Saturday, October 31, 2026
at Mavens’ Haven in Lucile
Whenever All Hallows’ Eve
falls on a weekend, we want to honor the old ways with a weekend gathering. Please join us to re-create meaning through some special customs and rituals.
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This year, we invite you to wear or bring something that represents your family, roots, or heritage.
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We will honor the custom of Land Blessings and Soul Lights where we walk the property and read blessings for the land, animals, water, ancestors, each other, anything we want. We light paper lanterns to help anyone coming home for the evening.
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We will also honor the All Hallows feast tradition on Saturday night with a potluck dinner where guests bring a favorite dish to remember an ancestor or family member.
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On Sunday, we’ll make Soul Cakes—small scones made with warm spices that are exchanged as blessings.
Saturday, All Hallows’ Eve
Hallowed or Holy Evening
4:30 – 5:30 Mountain Time—Arrive for spiced warm wine, get settled in your lodging if staying over.
5:30 – 6:30 Land Blessings and Soul Lights–I will have several printed blessings from John O’Donahue and others, and you’re welcome to bring more.
6:30 Sunset and All Hallows Potluck dinner. Please bring an ancestral or autumn-harvest dish. We’ll provide spiced wine and Renee’s grandma’s fried chicken.
8:00 Sauna ready
Sunday, All Hallows’ or Saints’ Day
8:30 – 11:00 Breakfast on buffet and make Soul Cakes.
11:30 Weather permitting, hike Cow Creek Trail
1:30 Leftovers available for lunch
Come just for Saturday night, pop in Sunday morning, or stay overnight.
Make it a whole weekend and add Friday or Sunday night.
Lodging Pricing
includes bed and breakfast/s
House, Riverview Cabin, Wagon, Trailer— $125 one night, $225 two, $275 three
Silverstream or Bungalow shared, just split the cost
Camping $65/night
Due to water hazards and fragile items in the house, we are only able to host older teenagers and adults.
Email your Registration Form to reneeomrama@gmail.com
Name(s):
Phone:
Accommodation(s) first choice:
Second choice:
Date Span of your stay:
Hallowtide, Holy Season—3 day liturgical period honoring the dead
Oct. 31 — All Hallows’ Eve and Samhain (SAH win), a Celtic holiday to mark the end of summer and the harvest. The dead were thought to revisit their homes this night, and spirits in general more active and present.
Nov 1 — All Hallows’ or Saints’ Day, a holy day to honor the saints.
Nov 2 — All Souls’ Day, a day of prayer for the dead.
Customs and possible origins
Costumes~ hide from the dead, scare the dead away, honor and invoke qualities of an animal or spirit. Guising~ dressing in costume and begging for coins or food.
Trick or Treat~ to obtain food for the feast or bonfire, trick the dead away from the festivities, provide treats for spirits or risk being tricked.
Souling~ exchanging ‘soul cakes’ made for the dead for prayers.
Carving vegetables~ originally turnips, Irish immigrants in America found pumpkins a lot more fun.
Jack-0’-lantern~ based on Irish tale of a drunk named Jack who tricked the devil, couldn’t get into Heaven or hell, left eating a turnip, was punished with a live coal from the devil which he kept in his turnip, so wandered the earth with his ‘lantern’ looking for a place to rest.
Bonfire~ protection, cleansing, and divination.
Fruit and Nuts, Cider, and Bobbing for Apples~ from the Roman harvest festival honoring Pomona.
Ghost Stories, Candlelit processions and Graveyard meals~ honoring the dead.
Soul Lights~ lighting candles to help the dead find home.
Danse Macabre~ the dead return to dance to remind the living to play.
Home and Barn Blessings~ protection.
Divination Games~ invoking the aid of spirits present.
Food~ primarily vegetarian and fall harvests. Apples, barmbrack~ Irish fruitcake, pumpkins, corn, and soul cakes.
