HALLOWE’EN 6
Discover the Scottish roots of Hallowe’en...
Edinburgh Dungeons have been inspired
by the Scottish pagan festival of Samhuinn for their new show. Nina Glencross i nds out more
‘We tend to think of Hallowe’en as an American holiday but to discover it has
Scottish origins was really interesting,’ says the Edinburgh Dungeons’ performance manager Keiran Wood. Representing
themselves as the Home of Hallowe’en, the spooky staff at Edinburgh Dungeons felt they really had to go all out this year, so upon discovering that it all began at the Scottish pagan festival of Samhuinn, they seized the chance to bring Hallowe’en home. Set way back in the year 66, the new show Dinner For The Dead aims to amp up the Dungeons’ usual standard of scares whilse exploring the ancient rituals of the Votadini tribe and their annual Samhuinn festival, traditionally celebrated around the same time as
Hallowe’en. ‘But what’s all this got to do with dinner?’ we hear you holler. As Wood explains, ‘the tribe believed that, during Samhuinn, the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. As part of the festival they’d have a huge feast and they would actually set places at the table for deceased members of their family.’ Visitors are invited to join in the festival and experience these ancient pagan traditions i rst hand as they wander through a woodland clearing, bumping into witches and druids along the way before being confronted by a mysterious malevolent force from beyond better,’ asserts Wood, ‘I wouldn’t want to spoil the grave. ‘The less said about that, the
the surprise.’ ■ Home of Hallowe’en: Dinner for the Dead, Edinburgh Dungeons, Thu 10–Thu 31 Oct.
20 THE LIST 17 Oct–14 Nov 2013
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Learn about ancient burial rites at the National Museums... Margaret Maitland, Egyptologist and curator of the Ancient Mediterranean collections at the NMS, gives an insight into the funeral customs of ancient Egypt
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‘A central belief of ancient Egyptians was the notion of dying to be reborn again. They had very sophisticated preparations for the afterlife, and often buried their relatives with belongings and valuables, so they’d have everything they needed in the spirit world. Some see their fascination with death to be a morbid obsession, when in fact they loved life, and wanted a continuation of it after death, in an idealised fashion.
The dead body was carefully then preserved – mummii ed – placed in a cofi n. One of the oldest in our collection – my cofi ns personal favourite – is the cofi n of Khnumhotep, an estate overseer. It’s one of the earliest examples of the ‘anthropoid’, mummy shape. The lid shows a man with a black- painted wig, gilded face, beard and stone eyes. The gold paint is for more than just aesthetic reasons; they believed the skin of the gods was gold, so it helped transform the dead into spirits.
A lot of customs centred about the sun god, Ra. They observed the sun setting and rising, or being “reborn” every morning, and believed men could do the same. Many funerary imagery spells, refers to Ra or Osiris, the king of the afterlife, so look out for details of crowns, crooks and l ails. iconography and
Like modern funerals, burials were a mixture of mourning and celebration – a bit like people requesting happy funerals songs being played at nowadays. People tore their hair and clothes, and threw dust on themselves to express their grief. Dances were thought to help the transition to the the afterlife, and “the opening of mouth” ceremony ensured they could still receive offerings of food and drink in the spirit world.’ (As told to Claire Sawers) ■ National Museums Scotland, Chambers for Street, Edinburgh. See nms.ac.uk info on ancient Egyptian cofi ns, more cofi ns, Ghanaian the miniature Arthur’s Seat cofi ns and more. Read Margaret’s Egyptology blog at eloquentpeasant.com Mercedes-shaped