The Seasons Round
Loaves, while in Italy, the food of choice for All Souls’ celebrations is a cookie called bones of the dead or “Ossi di Morto,” In the Americas a belief originating with the Aztecs that the souls of the dead returned to Mexico with the migration of the monarch butterfly each fall, spawned today’s popular Día de los Muertos during which sugar skulls and Pan de Muerto or ‘bread of the dead’ an anise flavored brioche is baked to honor the dead at graveside feasts.
The Catholic Church established All Saints Day on Nov 2 to merge the holidays but the pagan traditions of Halloween persisted and of all the modern holidays, Halloween has kept the firmest grasped its pagan roots next only to Christmas customs, the most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. As we carve our pumpkins, decorate our houses hand out sweets to trick or treaters, like all those who have come before us, let us take a moment this month for reflection and be merry! As the season turns and the days grow cool, remember that this is a time for celebration, a time of gratitude for life’s abundance as we go into a season of want. It is a time of reflection, a time to remember those who have passed on.
As cultures across the world take time this month to remember their ancestors let us honor the dead. Let us pay homage to endings and transformations as we let go of the old and look ahead to the new with a heart of gratitude. Make time for simple pleasures as you fall back on the seasonal observance. Light a candle for a loved one who has passed on. Celebrating these ancient rituals is a way of attuning with the magical tides, to recognize the rhythms of life, death and rebirth and to harmonize with the world and to recognize that we are a part of it. Notice how the long days now give way to darkness as the evenings cool and nights lengthen. Feel the energy as it crackles in the air sending leaves to swirl at our feet and whirl down the streets. Let your spirit reawaken to the seasons. Let the magic swell within your heart as you bake some bread or sweets for the ancestors who have gone before you or as you pinch off a piece and leave outside as an offering for the faeries. Go for a walk and give thanks for the beauty you encounter. The natural world is an amazing place. Be present and let your heart swell with joy.
Pan de Muerto
