Witch 101

samhain ♡

happy samhain and halloween! samhain (pronounced sow-in) also called the witch's new year, is celebrated on october 31st to november 1st.

I . where it came from

although trick or treating for candy really has nothing to do with samhain, two very common themes in both samhain and halloween are death and the supernatural. since samhain predates the gregorian calendar, the one most of us use nowadays, many assume that it was in between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.
another theory is that samhain was celebrated when the pleiades constellation was directly overhead at midnight, which used to be on or around october 31st, but is now later in november.

in short, samhain no longer lines up with halloween on the 31st and hasn't for centuries, but it was christianized into halloween, which does take place on the 31st. the christianization was so successful that a lot of pagamd and witches now celebrate samhain on the 31st rather than the celestial date.

II . skull symbolism

skulls are a common symbol of samhain. the most common interpretations of the skull are death and mortality. since the human brain cannot separate the image of a skull from a human face, both death and now-past life are symbolized.

we often find skulls visually appealing although it's, of course, dead which is a little offsetting to most, leading to the negative connotation. but other than death, skulls can symbolize wisdom, danger, and/or strength.

skull depictions can even be worn as magickal talismans/protection charms.

III . leaves

oak leaves can be burned for purification and cleansing and the wood is often used to make wands. hanging a branch of oak leaves in your home wards off negativity, provided protection, and boosts prosperity. acorns can be used for prosperity and money work

maple trees are believed to repel demons and negative entities. for protection, you can keep a piece of a maple tree by your front door. these trees symbolize balance, longevity, generosity, and intelligence. maple trees are sacred to dana, the celtic goddess of fertility. it's known as the tree of offering as it gives its sap so others can benefit.

hickory is used for protection, love, lust, and legal matters.

apple is used for love and healing. it's not a good wood to choose if you're seeking to harm someone. the medical benefits of apples supposedly include weight loss, making them great in a glow up spell if losing weight is part of your desired glow up. crab apples can be used in witchcraft the same way you'd use regular apples.

IV . jack o lanterns

people have been making jack o'lanterns for halloween for centuries, and it all started from an irish myth about a man with the nickname stingy jack. stingy jack invited the devil himself to have a drink with him, but as he is stingy jack, he didn't want to pay for it, so he convinced the devil to turn into a coin so jack could buy their drinks. But once the Devil became a coin, he decided to keep the coin and put it in his pocket next to a silver cross so the devil couldn't change back into his original form.

eventually, jack freed the devil, but on the condition that the devil had to leave him alone for a year and when jack died, the devil wouldn't snatch his soul. soon after that, jack died. god didn't let him into heaven. the devil was still mad about jack's trick and kept his promise about not snatching his soul, so he wasn't allowed into hell either. so jack was sent off into the night with only a burning coal to light his way so he could see. jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and was then referred to jack of the lantern, which was then shortened to jack o'lantern.

people in ireland and scotland started carving out turnips and potatoes with scary faces to scare of stingy jack and other evil spirits. in england they used large beets. then immigrants from these countries came to the us and found that pumpkins, which are native to america, make great jack o'lanterns.

you can carve protective symbols into your jack o' lanterns to ward of evil spirits.