Hallowe'en Happenings

It's a wee bit late, but I did want to share some of my Hallowe'en activities. This was my first year in my new Pacific Northwest home, so I was not able to decorate or celebrate as much as I would have liked. I am still getting settled in, there's been a lot of things to replace, and I've been without a car for a few months while I waited to go back and get mine from down South. Never the less, I did manage to visit the local historic cemetery, carve my usual Jack O' Lanterns, and perform my Hallowe'en ritual/ offerings to the Ancestors.

Hallowe'en is by far my favourite time of year, doubly so now that I live in a climate with an actual Fall season. Watching the leaves change and feeling the Veil begin to think never ceases to give me a thrill. I also love all of the trappings of the Hallowe'en season; the black and orange, the fat pumpkins on every doorstep, and the cardboard cutouts of Witches and ghosts that festoon most of the houses. It's fascinating to me that something as ancient and steeped in rather dark folklore as Hallowe'en is is still being celebrated today.....in America.....by people who (mostly) do not understand the origins of the customs.

Incidentally, they say that from an astrological standpoint, or using the "Old" calendar, that Samhain actually falls around November 6th to the 11th. So, don't put away those black candles and offerings just yet.....

I don't photograph my rituals or working tools, but here are some images of my Hallowe'en decorations as well as of my new town and local cemetery.  Enjoy!