ACTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
There are many ritualistic aspects of Samhain tradition. According to Sims and Stephens (2011) in Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Tradition, Rituals can be the following, which apply to some of the rituals of Samhain:
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Sacred
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Long-standing or newly created
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Filled with costumes, pageantry, and mystery
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Complex and dense with meaning
We will see these apply to Samhain rituals. ​As we will see on the Halloween Today page, the aspect of long-standing/newly created and filled with costumes aspects of rituals still apply. But, the sacredness and dense with meaning has been lost over time. The Americanized aspects of Samhain are what make Halloween what it is, but it is interesting to see the cultural origin of it and the sacredness of it to a different culture.
Due to the thinning of the veil between the Otherworld and the human world, the Celts believed that they could talk to dead ancestors through divination. They wanted to inform them about family news and receive advice from them. Some families would eat a meal in the cemetery during Samhain. Or, they would leave food on the table for the spirits and ancestors at night (Trevarthen 2010).
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Since fairy activity was at its highest, people would carry a black-handled knife would offer protection, or, if encountering a fairy, taking the dust under their own feet and throwing it at the fairy was a to make the fairies surrender any humans they held captive. People would also throw water outside at night while calling out to the fairies to beware, causing them to step aside to avoid getting splashed (MacLeod 2011).
People would often wear animal skins to confuse the spirits and fairies to avoid their tricks (D'Costa 2009).
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The folk tradition of Samhain gave chaos, usually in teenagers, a sort of free pass in hopes that it what settle for the rest of the year. This included engaging in pranks, (would evolve into trick or treating), pelting houses with kale roots, or would sometimes lower goats down a chimney (Trevarthen 2010).
Other activities that were common at parties and festivals held at Samhain included drinking eating and drinking, games, ducking for apples, roasting hazelnuts, and bonfires. Common feast foods include apple cakes, blackberry pies, cream pancakes, stampy (cakes made up of raw grated potato, flour, cream, caraway seeds, and sugar) and colcannon (mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage) (MacLeod 2011).
A major custom of Irelan was the activities of Láir Bhán or the "White Mare." Young adults were led in line by a person wearing a white robe of sheet who carried a decorated horse skull. The young adults would go from house to house, reciting a long string of verses at the door entrance. The significance of the white or grey mare suggests an association with the Goddess of Sovereignty who was symbolized as the animal (MacLeod 2011).
Another interesting tradition is the making of the Samhain bannock, a cake made specifically for this time of year. It was made from oat flour, water, and then left to be slightly fermented. sugar, anise, or cinnamon might then be added. This all could only be done after sunset by groups of women. A specific part of the house was designated for the practice and a circle was drawn on the ground to consecrate the ground. All of the women would sit with their feet facing the center where there was a fire. One woman was designated "The Queen" and the others maidens. They would toss around the balls of dough, each person making it thinner by beating or pressing it. The dough was passed from east to west until it reached the queen who then toasted the sacred cakes on the fire. They would sometimes sing during this ceremony. The cakes were then handed out to strangers at the Samhain fairs or festivals (MacLeod 2011).
