#oiche samhain
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Give a Man a Mask
The man who caught Aziraphale’s eye was lounging rather indecorously on one of the many benches lining the walls of the ballroom. He (because despite every inch of them being covered, Aziraphale was sure it was a he) wore a well-tailored black velvet suit jacket that fit snuggly over a black waistcoat intricately embroidered with gunmetal filigree. Underneath the waistcoat, Aziraphale could just make out a black shirt and a flash of burgundy lace at the man’s throat. Black leather gloves laced up around his wrists, and matching knee-high boots fit snuggly over the man's fitted black trousers.
Aziraphale sighed with envy. He could never pull off something like that.
Of course - he told himself - it wasn’t the man necessarily that had caught his eye. It was the clothing; he had always noticed and admired fine clothing, and his outfit really was exquisitely made.
Besides, it was hard not to notice someone who had dressed in such stark contrast to the rest of the guests. It seemed everyone else was dressed to excess, resplendent in feathers and lace, gemstones and pearls. This man’s costume, by contrast, was downright modern; minimal but striking, yet still in keeping with Carnivale. The handstitched leather Plague Doctor mask beneath a black tricorn hat completed the look. It should have looked offputting, really...
It did not.
The man looked less like a man, Aziraphale thought, and more like a long black shadow curving against the wall. Aziraphale popped a fritelle into his mouth and chewed it slowly before swallowing.
If he was honest with himself (which he would prefer not to be, all things considered) he knew what had really attracted his attention; there was something about him - the lazy confidence evident in the way he was sitting, or the dark clothing perhaps - that made him think of Crowley. He hadn’t seen the demon in a few years, and although he was absolutely loathe to admit it even within the privacy of his own mind, he did rather miss him.
Well. He missed him and worried about him in equal parts. Handing over the thermos of Holy Water a few years before had certainly ramped up his anxiety.
He was extremely glad of his full-face volto mask as he watched the figure out of the corner of his eye. He popped another fritelle into his mouth under the mask, chewed, and swallowed with a little groan of pleasure. They really were delicious.
The Plague Doctor swiveled to face him as if he had heard him, and although there was no possible way the stranger could have heard anything of the sort from across the crowded ballroom, Aziraphale blushed ferociously. The heat of it was almost unbearable behind his full-face mask.
He turned his body away from the man, staring down at the sweet delights laid out on the banquet table, and tried very hard to ignore what felt like a heated stare. He gazed down at the galani, his mouth suddenly dry.
Although he was almost expecting it, the dark presence at his elbow a moment later made him start.
“Buonasera, come sta?” said the Plague Doctor in perfect Italian, tipping his hat in a quick formal bow.
Aziraphale had been right about it being a man.
He jerked back at the greeting, startled by the man’s sudden proximity, and scrambled for a reply.
“Oh! Buonasera!” Aziraphale could think of nothing else to say. He cringed behind his mask and wondered if he could miracle his way out of a conversation that was embarrassing before it had even begun.
The Plague Doctor was wearing a zendale beneath his tricorn, and the silk hood concealed every part of his head not covered by mask or hat. He tilted his head, looking like a curious raven, and rested both his gloved hands on top of a cane Aziraphale hadn’t noticed before. His tight grip - Aziraphale could see his knuckles straining against the leather of his gloves - obscured most of what looked like a beautifully carved gunmetal handle.
He looked up. The large eyesockets of the mask were filled with dark glass lenses, revealing absolutely nothing. Aziraphale smoothed down his more traditional costume. The cream and white concoction with gold embroidery and an abundance of lace ruffles had rather delighted him when he’d stepped out this morning, but it felt quite indulgent next to this austere creature.
“I trust you are enjoying yourself?” said the Plague Doctor in an extremely thick Italian accent, leaning forward on his cane so that the beak of his mask almost punctured his bubble of personal space.
“Oh yes, very much so!” Aziraphale nodded, wondering what had drawn this man to his side and how he could possibly reverse it. For all that he had been intrigued before, he hadn’t intended to actually engage the stranger in conversation. There was something extremely unsettling about him up close. Perhaps it was the costume, or the way he was standing; it was patient, watchful, almost… predatory.
Aziraphale shuddered, and the Plague Doctor’s head tilted the other way, making it clear he had noticed.
“Va bene, Signore?” Are you well?
Aziraphale nodded quickly. “Oh yes… Sto bene!” I am well. There was a brief pause while he summoned up formal Italian and hurriedly added a thank you. “La ringrazio!”
The Plague Doctor nodded. “How did you come to be here?” The words came low and slow, and Aziraphale felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his skin prickling with awareness.
He had always had a bit of a weakness for the Italian accent.
“It was suggested to me by the concierge at my hotel,” he smiled, even though the man couldn’t see it. “He thought I might enjoy it, and he was right! I am enjoying it tremendously! The food alone...!" He made an appreciative noise. "How did you…? Are you local to the area?”
A slight tilt of the head as if the Plague Doctor were considering his question. It was surprising how demonstrative he was able to be without a single facial expression.
“Not exactly,” he said, and Aziraphale thought he could hear a smile in his voice, “Although for tonight... Certo. If you like.”
The man swept into a much deeper, more theatrical bow than before. The black feather in his hat almost grazed Aziraphale’s chest. “This is my palazzo - my festa - and I am your host for the evening. You are…” he said, and straightened, holding out his hand. When Aziraphale hesitated, the man crooked his fingers impatiently and for some reason Aziraphale obeyed, quickly placing his white silk-gloved hand in the man’s leather-clad grip.
“... You are extremely welcome here,” the man finished, bringing Aziraphale's knuckles to his mask.
It didn’t seem to matter that there were no lips there to brush against his hand; Aziraphale felt it as if the man had kissed his knuckles open-mouthed. A dart of something hot and unutterable shot through him, flared up and burnt out, thankfully vanishing before Aziraphale had time to recognise it and panic.
“Yes. Well. Thank you. La ringrazio,” he said, feeling flustered.
“No need for such formality, Signore,” the Plague Doctor said warmly, tugging his hand without warning to bring them shoulder to shoulder. He tucked Aziraphale’s arm into the crook of his elbow and patted his hand as if to reassure him that it was alright.
Aziraphale thought that it was probably not alright.
Surely it was not alright to walk arm in arm with a total stranger? Surely there was something morally grey about taking a turn with a mortal Italian dandy who apparently owned a palazzo and, by extension, the many sweet treats Aziraphale had been helping himself to throughout the evening?
If nothing else, surely he should feel some guilt or shame about enjoying the closeness of a stranger who reminded him so much of Crowley?
Continue reading...
#good omens fic#good omens fanfic#ineffable idiots#crowley and aziraphale#aziraphale x crowley#mutual pining#they're morons your honour#happy halloween#good omens fanfiction#good omens oneshot#through the ages#aziracrow#not halloween but close enough#oiche samhain#because I'm struggling#Aziraphale in Venice#why not#ineffable#good omens
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Oíche Shamhna shona daoibh go léir!
happy halloween to you all!
"cool costume ghostie boy!"
"Ẉ̴̈́̾͘͝H̴̢̠͐̿͒Å̸̡̼͙̠͚̗̼̅T̶͚̩̄͋̂̋̉̅̐̕͘ ̵̠̻͉̯̹̤̺̦̙̺̒̊͆̅̾̒͗͂̿̑C̵̻͍̑͌̀͊̀̽̉̾̕Ǭ̸̹͆̇͐S̵̰̤̭̱͒̀́̏̊́̕͝T̷͙̻͙̪͖̗̭̈́͑̈̔̈̇̈́͊̐̕ͅU̴̢̻̤͈̜̞͚͙̒͌͊̐̿M̵̼̯̟͂̾́͋͌̉̑͝͝ͅE̷̡̛͚͉̥̞̰̘͙̼̫̓̏̑̽̾̀͛̚?̷̯̹̤̰̪̽̾ͅ"
also yes, Charlie is dressed as Wendy from don't starve
#original art#original character#briandead#púca#D.I.H.M.A Aukett#Brian Nogg#Charlie Neuva#happy halloween#haloween#oiche samhain#my art#art#oc
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Test run for outside before the big day … you carve, you learn, you carve again 🎃
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Oidhche Shamhna sona dhuibh uile!
May the new year bring you peace, happiness, abundance, and fulfillment! :)
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Trick or treat!!!
Treat!!
#OMG IM SO SORRY I DIDNT SEE THIS YESTERDAY IM SORRY EGGG#but this was soo nice i actually cant believe it#oiche samhain gach daoine#i havent been online much but ill change that#im wayyyy too busy :'(#ps please dont eat the flowers
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⛤HISTORY OF SAMHAIN/HALLOWEEN⛤
This custom has its origins in the pagan Celtic peoples of Ireland, Britain and northern France.
Since they believed that life is born from death, they used the end of autumn to mark the beginning of their new year, the period when nature dies, because its death, according to their belief, represents the time of darkness, decay and death.
On that day, the fire on the home hearths was extinguished and darkness reigned everywhere.
On the last evening of the autumn harvest, nature changes, and the sunny and warm summer gives way to the dark and cold winter, and the fertile land becomes barren.
The Celts believed that night to be magical and apparently attached great importance to it.
In modern times, Samhain is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in "the dark half of the year".
Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world are broken during Samhain, allowing for greater interaction between humans and the inhabitants of the Other World.
As this holiday was really popular, many religions, as Christianity, turned away from its true meaning.
⛤ANCIENT SAMHAIN⛤
The ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most significant of the four quarterly fire festivals, which take place at the midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.
During this time of year, hearth fires in family homes were allowed to burn during harvest.
At the end of the gathering work, the celebrants joined the druid priests to light a community fire using a wheel that would cause friction and sparks.
The wheel was considered a representation of the sun and used in conjunction with prayers. Cattle were sacrificed and participants brought a flame from the communal bonfire to their home to rekindle the hearth.
Early texts present Samhain as an obligatory three-day and three-night celebration in which the community was to perform to local kings or chieftains.
Failure to attend is believed to result in punishment from the gods, usually illness or death.
There was also a military aspect to Samhain in Ireland, with festive thrones prepared for soldier commanders.
Anyone who committed a crime or used their weapons during the celebration faced a death sentence.
Some documents mention six days of drinking excess alcohol, typically mead or beer, along with gluttonous feasts.
⛤SAMHAIN IN THE MIDDLE AGES⛤
As the Middle Ages progressed, so did the celebrations of the fire festivals.
Bonfires known as Samghnagans, which were Samhain's more personal fires near the farms, became a tradition, presumably to protect families from fairies and witches.
Carved turnips called jack-o-lanterns began to appear, attached by strings to sticks and set with charcoal. Later the Irish tradition passed to pumpkins.
In Wales, men threw firewood at each other in violent games and lit fireworks.
⛤WICCA AND SAMHAIN⛤
A broad revival of Samhain resembling its traditional pagan form began in the 1980s with the growing popularity of Wicca.
The Samhain Wicca celebration takes many forms, from traditional fire ceremonies to celebrations that embrace many aspects of modern Halloween, as well as activities related to honoring nature or ancestors.
Wiccans view Samhain as the passing of the year and incorporate common Wiccan traditions into the celebration.
In the Druid tradition, Samhain celebrates the dead with a festival on October 31 and usually features a bonfire and communion with the dead.
American pagans often hold music and dance celebrations called Witches' Balls near Samhain.
Pagans who embrace Celtic traditions with the intent of faithfully reintroducing them into modern paganism are called Celtic reconstructors.
In this tradition, Samhain is called Oiche Shamhna and celebrates the mating between the gods Tuatha de Danann Dagda and the river Unis.
Celtic reconstructors celebrate by placing juniper decorations around their homes and creating an altar for the dead where a feast is held in honor of the deceased.
Samhain is the dark Moon - the time of death, letting go, completion, binding of free ends, retreat and regeneration.
Samhain is a time when the veil between worlds is thin which makes the next 12 days super powerful when it comes to intuition, psychic impressions, dreams, prophecy, mysticism and spirituality.
It's a great time to relax by a fire or light a few candles and listen to your inner self.It's also a great time to use astrology, tarot cards, runes, dreams and more to mirror the truth.
The depths are calling us.
We are asked to truly feel our emotions, dance with our shadows, face our fears and obsessions, and face the places in our life where we manipulate or control or allow others to manipulate and control us.
⛤HALLOWEEN IN ORTHODOXY⛤
When these people accepted Christianity, the holiday of All Saints was established, which was celebrated on November 1 precisely to eradicate this occult custom.
On the night before this holiday, an all-night vigil was held.
However, under the pressure of globalization and Western influence, as well as the influence of different religions and cults, the night before the Christian holiday became the night of witches, witchcraft, summoning evil spirits and demons.
The word "Halloween" comes from the expression "All-Hallows-Evening", which means "the evening before the church holiday of All Saints".
In Orthodoxy, Saint Luke, the creator of one of the Gospels, is celebrated on October 31.
It is believed that this doctor and patron of artists painted the first icons of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the apostles Peter and Paul.
The tradition of celebrating Halloween was brought to North America by Irish immigrants in the 19th century.
Witchfully Yours,
⛤Isidora⛤
#samhain#all hallows eve#magick#kitchen witch#witchcraft#witch aesthetic#witchblr#witches#witchy things#history of witchcraft#witchyvibes#witchcore#wicca#wiccablr#green wicca#celtic wicca#kitchen wicca#wiccan#pagan#paganism#spirituality#spiritualawakening#meditation#spiritualgrowth#spiritual#spiritual journey#magic#grimoire#notes#studies
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Samhain Season, Spooky Season, and Spicy Spirit Weather
This morning when I woke up, there was frost on the ground - the first frost I’ve seen this year. It’s earlier than the past two years I’ve lived here; previously it was just a few days before or after October 31st. The farmer’s almanac was close though - their prediction this year was the 18th, 3 days ago, and it got down close to freezing then but not quite. I took a few photos on my walk this morning and posted them to my instagram. It was early, just about sunrise, and the neighborhood smelled like woodsmoke - a lovely start to my personal Samhain Season.
While a lot of pagans and witches consider Samhain to be the one day most often celebrated as a neopagan high day (generally November 1st), my personal observance of Samhain includes October 31st (known in Irish as Oiche Shamhna, or November Eve), November 1st through at least the 7th or 8th (the astrological halfway point) and sometimes through the 11th (the adjusted old date, before the calendar shifted), and the first frost, wherever I am. It’s a little loose for a liturgical event, but it’s more than a single day holiday for me. The end of the summer half of the year and the transition to the winter half of the year is a liminal space and I let it take up space in my practice and in my life. Samhain is the name for the whole month of November in modern Irish, and there’s evidence that some of the fire festivals went two weeks in length, and that’s sort of the feel I’m going for. This period also usually coincides with a stellar date that’s important to my practice: the heliacal rising of the star Spica. She’ll rise just after the sun on November 2nd this year, after being gone from the sky for about the last six weeks, and that observance has also become part of my Samhain Season, marking a time of personal transition towards darkness, as I prepare for the winter months.
That transition towards darkness and winter is also a big part of why fall is sometimes called “Spooky Season”, I think. Some people only use “Spooky Season” to refer to the month of October and the run-up to Halloween, but lately I’ve been hearing it about September and November as well, and I think it’s sort of fitting. Autumn is a season of harvest and death and decay, and that can be a bit spooky - in a good way, in my opinion! It’s a good time to reflect on the past and engage with our shadows as the nights become longer and colder. Death is omnipresent, and not just because of Halloween decorations. I start to feel the stirrings of the Wild Hunt on the wind in September most years, and by the first frost at the end of October, they’re running strong most nights. Oiche Shamhna has long been associated with the proximity of otherworldly forces, or the “thinning of the veil” in modern parlance, and with the Dead especially. My own practice around Samhain focuses on the Morrigna, Be Chuille, and the Dead. In my new monthly calendar, I honor the Morrigna in October and Be Chuille (and her family) in November, and my Samhain practice transitions between those two in a way more overlapping than sharply delineated.
The Dead being more present and the Wild Hunt running around both contribute to the seeming uptick in supernatural events, paranormal activity, and general spirit weather that occurs this time of year. I’ve seen more than one post on Facebook reminding fellow witches and pagans to ground and shield and make sure your wards are tight - and with good reason. Not everything riding the wind wishes us well, or is friendly or favorable to our intentions and lives. Nor are they truly evil or even baneful, however - they just Are. I don’t assign moral meaning to forces of chaos or destruction, personally; they can be for good or for ill, just as forces of order and creation can also be used for good or for ill. Wards are fences - as much as I might enjoy the presence of my Local wind riders when I’m walking around at dusk, I do prefer them to stay outside! I stay out of their way, and I hope they’ll stay out of mine, and good neighbors may we be. How much to avoid them and how thick to build wards to feel safe inside is a matter of personal preference, and I recently saw these upticks referred to as “spicy”, which struck me as a perfect analogy! Some people (like me) like their food with a bit of a kick, and while sometimes we might bite into something a little hotter than we can manage, we know how to remedy that situation and generally we can handle it with good humor. Some people, when they bite into something spicy, find only pain and no enjoyment (and sometimes shake their heads at spice lovers in disbelief). There’s no need to engage with the wilder spirit weather if you don’t want to, but it’s my jam, personally, and one of the many reasons I love the fall. Samhain and Bealtaine are probably my two favorite holidays, mostly because of the wild and carnivalesque otherworldly tides of energy surrounding those two times of year, and because of how important both transitional periods are to the Fair Folk I’m connected to. It invigorates me and my practice in ways that steadier energies don’t. So don’t mind me, I’m just gonna take my hot apple cider and be off with the Fairies…
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Oiche Shamhna Shona duit which means Happy Halloween in Irish. According to Irish folklore, Halloween is an ancient Celtic tradition of Samhain. The old Irish for 'summer's end. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the start of the New Year. It is also the time when the veil to the afterlife is thin, and it is said the dead can walk among us. So, don't forget to honor them with a candle to light their way to you. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYJZ6erS_8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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These three are clearly up to no good tonight - and neither should you…
Oíche Shamhna shona daoibh!
Galway, October 2021
#photographers on tumblr#original photography#photography#night photography#halloween#oiche shamhna#samhain#jack o lantern#pumpkins#carved pumpkins#lanterns
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Full of gratitude and giddiness to have had such a full festival this year. With a heap of help and as much energy as whiskey can lend, Oíche Shamhna and Samhain were both a splendid success.
🔥🎃🥃🍎🕯
Pumpkins and turnips glowed at the door, friends chased new friends blindfolded, saucers told the future, bellies took their fill of potatoes and nuts, cheese and apples, and stories smoked in the air around the fire.
As Demetri pointed out, this was the "last of the firsts." The anniversary of my move to Maine approaches, and I have now held each of the year's festivals in my new home. So grateful that I can share so many of them with a new community here and old commumities far away. 🖤
Praying for a peaceful winter for ourselves and our loved ones who have passed away. I wish for full tables and warm hearths, and for the good health so I can share my table with more of you. Beannachtaí na Samhna oraibh.
📸 cred to Demetri for MOST of these!! 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8!!!
...
[Image descriptions, all color photos:
1. Carved pumpkins and turnips glowing in the gloom, on a ledge before a golden-glowing window. The rest of the scene is darkly shadowed.
2. Figure in a black cloak and cap ties a black blindfold around the head of a blonde person in a flannel shirt and black skirt. A daylit park with fall leaves, grass, and a couple cars is behind them.
3. Same person tying the same blindfold around a bald, bearded person with a black shirt. Behind them are fir trees and in the distance more fall leaves and a bright sky.
4. People racing around a grassy park. The central figure is blindfolded, in all black, hands outstretched. The other two prominent figures are blurry with movement, racing around the blindfolded person. There’s another clear, still figure to the right of the frame. There are houses and trees beyond the grass, a street lamp is on and the clouds are darkening.
5. A small child in a leather jacket smiles, a Jason Vorhies ski mask perched on their head and a plastic machete in their hands. Beyond the child is grass and trees.
6. Two figures are collapsed in the grass and fall leaves, laughing together. One has a blindfold slipped up to their forehead to free their eyes.
7. Two figures in black stand in a kitchen. The one on the left is blindfolded, extending a ringed hand toward three saucers on the table. The one on the left looks on, with clasped hands. A white pumpkin and orange glass candle holder are on the table in the foreground.
8. Offerings gathered around a reddish clay figure of a hunched old woman. There is a mug, a glowing, thick, white candle on a white saucer, a red apple, a clear glass full of amber liquid, a blue glass, and a sliver of cheese and bread is barely included in the shot. Ivy and cedar leaves are tucked in around the dishes. Behind the clay figure are the panels of a green house and a purple and white shutter. Beyond the house, a golden tree against a dim sky another pale house.
End descriptions.]
#oiche shamhna#samhain#halloween#harvest#folklore#irish folklore#festival#personal#me#halloween games#oiche shamhna games#divination#offerings
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Some halloween positivity from yours truly
#halloween#happy halloween#samhain#oiche shamhna#positive memes#positivity#self love#you are valid#you are awesome#you are amazing#you are beautiful#you are enough
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Halloween is TOMORROW????
I GOTTA DRAW SOMETHING QUICKLY FOR THIS OH NOOOOO
(totaly not like i have it done already and im just posting this now bc i forgot to)
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Just one little thing that's been bothering me over the last few days. It's a very nitpicky thing, I'll admit.
Samhain is on the 1st November not the 31st October. The 31st October is called Oíche Shamhna. This means the Eve of Samhain (Samhain changes to Shamhna for grammar reasons).
In modern Irish, Halloween is translated as Oíche Shamhna, while the name of the month of November is Samhain because it happens in November and we name several months after the festivals that happen/happened in them (Bealtaine = May, Lúnasa/Lughnasadh = August, Samhain =November, Mí na Nollag = December, lit. month of Christmas).
Oíche Shamhna -> ee-hya-how-na
Samhain -> sow-in
(best I could do for pronunciations. They're not English words so the sounds just won't be right no matter what I write)
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Oíche Shamhna shona daoibh! Here's some of Fadó's most Halloween-worthy creatures.
Trick and treat your way through Fadó today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1148200/Fad_Chapter_One/
#fairies#Ireland#Irish#irish mythology#fairy#halloween#monsters#irish folklore#Irish art#samhain#oiche shamhna#witch#indie games#indie dev#rpg#rpgs#indie rpgs#indie rpg#creature design#character design#video games#Video Game Art#gaming#monster design#crow#trick or treat#pumpkin#jack o lantern#jack o'lantern#mythology
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Happy Samhain, lovelies! ✨🕯
From my altar to yours, I hope your Halloween is full of fun, honour, good food, and happiness! 🖤🌙🎃
Anyone else like making Witch’s New Year Resolutions? This year, I want to read more often, finally learn all 78 tarot cards, and practice the ritual of decorating one’s body for their gods/goddesses.
Comment your own Witch’s New Year resolutions to speak them into existence! 🎃🕯🖤
#witchy#witchcraft#witches#witch#pagan#paganism#pagan witch#samhain#happy samhain#halloween#all hallows eve#oiche Shamnha!#happy halloween#samhain altar#altar#candles#pumpkin#crystals#witches altar
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Reminder
Stay safe today! Don't mess with the spirits unless you know what you're doing, and please, for the love of the gods, don't use a Ouija board
A blessed Samhain and a happy Oiche Shamhna to everyone
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