How to celebrate Halloween: Remember the dead and embrace the change of seasons

Turnips, monkey nuts, barm brack, pumpkin spice lattes? There are plenty of ways to celebrate Halloween.

Remember the dead

The dying of the light is certainly a good time to remember the dead, says druid Jan Tetteroo, of the Grove of Anú in Killarney, Co Kerry. You can do this by creating an ancestor altar, he says. “Use some pictures or mementos of your ancestor, light some candles and incense and spend some time in reflection, honouring and connecting with them,” says Tetteroo. “Ancestor” is a broad church. “They can be family members, friends, or you could pick a teacher, writer or musician who inspired you. They are your spiritual ancestors too.”

Hosting an ancestral dinner is another way of remembering those gone. “Prepare the dishes your loved one liked. Eat in their honour and leave a place at the table for the one who is not there,” says Tetteroo.

Connect with change

The sun is disappearing into the underworld, folklore tells us. “The delights of the day are being eaten by the wolf. The gods are now starting on a wild hunt to catch the wolf. This lasts for seven weeks until midwinter,” says Tetteroo. “When they catch the wolf, the light returns,” he says.

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Don’t let the time of year pass you by. “We see the light diminish and diminish, the days are getting shorter and shorter. We should try to get out in nature and connect with the change in the seasons,” he says. Walk in the dead leaves, get out and experience the weather.

Let it go

Had a bad year? Halloween is a time to let it go. Some people participate in Druidic circles at this time of year, says Tetteroo. “Everyone writes on a piece of paper the things they want to let go of. Give the note to an cailleach – a veiled hag who is associated with winter, who remains outside the circle. She will burn it in a ritual. So it gets transformed in the cauldron of the cailleach.”

If you are going to go the bonfire route, leave no trace, says Tetteroo. “Any place you visit for a ritual or ceremony, leave it as you found it.”

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The light is dying at this time of year and we can’t change that, says Tetteroo. “Don’t overthink things or get carried away with things you cannot influence. Accept the things you can’t change. The darkness requires a bit of wisdom, because you can’t change it. You have to be with it.”

Use this period to wind down a bit if you can, he says. “Many are having to get up early and leave the house in the dark and return in the dark and that can be hard to embrace. But know that the light will return after the winter solstice. Then we will celebrate Christmas and the return of the light.”