Samhuinn
1st May (southern hemisphere)
Samhuinn (which is spelt in many ways but pronounced 'Sow' (as in cow ~ 'In' (as in Inn).
In ancient times it was not possible to keep whole herds through winter, so the minimum breeding stock was kept alive, the rest were slaughtered and salted. It was a time of killing and preserving. Crops too had to be gathered in by this time. So we can see that Samhuinn is considered a time of change, a transitioning from one way of living to another ~ Summer to Winter ~ from a sunlit outdoor life to a time where light and warmth were to be found by the hearth.
Samhuinn is one of the oldest Druid ceremonies on record.
This time of transitioning was seen where normal reality was disturbed as the earth moved through a 'joint' in time. Chaos reigned. Supernatural powers were seen to break through the 'joints' between the two great season of the year. Samhuinn as winter begins and Beltane as Summer begins.
Samhuinn, lasting for 3 days and representing the border-land between the Old Year and the New Year, was sensed particularly at the time when the veil between this world and the spirit realms could be drawn aside.
The essential features of Samhuinn at this time are, greeting and connecting with ancestors and loved ones who have passed on and a time for saying goodbye to the old and preparing for the new.
image courtesy of: www.philipcarrgomm.wordpress.com
