones. What was celebrated as Samhain by the Celts was re-designated as All Saints Day, a day to honor the dead.
Samhain is one of the four Celtic cross quarter day festivals and is the Celtic New Year. It is considered the most important of the cross quarter days, falling directly between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. The ancient Celts celebrated the end of the harvest season by gathering what was left in the field and letting their hearth-fires die out. Whatever was left in the field after this celebration was for the spirits that would walk the land while the veil between the physical world and the spirit world grew thinner. The townsfolk would all gather together to light a new communal bonfire with which to light their hearth-fires. This was typically done with a large wheel that represented the sun. The friction from the wheel would spark the fire, and the townsfolk would bring this fire back to their hearths to relight it for the year.
The ancient Celts were a superstitious people. They believed in fairies and spirits, often preparing altars with offerings for them, even dressing up like animals or monsters so that the spirits wouldn’t kidnap them. The Jack O’Lantern as we know it today was originally derived from carving out turnips or beets that were hung up around homes in an effort to ward off unwanted visitors. According to Irish folklore, a devious drunkard named Stingy Jack played one too many tricks on the devil, but had convinced the devil not to claim his soul. As God would surely not allow such an unsavory soul into heaven, Stingy Jack was sentenced to roaming the earth for eternity. The devil gave him a burning coal and sent him off on his way. Stingy Jack placed this coal inside of a hollowed out turnip as a lantern and wandered the earth. The Irish began referring to this ghostly figure as Jack Of The Lantern, which was eventually simplified to Jack O’Lantern. It became tradition to hang Jack O’lanterns outside the home to ward off evil spirits. When the Irish began immigrating to America, they began using pumpkins, which are native to the Americas, to carve their Jack O’Lanterns and the tradition lives on today.
One of the most beloved traditions of Halloween by all children these days is the practice of Trick or Treating. The origins of this tradition are a bit murky, but we have some guesses as to how this became so ingrained in the celebration of Halloween. In the ninth century, as Christians began converting Celtic pagans and began referring to Samhain as All-Hallowmass, the poor, dressed up in their costumes to ward off evil spirits, would visit the homes of the wealthy and receive “soul cakes” in return for praying for the souls of the wealthy’s dead. This practice became known as “souling” and was later taken up by children in Ireland and Scotland, but instead of promising to pray for the dead, the children would instead recite a poem, sing a song, or otherwise put on some performance, or trick, in exchange for treats, money, or even ale. The early 20th century is where we see this tradition pop up in the United States for the first time, and is attributed to the large Irish population that was migrating at the time. It is speculated that the Irish Americans brought the old world traditions of All Hallows Eve into popular view during this time. However, during the great depression, tricks that were normally performed out of innocence, turned into more malevolent vandalism, thievery, and robbery. During WWII, trick or treating as it had come to be known, was curtailed with the sugar shortages, but had a resurgence in popular culture by the 1950’s. When sugar was no longer in shortage, and with the baby boom in full swing, the candy companies capitalized on the Halloween tradition of trick or treating and launched massive ad campaigns specifically designed for the Halloween holiday.
Modern pagans celebrate Samhain in a variety of ways, as most every pagans practice looks different. Some popular rituals include hosting a bonfire, writing down things that no longer serve you on scraps of paper and releasing them into the fire, reading tarot cards, placing altars for deceased loved ones, and baking seasonal delights for friends and family.
However you choose to celebrate this time of year, use it as a time to let things go that you no longer need in your life, welcome in the dark days, the days of rest, and turn inward for reflection. Remember, the light will always return, don’t lose hope when the darkness seems to cling on forever.
Below you will find a couple of traditional Irish recipes to include in your day of celebration including Barmbrack, an Irish fruit cake, as well as Steak and Guinness Pie. If you’re looking for more ideas to bake on Samhain try Boxty, or Irish potato cakes, Irish Soda Bread, or traditional Irish Stew.
Stay inquisitive, be persistent, live holistically, laugh, cry, and always hail yourself.
Barmbrack - Fruit Cake
Barmbrack was the Irish’s choice for fruit cake and was traditionally served during Samhain. This cake was baked with little charms placed into the batter that were said to predict the future of the recipient of each charm. A ring inside signified finding true love and marrying, a thimble meant you would never marry, a rag predicted poverty, and a coin you would be rich.
1 cup dried currants
1 cup raisins
1 cup strong black tea (cold) (optional: add part Irish whiskey)
2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, slightly beaten
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped candied lemon (or orange) peel (optional)
Homemade Candied Citrus Peel (click link for recipe) (VERY STRONGLY recommended)
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the currants and raisins in a bowl and pour over the cold tea (or water). Let soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and reserve the liquid for later.
Stir the yeast and teaspoon of sugar in the lukewarm milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes until nice and frothy.
In a stand mixer place the flour, sugar, spices and salt and stir to combine. Make a well and add the melted butter, egg, lemon zest and yeast mixture. Use the dough hook to knead until just combined. The dough will be very thick (do not add more liquid at this point because the wet currants/raisins will be added). Add drained currants and raisins and candied lemon peel. Knead until combined, adding some of the reserved currant/raisin juice until a soft dough forms. Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 90-120 minutes or until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough. If making two smaller loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into rounds. If making one large loaf (as pictured), place the dough in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another hour or longer until nearly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the barmbrack on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes (less if making two smaller loaves) or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from oven and while hot brush the loaf with the reserved currant/raisins juice for more flavor, moistness and a nice sheen and let cool.
Slice and serve. Barmbrack is especially good toasted and spread with butter.
(Recipe found from https://www.daringgourmet.com/irish-barmbrack/#recipe)
Steak and Guinness Pie
For the crust:
4 cups flour
1 ¾ cups butter
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
½ cup water
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, shortening, sugar and salt. Mix egg with water, then blend into flour mixture. Chill until ready to use.
For the filling:
4 tablespoons butter
2 large red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
10 mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
3 pounds brisket (preferably second-cut) or stew meat, chopped into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 sprig rosemary
About 4 cups (2 cans) Guinness or other stout
1 cup trotter gear (recipe here) or 8 ounces freshly grated Cheddar
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the crust and store in fridge until filling is ready.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large, ovenproof pan fitted with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are dark in color and the moisture released by them has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
Season the beef pieces all over with salt and pepper. Add the beef, flour and rosemary to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
Add enough Guinness to just cover the beef. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and stir. If using trotter gear, stir it in now. Return to the oven and cook for 1 hour more. If it remains thin, set the pan over medium-low heat, remove the lid and reduce the liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If using Cheddar, fold in about half.
Pour the stew into an 8-inch-square, 2-inch-high Pyrex dish or a deep 9-inch pie pan. If using Cheddar, scatter the remaining cheese across the top. Roll out the dough and place on top of the pie and pinch it closed around the edges using the tines of a fork, then slash the center lightly with a knife. Brush with the egg yolk, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden.
(Recipe adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012397-guinness-pie)
Want to learn more??? Journey into the world of the Rogue Witch below!
A modern day alchemist and herbal artist, Pacific Northwest born and raised witch Laura Ursula Quinn spends her days dreaming up concoctions of herbal remedies and natural skin care products. The Rogue Witch is passionate about sharing her love of herbal medicine and helping others with her uniquely crafted herbal and witchery goods imparted with her very own magic. Enthralled with the magic of the woods, Ursula can often be found out collecting plants, dipping her toes in creeks, and scavenging for treasures.
