This month’s instalment of The Calendar Series explores the traditions, mythology, and cultural practices tied to November, in both Celtic mythology and its Roman origins.
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In Irish, Samhain means “end of summer,” and also refers to the month of November. It marked the turning from the light to the dark half of the year. Celebrations began at sunset on 31 October, halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Fires were lit for protection and cleansing, and the boundary between this world and the Otherworld grew thin, a time when the aos sí could cross, and the voices of ancestors might be heard.
Samhain was “essentially a festival for the dead.” The Celtic nations held great respect for their ancestors, believing that during the “Three Nights of the End of Summer”, Hallowe’en, Samhain, and All Souls’ Day, the souls of the departed returned to share their wisdom and lore.
This work also features Oweynegat in Co. Roscommon, the Cave of the Cats, is said to be the birthplace of Samhain and of Queen Medb. From there, creatures were believed to emerge to hunt as the veil thinned.
November takes its name from the Latin novem, meaning “nine.” In the Ogham alphabet, this month connects to ? nGéadal (Reed), once used to make arrows, brooms, candles, and flutes that could call spirits or summon the fairy folk. The reed sheltered, cleansed, and sang, a fitting symbol for this threshold time of year.
Check out the previous month here
