Pronounced “sow-in,” Samhain is the Celtic ritual closest to Halloween and the Mexican festival of Dia de Los Muertos. I’m not a very dependable advocate of rituals generally, but when my niece Abby texted me for a photo of her grandmother Jane in order to make an ofrenda for her, I became curious. Although Abby lives in Southern California, our family roots are in the British Isles, predominantly Ireland. 

My family of four has always celebrated Christian rituals of Christmas and Easter and the more pagan tradition of Halloween. I did have a vague knowledge of a Celtic tradition around this time of year, but never paid much attention to it.

Samhain is remarkably akin to the Mexican tradition and takes place at the same time of year. October 31 to November 2 is when “the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest,” according to cultural historians. October 31 also marks the ancient Celtic New Year. 

Our own family Halloween decorations include skeletons rising from the earth and ghosts hanging from trees. But we never gave much thought to what they represent other than scary sights for trick-or-treaters.

Abby, who lost her father at age eight, is particularly sensitive to wanting to preserve the memories of lost relatives. We both mourn the loss of her grandma and dad, but more than the grief of their premature deaths, we want to preserve and pass down the joy they spread in their lifetimes to those grandchildren who never knew them.

Traditions of Samhain and Dia de los Muertos provide a vehicle for that in creating altars to lost relatives in the form of photos of the deceased, bright yellow flowers (often marigolds) and other offerings to attract the spirits of loved ones. Another tradition is the silent or “dumb” supper, where favorite meals are served and eaten in silence, with candles lit to encourage spirits to attend and join the celebration. Some communities build bonfires in hopes of attracting spirits to the living world.

My awareness of the Mexican tradition has only recently been eclipsed by the knowledge of Samhain. Cultural ties can so easily fray, given a few generations and an ocean between them. My ancestors probably considered Samhain to be a pagan relic. But I think it’s a lovely and harmless celebration of the thin line between life and death. Abby’s inquiry led me to a search through photos of my mother, which naturally sparked memories. My mother loved candles and lit them every day at dinner time. Her favorite foods included rich cream sauces, freshly made pastas, salmon and fowl. She wrote a cookbook titled “The Cat-Lovers’ Cookbook,” which included many recipes guided by the foods her kitties adored and were treated to daily in her kitchen.

An ofrenda for her would certainly include a copy of the out-of-print book, along with candles and photos of her cats. If I construct one, I hope it sparks some questions from my granddaughter Rosie, dressed in her Halloween costume. “Who’s that, Grandma?” I can hear her ask. “That, my dear, is your Great-Grandma Jane.”