In the midst of all the candy, costumes, jack-o'-lanterns and trick-or-treating most people associate with an American Halloween, students who follow pagan religions will also mark the holiday with solemn meditation and remembrance.
At the same time secular Halloween is celebrated, pagan religions celebrate Samhain (pronounced sow-in), an end-of-harvest festivity. Most pagans recognize Samhain as falling on Nov. 1 but will celebrate it starting at sundown tonight.
Many pagans believe in a mortal world and an immortal world known as Faery, where spirits and passed souls live, according to Rebecca Ogle, a sophomore English and environmental science major and Samhain, the boundary between the two worlds is the thinnest. Samhain is a time to think about the relationship between life and death, said members of the PSU.
"I think secular Halloween is great and fun, but it is definitely separate than what we do," said Casey Mason-Foley, a sophomore PSU member and natural resources and wildlife management major. "We honor death, a part of the life cycle, and understand that everything must die to be reborn."
Samhain is one of eight holidays, known as sabbats, in pagan tradition. There are no uniform traditions or practices to celebrate Samhain, but most pagans pray or meditate by themselves, or may reflect together in a coven, a group of pagans who practice the religion in a similar manner, Ogle said.
Paganism, a nature religion, has a complicated history that draws on ideas and traditions of many different religions, said Allen Stairs, an associate professor and associate chair in the philosophy department, who concentrates on the philosophy of religion.
Paganism is an umbrella term for a number of different individualized spiritual paths, members of the PSU said. Those who follow pagan religions have their own unique and personalized beliefs and practices, they said.
Ogle has been studying Wicca, a more structured form of paganism, since she was 12 years old. She said she believes a person can discover his or her own reincarnation during Samhain, which is referred to as the "death" of the harvest season. Samhain is also a time to purify the spirit, Ogle said.
Ogle said she will probably spend Samhain meditating on the warmth and wisdom of friends and family members who have passed into Faery. She may also dress up in a costume and go to a party. "Pagans like to have fun," she said. "Most don't frown upon secular Halloween."
Mason-Foley said she, too, plans to dress up and attend a Halloween party. She will also celebrate Samhain by honoring her ancestors and performing rituals to contact her late grandfather. Her individual path in paganism is derived from different spiritual traditions, including Native American practices, she said.
Senior English major Melissa Mercer, who dresses as a witch every year for Halloween, said she does not know anything about pagan religions but assumed they celebrate the devil during the holiday.
Members of the PSU rebutted the common misconception that pagans view Halloween as a time to practice dark magic or perform animal sacrifices.
Though paganism is often confused with religions that worship the devil or perform satanic rituals, most pagans do not recognize Satan at all, Ogle said. "There's no evil spirit that makes people do bad things," she said. "We're responsible for ourselves, whatever we choose."
Others have no reason to fear pagans, Stairs said.
"Those who describe themselves as a pagan or Wiccan are in no way associated with doing bad things, practicing black magic or casting spells of any sort," he said. "They may hold beliefs that not everyone may hold, but the same can be said for people of all different religions."
Some people relate Halloween ghosts to the practices of paganism, said Jen Tracy, a senior classics major and president of the PSU. "Halloween comes from honoring the dead and remembering spirits, like during Samhain," Tracy said.
Tracy said the sabbat is about the passing of the seasons and preparing for the colder, darker days of winter.
"It isn't Halloween, but it's related," she said. "It's really just a memorial-type day to remember our ancestors."
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