Halloween or All Hallow's Eve~~~~

Dear Ms. Q,

In another post (check Halloween, All Hallow's, Samhain tags) I posted how my Granny would do the ritual to welcome and celebrate those who have passed on and remember them, in many ways it was a ritual that the whole family could do.  And it was done after all the trick or treaters had gone to bed, usually around 10 p.m.

Now you ask me how can you a 21st century person do this celebration and not be obvious about it espeically as a solitary.

Well in my Granny's day it wasn't so difficult but then things began to change, people would move in who weren't familar with the old country ways and in their ignorance on two occasions reported Granny to a Social Services agency.  Granny and Mom would very calmly explain the meaning behind what they did and that it was a tradition, but come the 1970's it was "Oh no you can't do that it offends people,  its one thing to hand out candy to children and have carved pumpkins and scary skeletons but you can not do what you're doing."

This pissed Granny off, but she was clever, she and Mom talked it over and it seems that it was the outward or outside ritual that seem to perturbe those two neighbors.  So Granny disguised it; it meant a lot of hard work for us and a lot of pumpkin pie puree but it worked.

Granny counted the number of steps on her house and divided the number by half, so she bought pumpkins and we kids would carve smiling faces on the pumpkins,  the seeds were washed, dried, salted and roasted in the oven for snacking later on and it made the kitchen nice and warm,  we kids drew on the face we wanted with square teeth, pointed teeth, round eyes, square eyes, triangle eyes, etc.  so Mom would cut the tops off of the pumpkins and we kids would scoop the insides out, putting the sends and strands into a big bowl and while we scooped Mom or Granny would wash them, pat dry, salt and then pop them into the oven. 

Then when the pumpkins were emptied out we'd draw our faces and Mom and Granny or an Uncle or Dad would cut the faces out.  As we got older and could handle a knife safely then we'd do it.  We made sure the bottom inside of the pumpkin was level to hold a candle, Granny would use old sewing needels to hold the candles in place. 

Then on Halloween the pumpkins would be placed on the steps but in safe corners so that children's costumes would not catch fire with the faces facing out ward and the hard shell shielding the candle flame away and Granny would lite them with white candles from the bottom of the steps to the front door,  and then inside we'd do what we traditionally do, after the trick or treaters were all done coming for candy.

Then on All Souls day evening we'd light the same pumpkins that would now have black candles in them from the top to the bottom just before midnight and do the same prayers.  And then after the clock chimed 12 we'd snuff them out from top to bottom thanking them for visiting.

Granny never had any problems with those neighbors when she did that,  because all a Social Case worker would see was pumpkins and would say that kids still like to see them lit.  This frustrated those neighbors but then Granny got fed up with them and decided to do a ritual to have them leave, they did. 

But Granny liked the pumpkin idea so much that she kept it up.   Even I still do it that way as well

Now about the pumpkin puree,  the day after All Soul's day we'd take the pumpkins into the house and break them apart,  the tops were not useable so they'd go and be put into compost, my Uncle would chop it up with a hatchet.  But the rest of the pumpkins, after they were broken into manageable pieces the inside side would have the burnt and dried part peeled off and then it would be placed inside down on a flat cookie tray on aluminum foil and baked at 400 degrees until soft or fork tender, about 30 minutes---now some places say 350 degrees for 45 minutes what ever works I say.

 When that was done the outer shell could be easily peeled off and then the soft part could be cut up into small pieces and mashed up with a potato masher, or a potato ricer or blender with a little water, or food processor.  If it was a little watery, put the puree into a strainer until the liquid drains off or squeeze through cheese cloth.

Then you could freeze it in one cup amounts, by making it into 1 cup amounts you could defrost exactly want you'd need and not waste it.  Freeze bags make it much easier to store, look for the smallest ones that can hold one cup of puree.

And then with spices and such added into pumpkin puree perfect for pumpkin pies, cookies, muffins and bread.  If you can do zuchinni bread you can do pumpkin bread, sometimes Granny would add chopped walnuts and dried cranberries to the mix for the bread,  perfect for the Thanksgiving holidays.

There are receipes on how to make your own pumpkin spices and how to bake the different goodies on the internet, look for them and add it to your personal receipe book.

So what is this post all about, well its how you can easily disguise a ritual into something mundane and the "muggles" not be aware of it.  Of no one wants to hide their beliefs that's fine,  but considering how quick people are to call the police, how quick the "Jesus Freaks", and I'm sorry if I offend anyone with that refererence, but how the extremely religious can make a persons life a miserable hell, it is always best to disguise one's beliefs from prying eyes.   Only those that are truely aware will be able to sense and spot things that tell those in the craft what is what. 

Things like planting the plant known as "hen and chicks" at the beginning of your walk way or near your front door, would look mundane,  planting rosemary and other herbal plants that are plant guardians of protection no "muggle" would be aware of except to note that it looks nice.  My Great-Aunt had two planters at the bottom of her steps that were made of cement and faced with abolone shell with the pearl side facing outwards, it looked pretty but it was a variation of the mirror protection ritual, and those planters had "hen and chicks planted in them.

Then her back yard would be given over to planting vegetebles like my Grannys and raising chickens espeically her flock of black chickens.

Her front yard was given over to planting herbs and certain flowering plants.  No one questioned why, because many people were still into canning their own food.  Now a days its a little harder, but it can still be done, wheter you live in an apartment, own a house or condo.  With the condo or apartment you have to check to see what you can or cannot do, that is the problem with living in a gated community, so where ever you chose to live, chose wisely.

This post is to give you an idea of what to do to get you started since it is going to be the beginning of the "Witches Year" What better time than now to start.

Blessings, Ms. Q

Chapter 7--- All Hallow's Part 1

ALL HALLOW’S EVE, HALLOWEEN, SAMHAIN, DAYS OF THE DEAD Part 1

Dear Ms. Q,

No matter what it’s called it really is the end of the year, the true end of the cycle of quietude, rebirth, growth, and harvesting back to quietude and to give thanks. That is what a real witch’s year is all about.

Unfortunately with the type of work that people do now a days it’s hard to follow that type of year. Many jobs are now so go-go-go, but if you do not stop to listen and feel the witches year, you will lose contact with all of nature and all that is natural.

Now my Granny was of Portuguese decent, and when she grew up kids did not go around in costumes at night---back then there was no street lighting, but because of the Christian influence in Portugal some things changed and in the major cities of Portugal there appears to be some sort of celebration with the children for Halloween, a celebration that “immigrated” to Portugal.

Originally the idea of honoring the dead was done on the eve of April 30, what they would call Dia Das Bruxas or Day of the Witches, with May 1 being All Saints day, which was to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of summer. It in the Old Catholic Calendar it was the original All Saints Day, but the Catholic Church in the 6^th century transferred it to co-inside with the Celtic Samhain.

Back in my Granny’s day, the celebration focused on Nov 1 All Saints day, and both Portugal and Kauai being warmish countries, it would not be uncomfortable to go to the cemeteries and spend the day “visiting” those family members who were buried there, usually after going to Mass, then there would a Festa or Celebration as this was a Holiday that would stand on it’s own. In small villages during the day little children not in costume would go door to door and ask “Doce ou Travessura” (Sweets or Tricks), some parts of Portugal would call it getting "God's Bread" and what the children would get would be small little cakes, nuts, apples, candy was not heard of and if it did exist was the property of the very rich.

When Granny came here to the United States she saw what the focus was for Halloween, still being a witch in the Catholic tradition she and her mother felt comfortable expanding the ritual, since going to the Cemetery here would be a very cold and chilly experience.

She saw how on Oct 31 it was a night for children, the church still celebrated All Saints and All Souls day (Nov 1 and 2 respectively) so she saw how a ritual could encompass everything.

She knew it was important to remember the dead, the ancestors if you will, so since many times it might rain on All Souls Day and there was always the fear of coming down with a cold paying a visit to clean the headstones and graves at the cemetery, she created an Altar, much like the Hispanic population create a Day of the Dead altar, she didn’t realize that she was duplicating a Hispanic tradition but it felt right,

On Halloween night just before midnight she would place a row of candles at the bottom of the steps of the front of the house one on each step, leading right up to the front door, she’d have the door open and the lights on and then she would light the candles starting at the bottom and invite first all the children who had passed away into spirit, then the adults, and then the angles and Saints to partake of the food offerings that were on the ancestor Altar, she at first used white candles with a dark or black ribbon tied around them, sometimes she would buy some ribbon and dye it black, later when they started making black ribbon and black candles she would use these.

At dinner and at the All Souls Day feast she would have a plate set aside and filled with the foods for the spirits of the departed to partake of and a small bowl of candies, M and M’s always worked well.

On All Souls day, at midnight between Nov 2 and 3, Granny then would put out candles but this time they would be white, from the front door to the bottom of the steps to lead down to the side walk, and they would be lit, Granny then would walk through the entire house with a lit white candle, and all the house lights would be out, and ask all the spirits of the family members visiting that it was time to leave and to follow her, she then went to the first candle at the front door and lit it, then down the steps lighting each successive candle and at each candle she would thank the spirits for visiting and for them to follow the light back to Heaven.

Now this could be hard if it was raining but usually the candles at the front door and on the porch leading to the top two steps were usually dry and it would be just enough to do the ritual. This had to be done by midnight so that by the 12 chiming of the clock all the spirits needed to leave, Prayers were then said for the repose of those spirits, and then the candles were snuffed out starting at the door and going down the steps,

Granny also made sure that the lights inside the house were out so that the only light would be from the candles. So the spirits had to follow the light out. So it would be black candles to invite them in and white candles to have them leave.

Now this is what Granny would do, there is much more that I will have in another part of this Chapter.

Your Assignment…. for Halloween….Have Fun! Be safe. Then on All Souls Day, say prayers for those family members and Friends who have passed on into spirit, give something to Charity. Study the weather see what the season around you is like, and see that it is the end of the Harvest season and now is a season of Thanks.

Blessings, Ms. Q.