Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam here say it with us. Sawen, that's the correct pronunciation of the word, spelled s A m h A i N. It's the name of an ancient pagan festival that helped lay the groundwork for modern Halloween. Not that one displaced the other. Sawen is still around and is still celebrated today around the world. Contemporary Pagans, from Wiccans to Druids gather each year to observe the
traditions and rituals associated with it. Beasts are shared, but Sawin isn't just another costume party with an emphasis on the creep factor. For observers and many pagan communities, it's a deeply spiritual time of reflection and remembrance. Historical records don't give us a very clear picture of what the first Sawan celebrations might have entailed, and the festival is Celtic in origin, and it's name comes from the Old
Irish language. During Ireland's early medieval period, which lasted from about four hundred to eleven CE, Salwen marked the onset of winter transition has always been a central theme of this festival. One medieval Irish tale says that Salwen is when the summer goes to its rest. Nowadays, Salwen is
usually observed from October thirty one through November one. That puts it about halfway between the autumnelt equinox and winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and Pagans living below the equator often wait until April and May to hold their Sawn rituals. By the time this holiday rolled around, the summer harvests were over and done with, yet the harshest part of the winter season was still a few weeks away.
According to the two thousand three book Stations of the Sun, a History of the ritual year in Britain by historian Robert Hutton, this made Salwin a perfect backdrop for important tribal meetings in pastoral Ireland, some lasted for days. Quite a few Irish folk stories are set during Sawen. Many involved the death of kings and other dangerous or deadly happenings. Supernatural forces became associated with the festival. Fairies, for instance,
were said to be especially active during Sawen. While historians debate its origins, at some point the belief arose that Sawin was also a time when the spirits of one's dead ancestors had easier access to our world, opening the door for communication between the living and the deceased. But Sawin got some competition in the late eight hundreds. More than three hundred years earlier, Pope Bonifast the fourth had established May nineteenth as a Christian day of remembrance, honoring
those who had died for their faith. But in eight seventy three CE, this holiday, the Feast of All Holy Martyrs, was moved to November one. Later it would be renamed All Saints Day. Was the date change a bid to christianize Sawen rituals. The idea has been suggested, but some scholars have their doubts either way. Halloween as we know it now owes a huge debt to Well Saints Day. Another name that Christian tradition goes by is All Hallow's Day.
Past generations gave the night before that is October thirty one, a title of its own, All Hallow's Eve. As time passed, this was shortened to Halloween with a dash an apostrophe, before the label ditched its punctuation marks and became simply Halloween. Secular Halloween traditions these days may involve trick or treating, costume parties and watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, or a horror film. But if you're a modern day pagan,
you might have a slightly different itinerary. On October one and into November one, dumb suppers are among the traditions Sawan celebrants may choose to observe. This custom calls for a place setting to be set out and often left empty at an otherwise hearty meal. This symbolically acknowledges deceased ancestors or other family members or friends who died. All of the living guests eat in silence as they reflect on the departed and the nature of life and death.
Sometimes attendees burn messages written for the person or people in question. Sometimes the dinner's courses are handed out in reverse order. There's lots of room for variation. Making the tradition personal is often part of the concept. Sawin Observers may also participate in quiet meditation or divination ceremonies, or may decorate their personal altar with goards, dried coin, husks, and other autumnal symbols. Because remembrance is such an important
aspect of Sawan. The altar will often include photos, symbols, or belongings of loved ones who have died outdoors. Bonfire rituals are Sawyn staple among Druids and other observers. A pagan groups who keep gardens sometimes treat the festival as a hard deadline for their harvests. Any edible material that isn't gathered by the time Sawan ends is left behind as a gift to the spirits and in keeping with this festival's and assist on tradition, some observers treat Salwin
is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. But this doesn't mean that all Wickens, Druids, and other contemporary Pagans swear off of secular Halloween. Some enjoy the secular Halloween season but just don't engage with it on October thirty one. Others make time for both trick or treating and Sawin rituals. Today's episode was written by Mark Mancini and produced by Tyler Clang. For more and That's unless of other curious topics,
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