ancient calendar

At its heart, Halloween is an astronomy holiday. It’s a day rooted in Earth’s orbit around the sun. It’s a cross-quarter day and a testament to our ancestors’ deep understanding of the sky. 

October 31 marks the approximate midway point between the September equinox and the December solstice. This means Halloween also an astronomy holiday, and one of the year’s four cross-quarter days. 

Learn about the four seasonal Quarter Days in the ancient Celtic calendar.

Some historians are divided as to whether the ancient Celts observed the solstices and equinoxes (quarter days). Some believe that the Celts divided the year into just four major sections: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh (cross-quarter days). 

peek a boo!

Halloween is creeping in on us with autumn chill reminding us to make hay as winter is coming. Samhain is a celebration that acknowledges and deepens the occasion. 

Yuko Shimizu, harpy - DC comic art

As the veil thins, our bonds with our ancestors call for care and renewal.  We gather to gain strength in our life stories by honoring and respecting all our relations.

Samhain 2020

As we in the northern hemisphere cross the threshold of autumn into winter, I am reminded of what a powerful time of year this is. As the ancient Celts referred to it, Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced "sow-win") or what's now called Halloween - was a time of honouring the dead. Not just ancestors who've crossed over, but the parts of our lives that are readying to die.

Painted Wheel of the Year at the Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle, Cornwall

Samhain was understood as a liminal time, when spirits and ancestors from the Otherworld could more easily enter this one. The ancients would hold great gatherings to mark the end of harvest season, and the entrance into the darker, leaner half of the year.

The souls of the dead were said to seek hospitality in their old homes, so the living would set places at the feasting table for them with offerings of their dead kin's favourite meals and drinks. Sacred bonfires would then be lit for releasing and cleansing rituals.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our favorite vintage haute' couture boutique in New York City - 188 Galerie!

TRICK OR TREAT?

Always fun!

Always precious!

E N J O Y ! ! !

Haute Halloween

wonder | wander | world has blogged about a fave brand of ours in the past, Vintage Black Label.

This Halloween, we're having a blast with their over the top bling binge and bijoux bonanza!

Read their post here.

Halloween Horrors [NOT!] Chic-y crawlies are all the rage at 188 Galerie for the fall season. 

What a hoot to dress up to the nines, make a grand entrance, entrance with a memorable impact, and shine! Shine! SHINE!

Brightly into the night - GO!

Shine your light and be a beacon of delight!

Happy Halloween! lovely bones

This weekend wonder | wander | world celebrates another turn of #WheelofLife - #Samhain #AllHallowsEve #Halloween. 

188 Galerie Halloween 2015 window display

Courtesy of 188 Galerie and their limited edition handmade silkscreen prints from Charles Lahti Studio and #lahtipopup - let’s make merry and have a blast.