October 31 AMD Meeting

It is again time for our stated meeting on the 5th Monday of October.  G. C. Sanders AMD Council No. 402 will meet Monday, Oct. 31, 2016. 

Meet at about 6 PM at Chappell Hill Deli and Bakery for a meal and fellowship.  We will retire to the lodge at about 7 PM.

Come "dressed as your favorite Mason" and let's observe Samhain, a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. 

Traditionally, it is celebrated in the modern calendar, from sunset on 31 October to sunset on 1 November, this places it about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. 
Samhain is believed to have Celtic pagan origins. It was the time when cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures and when livestock were slaughtered for the winter. Samhain was seen as a time when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could more easily be crossed. This meant the 'spirits' or 'fairies' could more easily come into our world. 

At Samhain, it was believed that they needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink were left outside for them. Feasts were had and involved people going door-to-door in costume (or in disguise), often reciting verses in exchange for food. 

In Modern Irish the name is Samhain, in Scottish Gaelic Samhainn/Samhuinn, and in Manx Gaelic Sauin. These are also the names of November in each language, shortened from Mí na Samhna (Irish), Mì na Samhna (Scottish Gaelic) and Mee Houney (Manx). The night of 31 October (Halloween) is Oíche Shamhna (Irish), Oidhche Shaman (Scottish Gaelic) and Oie Houney (Manx), all meaning "Samhain night". 

These names all refer to 1 November (latha na samna: 'samhain day'), and the festival and royal assembly held on that date in medieval Ireland (oenaig na samna: 'samhain assembly'). Its meaning is glossed as 'summer's end'.

After October, our next meeting will be Jan. 29, 2017.