I have been meaning to write on this subject for a long time now. I can finally lend voice to how I really feel about it all. Let's face it. The population majority belong in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere has been a relatively recent discovery for settlers and colonisers, although the Indigenous peoples of these lands certainly existed for a much longer time than that. I digress. Samhain (Summer's End in Gaelic) is an ancient Celtic practise of honouring our ancestors as the N/H cycle approaches winter, celebrated on 31st October. Depending on one's spiritual practise, it is called Day of the Dead, Hallowe'en and All Saints Eve. For the purpose of this blog and my practise, I call it Samhain. The Americans have made a money making spin out of this by having kids knock on neighbours' homes and say "Trick or Treat". Unfortunately, not many know the real purpose behind this. There is a veil between this world and that of the dead. Trick or treat is meant to derive from ancient times when the living disguised themselves as spirits, tricking the dead into believing that the living were already among them. You could say it was a form of protection. See here for more information about this practise.
Seasonal markers are a mirror image and we're approaching summer in the S/H. To incorporate this seasonal marker, I would be celebrating Beltaine (from the bright god Bel and Gaelic teine for fire), another ancient Celtic practise. In the N/H, Beltaine is celebrated on 1st May. Other names are May Day and Walpurgisnacht. This one celebrates fertility and the marriage of the God and Goddess. The customs surrounding Beltaine were for the young women and men to find a suitable partner. If one was lucky enough to find a partner around the time of Beltaine, they would enter into a handfasting. For a year and a day, these couples would be "married" for this period. If it all bodes well, a more solemnised commitment is made, otherwise, the handfasting is over and the other partners can move on. Other celebrations include dancing around a maypole, couples jumping over a fire or broomstick to consecrate the marriage, drinking and other aspects of merriment and - some might say - debauchery. That's their business. More on this subject Here.
I have a conundrum in relation to these two celebrations. On my mother's side, I'm 6th generation Australian, so it would make sense to practise my traditions in accordance with the seasons. Having said that, my ancestral line is from Europe, in the N/H. I'm also of the belief that I should be honouring my ancestors from whence they came, in keeping with these traditions. In moments like these, I feel somewhat displaced. This stems from my ancestral awareness and all that they knew in relation to their immediate area. For my ancestors who came to Australia, they have changed this stream from the moment they arrived and because of them, I have come to love and honour these lands and mark the seasons accordingly. What to do then. BOTH! The veil is thinning anyway and I celebrate both the dead and living. Because this is what Samhain and Beltaine are about. For me, it's simultaneous, although the precedent is marking the season.
It is an old argument among Pagans with respect to how these markers should be celebrated. For those who live in the N/H, the lines of demarcation are very clear. They've never had to change or adapt in such a fashion. Some hard line S/H Pagans will stick to the seasonal markers and if that works for them, fine. I know of others who will stick with the N/H traditions and although I find that to be seasonally odd, I can understand why. Again, that's fine. I'm not able to do one or the other and nobody is going to make any such demands. The problem with traditions is - from the S/H perspective - the lines of demarcation are not very clear for Antipodeans like us. We haven't been here long enough to uphold centuries of traditions which are in keeping seasonally. This is where Indigenous people are different, because they understand and practise these traditions which have been passed down through millennia. What I write about has nothing to do with telling other people what they should do. I simply offer another viewpoint which has taken time for me to feel comfortable with. The land spirits with whom I commune are happy. My ancestors are definitely happy! And at this stage of my life, so am I. While I have no control over what unfolds in my life, I certainly have a say in how I want to approach it.
Irrespective of where you are and how you go about your business, have fun and be mindful about what's really important for you during this time of changing seasons. The tricksters of otherworldly realms are going to, no matter what we think of it all.
Was Hael, until next time!
