Members of the Peterborough Unitarian Congregation gathered in front of the church on Main Street Tuesday to celebrate the pagan religious festival Samhain.
Samhain, (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”), is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. The event honors the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism, respect for the interdependent web of all existence, and honors the spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions that celebrate the sacred circle of life and instructs people to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature, according to one of the organizers of the event, Stewart Harris.
“These are ancient festivals that have been modernized,” Harris said, joking that there were no animal or human sacrifices. “We try to avoid that.”
Samhain, Harris explained, is similar to the Day of the Dead or All Saints’ Day, in that it’s the time of year when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is thin.
“What we were doing is remembering and honoring our ancestors, and figuring out how we can be good ancestors to our followers,” he said.
Samhain was considered the most-significant of the four quarterly fire festivals and took place at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this time of year, hearth fires in homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered. Cattle were sacrificed, and participants took a flame from the communal bonfire back to their home to relight the hearth. Failure to participate was believed to result in punishment from the gods, usually illness or death.
Harris said the Samhain celebration in Peterborough came about after he was asked by Lane Fisher, the congregation’s minister, if he’d be willing to put together an equinox ritual last spring. Harris and others from the congregation have organized each of the events since last spring that fall on the equinoxes and solstices.
“Throughout the year, there are eight of those, and so far we’ve done all of then except the August festival Lughnasadh,” he said. “This was the fifth festival we’ve celebrated out in the front yard and hopefully we’ll keep going.”
Tuesday evening’s celebration included a fire ring, readings, music and five minutes of silent meditation to reflect on those who have passed away. Participants gathered in a circle and spoke about their ancestors before enjoying “cakes and ale”—cider and lemon pound cake.
“I named my ancestors and descendants because it’s important for me to know where I am in line,” Harris said. “I walked through my lineage and others shared memories about their parents and grandparents.”
A Yule celebration will be on Dec. 21 and is tentatively scheduled to be held in front of the church, Harris said.