Nos Galan Gaeaf or Samhain

One of the fire/cross-quarter festivals, related to the seasons, evolved from traditional festival times linked to farming practices begun in western Europe thousands of years ago. A most important time of the year for Welsh Druids, as it is the New Year, and it’s Spirit Night!

The night when the veil between this and the otherworld (Annfwn) is the thinnest, and the story is that Villagers would dance around a bonfire and everyone would write their names on, or otherwise mark, rocks and place them in and around the fire. When the fire started to die out, they would all run home, believing if they stayed, Yr Hwch Ddu Gwta (a bad omen that took the form of a tailless black sow with a headless woman) or Y Ladi Wen ("the white lady", a ghostly apparition often said to be headless) would chase them or devour their spirit. The following morning, all the stones containing villagers' names would be checked, and finding one's stone burned clean was believed to be good luck. If, however, a stone was missing, the person who wrote their name on the absent stone would be believed to die within one year.

It is a night of wonder and magic, time lost all meaning and the past, present, and future were one. Apples are the fruit of choice as it is said to hold magical properties. We celebrate the earth’s shedding, that part of its cycle that expresses the dying back and letting go, that through the miraculous transformation of death and decomposition, transmutes into the rich compost that feeds new life.

Today you can celebrate by placing a setting at the dinner table for a loved one that has passed over. Share your food and once the meal is complete, take the plate outside for an offering.