Mushrooms have always had a special place in my heart during Halloween. There’s something magical about the night. I think it’s a combination of earthy Fall smells, the misty, tree-lined streets and the costumed party-goers and candy hunters that provides an extra-special atmosphere to be sure… add in a couple grams of your favorite magic mushroom, and it’s a guaranteed great night full of rich, surreal imagery. So as we approach another Halloween, I began to think more on the origins of Halloween and began to wonder what role psychedelics played in its history (if any).
The earliest origins of Halloween can be traced back to the early 1800’s to an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. Samhain meant ‘summer’s end’. For ancient people the coming winter meant cold, dark nights and a scarcity of food. For the Celts, the 31st of October was the end of the Celtic year as it marked the end of the harvest. The new year, “Samhain”, was celebrated on the 1st of November. On new year’s eve, the Celts believed that the division between the living and the dead was lessened, meaning that spirits such as fairies, pixies, leprechauns, demons and banshees could pass from the other realm to ours.
Both something to fear and something to celebrate, offerings of food were laid out for wandering spirits, and people wore costumes and masks to either frighten away or confuse them. As this coincided with the end of the harvest, it was also a time when the livestock would be slaughtered. This meant that many of the costumes were made up of animal heads and skins, and the bones were burnt in large fires. These fires were called “bone-fires”, the predecessor to our present day “bonfires”.
So where do the mushrooms come into play? Well as you may have guessed, Halloween falls in the middle of mushroom season. In the land of the Celts, both “The Liberty Cap”, symbolizing the freedom of slaves, and the “Fly-Agaric” (the Flesh of Gods known for its vibrant red color and white spots …possibly the most recognized mushroom in the world), grew abundantly in the wild and are thought to have been used by druids and Celts for rituals and ceremonies. It was also said that mushrooms could make the previously mentioned creatures from the other world visible to the naked eye.
Sadly for the Celts however, by around 43 A.D. the Romans had put a stop to the hallucinogenic celebrations of Samhain by replacing it with their own Christian festivals. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory IV moved All Saints Day (or All Hallows’ Day) from the 13th of May to the 1st of November, thus making the 31st of October All Hallows’ Eve.
When the Catholic Irish began to emigrate in droves to America during the potato famine (1845-1849) they bought their holidays with them. Thus the Halloween behemoth that exists in North America today was born.
So if you find yourself out and about this Halloween, consider embracing the ancient Celtic ways with some high quality magic mushrooms! This Halloween, we’re offering a seasonal deal on Daddy Long Legs, DC Mac and Rhino Horn mushrooms. Take advantage of this sale in time for Halloween …maybe you’ll even spot some creatures from the other side!
