So we have arrived at October 31st, Hallowe’en or, in pagan terms, Samhain. This, a cross-quarter day – roughly halfway between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice – represents the start of winter (“the dark half of the year“) in the Celtic calendar. Technically, Samhain is tomorrow, 1st November, but the Celtic practice of reckoning days from sunset to sunset makes this a moot point.
Samhain is pronounced something like “sowin”, with the “sow” as in a female pig. The h after the m denotes lenition of the consonant (which in older forms of Irish would have been denoted by a dot on top of the m) so, when followed by a broad vowel the m is pronounced like the English “w”; when followed by a slender vowel or none “mh” is pronounced “v” or in other words like the German “w” (which makes it easier to remember). The phrase Oíche Shamhna (the Eve of Samhain) is used for Hallowe’en; it contains the genitive form of Samhain.
Unfortunately I’m still struggling a bit with the after-effects of yesterday’s jab so have neither the time nor the energy for a long post today so instead, before I go for another nap, I’ll just share a a replica (from the National Museum) of an authentically carved turnip as was traditional in old times. I think it’s infinitely scarier than any of those namby-pamby pumpkins.
This one is even scarier!
Oíche Shamhna shona daoibh go léir!
In the Dark 