This evening the celebrations for Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) begin, ending tomorrow 1st November at sunset. Anglo-Saxons called November Blōtmōnaþ (blót month – blót means ‘blood sacrifice’) for that was the month they slaughtered their livestock in dedication to their gods. An entry in the Menologium seu Calendarium Poeticum explains that “this month is called Novembris in Latin, and in our language the month of sacrifice, because our forefathers, when they were heathens, always sacrificed in this month, that is, that they took and devoted to their idols the cattle which they wished to offer.” Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking … Continue reading Samhain