Samhainn, by Graham McArthur

Samhainn

by Graham McArthur

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1.	Aos Si 11:50	buy track
2.	Samhainn 32:30	buy track
3.	Samhainn (2) 24:49	buy track
4.	Aos Si (2) 36:27	buy track

about

In celebration of the celtic tradition of All Hallow's Eve. This album which was produced originally for the Halloween Special of Selected Notes podcast episode 9, is now available as an album. The music for this album has been made entirely from field recordings taken from the natural environment of the artist's front yard.

The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to around 1745 and is of Christian origin. The word "Halloween" means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening". It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the evening before All Hallows' Day). In Scots, the word "eve" is even, and this is contracted to e'en or een. Over time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)en evolved into Halloween. Although the phrase "All Hallows'" is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, all saints mass-day), "All Hallows' Eve" is itself not seen until 1556.

Samhainn (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It was held on or about 31 October – 1 November and a kindred festival was held at the same time of year by the Brittonic Celts; called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany. Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, and are still the Gaelic and Welsh names for Halloween.

Samhainn/Calan Gaeaf marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned. This meant the Aos Sí (pronounced ees shee), the 'spirits' or 'fairies', could more easily come into our world and were particularly active.

The aos sí (pronunciation: "ees shee", older form aes sídhe, "ays sheeth-uh") is the celtic term for a supernatural race in both Irish and Scottish mythology (usually spelled Sìth, however pronounced the same), comparable to the fairies or elves. They are said to live underground or in an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans. This world is described in the Book of Invasions (recorded in the Book of Leinster) as a parallel universe in which the aos sí walk amongst the living. Aos sí means "people of the mounds" (the mounds are known as "the sídhe"). In Irish literature the people of the mounds are also called daoine sídhe [ˈdiːnʲə ˈʃiːə]; in Scottish mythology they are daoine sìth. They are variously said to be the ancestors, the spirits of nature, or goddesses and gods.

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released November 1, 2015

Written and produced my Graham McArthur. Album photography, design and PDF by 9153 creative.

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Graham McArthur Adelaide, Australia

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