On the night of October 31st we celebrated Samaín at Clínica Pardiñas, a festival of Celtic origin in which it’s based on the current Halloween and All Saints’ Day and we’ve prepared a special comic for the occasion. We’ll tell you all about it here!
What is the Samhain festival?
Samhain is a festival of Celtic origin that is celebrated on the night of October 31st, marking one of the most important moments of the ancestral calendar: the end of the harvest and the true beginning of the new year with the arrival of dark times, cold, and the “death” of nature. It was believed that the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead became narrower on this sacred night, allowing the souls of ancestors to return to their homes for a visit. Samhain was, therefore, a time of remembrance, passage, and protection.
Galician traditions during the Samaín festival
In Galicia, as in other lands of Celtic heritage, this festival has remained alive throughout the centuries, highlighting our rich popular culture and the ancestral traditions of the rural environment. These are some of the most significant:
The fire of Samhain
Bonfires symbolize an ancestral presence. On the one hand, they are a friendly light that guides the souls of ancestors on their return; on the other, they act as a protective barrier to ward off evil spirits and purify the space. Fire thus becomes a central element of Samain: warm and sacred, protective and transformative.
Offering and hospitality for souls
According to ancient Celtic tradition, leftover food from the last dinner of the month was not removed and was left in plain sight on the night of October 31st. So that the souls of loved ones who visited us would have something to eat. It was a gesture of hospitality and remembrance, a symbolic bridge between the world of the living and the dead. And since this is Galicia, there was bound to be high-quality food in abundant quantities.
The dreaded Santa Compaña
The most chilling legend of this evening is that of the Santa Compaña, a spectral procession of souls in torment that travels the roads of rural Galicia. This tradition, which announces death to anyone who encounters it, underlines the tone of respect and dark humor with which Galicians downplay death.
Magostos and the chestnuts
Another custom that comes from long ago is to empty turnips and place candles inside to scare away evil spirits, or to organize magostos, meetings between families and neighbors to eat chestnuts, drink new wine, share scary stories and party around the fire. This celebration remains very much alive as a symbol of our cultural identity.
Relation between Samhain and Halloween
Samhain is the European and Celtic root of what we know today as Halloween. The English word “Halloween” comes from the contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve,” that is, the eve of All Saints’ Day, a holiday that Christianity adopted and adapted from pagan tradition in the Middle Ages. According to the Library of Congress of the United States, it was emigrants of Celtic origin, such as the Irish and Scottish, who brought this tradition to the States. Where over time, popular North American customs such as trick-or-treating and the use of pumpkins instead of turnips were added, as there were so many of them and they were easier to carve due to their size. Thus was born the iconic “Jack-o’-lantern,” the classic illuminated pumpkin we associate with Halloween around the world today. The globalized version of the modern Halloween we know today is largely due to the widespread use of American films and television series, which made illuminated pumpkins, decorated houses, and children begging for candy iconic, although this holiday remains its oldest seed.
The Samaín comic: our tradition in cartoons
To enhance this cultural tradition, Clínica Pardiñas,together with illustrator Irene Sanjuán and the creative agency Chalana, it has created an exclusive comic about this tradition. With this initiative, the clinic not only pays tribute to Galician culture but also underscores its commitment to outreach and education, fundamental pillars of its philosophy, which encompass both oral health and the appreciation of our folklore. Would you like to get a copy?
(CLICK THE ARROWS ON THE SIDES OR SWIPE YOUR FINGER TO SCROLL THE COMIC PAGES)
We look forward to seeing you on October 31st at Clínica Pardiñas!
This Friday October 31st at 6 p.m., we will present the comic at Clínica Pardiñas (Rúa Rea, 66) and we’ll give it away to anyone who comes. But that’s not all: we’ll also be holding a traditional magosto and handing out chestnuts to everyone who attends. Are you coming to enjoy the festivities with us?
