Some Samhain Crafts & Reading

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The dark half of the year will soon be upon! So, here is some crafting ideas and reading resources on how you can celebrate and observe the season. 

• As Samhain Approaches: A post I did last year linking to some really good reading and resources with even more ideas, as well as recipes and some good podcast listening.
• The Celtic Folk Traditions of Halloween: A really great interview with Dr. Jenny Butler over at Transceltic. You can find our a bit of history as well as glean some ideas on how to celebrate.
• Guising & Mummers: A neat little article about some of the history of dressing up and causing mischief in Ireland.
• November Eve Beliefs and Customs in Irish Life and Literature: An article by Helen Sewell Johnson found in the Journal of American Folklore. You can read the article for free on the JSTOR site.
• Plants for the Dying & Deceased: A post I did a while back with a list of plants that may be appropriate to use for honouring your Ancestors.
• Turnip Carving: An article over at the Tairis site talking a bit about the tradition of using turnips for lanterns, along with some neat photos and instructions.
• Turnip Lanterns: An article on the Isle of Man Department of Education and Children website with vintage photos of tumshies and some more turnip carving ideas.
• Parshall or Samhain Cross: Instructions for a traditional Irish charm made for protection on Samhain Eve.
• Ancestor Frame: A craft idea for an Ancestor altar.
• A Free Ancestor Printout: An image I had made to go with the Ancestor frame. Free to print out and use on your own Ancestor altar.
• Mullein Candles & Torches: A craft idea for Samhain or Halloween.
• Fall Leaf Candle Holder: Another craft idea for Samhain or Halloween.
• Drying & Preparing Graveyard Dirt: A how-to should you be collecting some at this time.

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Sláinte!

Laurel