The veil is thinning, time to crack open your grimoires..............
Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the 'darker half of the year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned.
This meant the Aos Sí, the 'spirits' or 'fairies', could more easily come into this world and were particularly active. At Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for the Aos Sí.
ps. Sorry ! Couldn't find a good pic depicting bobbing ritual .
The souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night of the year and must be appeased seems to have ancient origins and is found in many cultures throughout the world. Throughout Ireland and Britain, the household festivities included rituals and games intended to foretell one's future, especially regarding death and marriage.
Apples and nuts were often used in these divination rituals. They included apple bobbing, nut roasting, scrying or mirror-gazing, pouring molten lead or egg whites into water, dream interpretation, and others. Special bonfires were lit and there were rituals involving them.
Their flames, smoke, and ashes were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers and were also used for divination. In some places, torches lit from the bonfire were carried around homes and fields to protect them. It is suggested that the fires were a kind of imitative or sympathetic magic - they mimicked the Sun, helping the "powers of growth" and holding back the decay and darkness of winter. In Scotland, these bonfires and divination games were banned by the church elders in some parishes. In Wales, bonfires were lit to "prevent the souls of the dead from falling to earth" Later these bonfires served to keep "away the devil"
Hope you liked It!
Happy Halloween in Advance!
Love ya all!
Anmol
Edit: Guys this post was scheduled before Halloween but some technical error happened.