How I spent my Halloween!

 Good Evening,

Well, Halloween (Samhain) was just wonderful this year. We had quite a scare with the hurricane that threatened to ruin the Halloween celebrations AGAIN this year.  If you remember, last year it was a Halloween snow storm that ruined it. But where we are in central CT, we luckily got our power back by Tuesday evening and Wednesday went off very well.

You might have wondered, what a witch does on Halloween? Well, I can only tell you what it is that I do, and I have a lot of fun doing it!  I celebrate the children on this holiday. I love the energy that comes from little ones dressing up and enjoying a holiday that has its origins as far back in time as 5,000 years ago. 

My witches cottage is located in a residential neighborhood with lots of houses, children, people and pets.  There's approximately 80 - 100 houses in our small neighborhood which makes for many children, and even more that come to our neighborhood for the bountiful trick or treat candy haul.

In front of my cottage I have an old cast iron cauldron, that weighs a hundred pounds or more on a tripod. I have little red, orange and yellow lights fixed underneath the cauldron with handfuls of sticks carefully placed on top, which gives the effect of a small fire burning under the large iron cauldron.  I have large spotlights affixed with red bulbs which light up the entire area with an eerie red glow.

Into the cauldron I put some warm water and have a bunch of dry ice chips nearby. Also at hand are some 'tasty' rubber snakes, rats and spiders. Some years I can find some gelatinous fake eyeballs to use also. This makes for my witches stew. Then I start practicing my cackle and I sit in a chair by the cauldron with a big stirring stick and await the first trick or treaters.

As they come up my walk, princesses, bat men, and cowboys clutching their precious candy bags or plastic pumpkins they spy me and sing out the expected "trick or treat" chorus that is expected to get some candy loot. But the witch stirring the cauldron doesn't respond to the song. Instead she's busy stirring the pot, with wisps of smoke flowing out from the cauldron and being illuminated in the eerie red light. She grabs a tail of a rubber rat and dangles it in front of the little costumed monsters and asks them "Do you want some of my witches stew? The rats are quite tasty" and then she grabs a handful of dangling snakes "and the snakes quite delicious!"  This is met with "ewwww's" mainly from little girls. Many little boys say "yes!" I would like some!"


"Ah," the witch continues "but, they're just a bit underdone. Hmmm, well , we can't be serving guests raw snakes or rats, that's just not polite."  "Well, now what can I possibly give you?" she asks, then notices the sacks being held open in silent appeal.

"well, what have you got there?" she inquires. "What's in your bags?"

"Candy!" comes the response.

"Oh Candy! Chocolate!" the witch exclaims. "Well, I had an elf that came around a while ago and left me a whole bunch of chocolate and candy. Would you .    .   .    you wouldn't like that would you?" she asks doubtfully.

"YES!!" "CANDY", "TRICK OR TREAT" are all  responses she hears throughout the night. And into the candy sacks and pumpkins goes a small bag filled with chocolate treats.  Many parents ask for a picture to be taken, and I sit before my cauldron and hear the children as they continue on their candy quest

"This is my favorite house every year!" " Mine too!" " You know .  .  .  She's a real witch!"

This year we had 56 children come to the witch's cauldron and get a candy treat. Afterwards I serve a dinner for just ourselves or sometimes for a few friends that is made up of appetizers and hor d' oeuvres, punch and party foods to keep with the spirit of the occasion.

Halloween or Samhain, whatever you call it, is a sacred holiday. But as such, a sacred holiday does not mean it must be somber, quiet, reverent and boring or sad. It's a celebration. On one side of the coin we celebrate the loved ones who have passed on into their next life, and on the other we celebrate the life we have here. And children are the best example of life on earth that we have!

I hope you had a Happy Samhain!


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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