"Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in the snow,
There comes a festival season,
When nature is all aglow."
Unknown
Phase of the Moon Today: Waxing Gibbous 99% of Full - Almost a full moon - many people think it is a full moon
Samhain - roughly translated summer's end - a harvest festival held on October 31 - November 1 to mark the end of the harvest. It ends the 'lighter half' of the season and ushers in the 'darker half'. There is a realtionship to the festival of the dead because many people see nature dying around them.
As the picture suggests, bonfires play a major role in this festival. Farmers would walk with their livestock between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual. It was a gaelic holiday and the Gaels believed that the border between this world and the 'otherworld' became thin on this day. The custom of wearing costumes was an attempt to copy the spirits and placate them. Today we call this Halloween - another commercialized holiday that has lost its meaning.
What does this have to do with the Moon - not much but it sure is scarier on a full moon (or close to full moon)
signing off
kb...
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