How to Host a Dumb Supper
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Often associated with Samhain or Halloween, a "Dumb Supper" is an old tradition with European roots. It involves setting a place at the dinner table for the spirits of the deceased and observing a silent (aka Dumb) meal in their honor. A Dumb Supper can be a solo activity or you can invite friends and family to join. A Dumb Supper is intended to be a celebration of life, similar to the idea of Day of the Dead, when people honor their loved ones who have passed on with festivities and special foods. A Dumb Supper is an easy and simple ritual to do at home, as part of your Wheel of the Year journey.
The History of a “Dumb Supper”
There are a few theories of where and when the concept of a Dumb Supper originated. Some credit the Dumb Supper as an 19th century Appalachian tradition, while others claim it was born out of British love traditions, dating as far back as the 17th century. Early versions were usually centered around young women who would host a “Dumb Supper” as a way to find out who they would marry. There were various customs around hosting a Dumb Supper, including serving everything backwards and eating the meal at midnight.
This association between Halloween and love divination continued into the early 20th century. It was common to send a loved one a Halloween card, in the same way we might send Valentine’s Day cards today. The appeal of a Dumb Supper at Halloween also fits into the Victorian/Edwardian fascination with the occult that swept through Western Europe and the United States at the turn of the 20th century.
Dumb Supper’s eventually faded away as a tradition during the mid-20th century. More recently the custom as been revived by neo pagans as part of Samhain celebrations. Rather than a focus on love divination, the modern Dumb Supper is more in spirit of the Day of the Dead Celebrations of Latin America. Spirits of loved ones who have passed on are invited to the dinner, as a way to honor them and celebrate their life.
How to Host a Dumb Supper
Like many Wheel of the Year traditions, there is no right or wrong way to host a dumb supper. It can be a solo activity or you can host a gathering of friends and family to participate. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish to make it.
Here is a general guide for hosting a simple Dumb Supper that doesn’t require a lot of prep time or special items.
Decide on a date for your Dumb Supper. Traditionally, it's held on Halloween night or during the Samhain festival. Choose a quiet, dimly lit location, such as your dining room or outdoors in a peaceful garden. Arrange a table with a single place setting for each spirit you wish to invite. Place a candle at each setting.
Invite the spirits you wish to communicate with. You can do this through a simple spoken invitation or by writing their names on slips of paper and placing them under the appropriate plates.
Cook a simple meal with foods that were meaningful to your deceased loved ones or are associated with the season, such as apples, bread, and root vegetables.
Before starting the meal, invite the spirits to join you in your own words or with a traditional invocation. Express your love and respect for them and invite them to communicate with you if they wish.
Sit down at the table and start the meal. Serve each guest, whether in person or in spirit. Eat in silence and contemplate the memories and presence of the spirits you've invited.
After the meal, leave the room. If there are more than one person at the Dumb Supper, each person should leave the room one at a time.
Let the candle burn itself out. (But also keep an eye on it, for safety).
References & Recommended Reading
Follow the Mabon House Adventures
Cross-Quarter Days and The Wheel of the Year
Disclaimer: This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. If you’d prefer to support local retailers in your area, independent booksellers can often order specific books for you and have them delivered to the store for pick up, for the same price as ordering online.
The Wheel of the Year is divided into eight seasonal celebrations. Four of these seasons (Yule, Ostara, Litha and Mabon) align with either a solstice or equinox. The other four seasonal celebrations (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh) are midpoints within a season, also known as a cross-quarter day. These four days are rooted in ancient Irish Celtic culture as seasonal fire festivals. Today, the cross-quarter days offer an opportunity to pause reflect, set intentions, and give thanks.
Early Origins of the Cross-Quarter Days
Seasonal observances are largely universal in ancient cultures. Astrology, lunar phases and seasonal changes all served as a guide for ancient communities. Planting, harvesting and hunting were all done in cadence with these monthly and seasonal changes happening throughout the year.
In Irish lore, cross-quarter days are also known as the ancient Celtic fire festivals, as bonfires figure prominently in the celebration of each one. It’s important to note that according to Irish mythology, the ancient Irish Celts marked the start of each season with these fire festivals, rather than viewing them as a midpoint for each season. As Christianity spread throughout Europe in the early Middle Ages the traditional fire festivals/ cross-quarter days were incorporated into the Church calendar as various saints days. As late as the 19th Century, cross-quarter days were when British and Irish tradition servants hired, rents due and school terms started.
Cross Quarter Days and The wheel of the year
Within the Wheel of the Year, cross-quarter days each fall exactly at the midpoint (cross) of each season (quarter). Samhain is the midpoint between Autumn and Winter; Imbolc is the midpoint between Winter and Spring; Beltane is the midpoint between spring and summer; Lughnasadh is the midpoint between summer and autumn. Today, modern pagans and those following a nature based spiritual path observe these seasonal midpoints in a variety of ways, including festivals, parties and feasting.
One of the reasons I follow the Wheel of the Year is because I am drawn to the natural cadence of the seasons. My energy ebbs and flows with natural sunlight and I draw strength from the long periods of rest in the darker months. The cross-quarter days are always a time of transition for me - it is when I balance being present and enjoying the current season, while also looking ahead and thinking about what I need to get done.
Do you follow the Wheel of the Year? Share in the comments below or over on Instagram
References & Recommended Reading
The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year (affliate link)
https://www.almanac.com/quarter-days-and-cross-quarter-days
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/halloween-derived-from-ancient-celtic-cross-quarter-day/ https://www.learnreligions.com/quarter-days-and-cross-quarter-days-2562061
More about the wheel of the year
Follow the Mabon House Adventures
A History of Samhain
Disclaimer: This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. If you’d prefer to support local retailers in your area, independent booksellers can often order specific books for you and have them delivered to the store for pick up, for the same price as ordering online.
Samhain (pronounced Sah-Win) is an ancient Celtic festival that celebrates the last harvest of the season. Along with harvest celebrations, Samhain was also a time for remembering loved ones who have died. Many ancient Samhain traditions were woven into early Christian holidays, while other Samhain practices are still used today by witches, pagan and others who seek a spiritual path guided by the rhythm of the seasons.
Ancient Celtic Celebration of Samhain
Gaelic for Summer’s End, Samhain was believed to be a time for the earth to rest before another growing season started in the spring. Cattle were moved from the hills to the pasture for winter and the last of the harvest was gathered and stored for the long winter months. Once the work was complete, folks celebrated with bonfires and festivals.
It is believed that ancient Celtic tradition started each new day at sundown, versus the modern practice of sunrise. And so Samhain celebrations would begin at sundown on or around October 31st. Some modern pagan and Wiccan groups celebrate Samhain when the sun reaches 15 degrees scorpio, which is the exact midpoint between Autumn and Winter. Others opt to celebrate Samhain at the second full moon after Mabon.
According to Judy Ann Nock in her book The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year ancient Celts viewed Samhain as the time of Cailleach, the crone who rules the winter season, and offerings and sacrifices were made to her.
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Christianity, Samhain and Halloween
As Christianity grew throughout Europe during the Roman Empire and into the Middle Ages, many pagan holidays were adopted into the Christian Calendar, to promote assimilation to this new religion. In the Germanic lands, Ostara became Easter. In the British Isles Lughnasadh became Lammas and in Ireland, Samhain became All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Days (November 2).
According to Wicca Demystified by Bryan Lankford, the demonic aspects of Halloween are courtesy of the Medieval Christian Church, who turned stories of fairies into tales of demons, and ancestral spirits into doomed ghosts. The copting of pagan beliefs was another way that the Early CHristian church could solidify its power over conquered people. Salvation was only possible through the church and to deviate would result in your soul wandering in purgatory or worse. Costumes were worn during All Saints and Souls days to ward off evil spirits. The Irish emigration in the 19th Century brought these beliefs and customs to America, where they have solidified into a secular modern holiday we know as Halloween.
The Veil Between The Living and Dead
By the end of the harvest season, ancient Celts believed that by the end of October, the God had exhausted himself giving life to crops and died, causing the Goddess to enter a period of mourning which would last until the Winter Solstice. This may be one of the reasons that Samhain is believed to be a time when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. Spirits can return to the life they left behind, and for one night, be close to their loved ones. It was (and still is) common to set up an altar with tokens of loved ones past or to leave an extra place setting at the table. According to Skye Alexander, in her book The Modern Guide to Witchcraft, Jack-o-lanterns were originally used as beacons for wandering spirits to help guide them home. The scary faces carved into the pumpkins were used to deter malevolent spirits from bothering the living.
Celebrating loved ones who have died is a global practice. The celebration of the Day of the Dead is another example of how ancient traditions, this time of pre-columbian mesoamerica, were blended with Christian All Saints & All Souls days, to form a new modern celebration.
Because of the strong connection between the living and the dead, Samhain is a popular time for contacting spirits through tarot or runes readings.
Modern Samhain & Witchcraft
Samhain marks a sacred day for practicing witches. It is seen as the beginning of the Witches' Year, when the cycle of death and rebirth begins once again. It’s time to let go of the things that no longer serve you and start afresh. Just as with a conventional new year, Samhain is a good time to set intentions for the months ahead. The Mabon House Wheel of the Year Planner is a great tool to help you organize your spiritual path and practice.
Samhain is a time of both life and death. The growing season is finished and the earth can rest. While it marks the start of a new Wheel of the Year, Samhain is also a time to remember departed family and friends. This balance of light and dark helps keep us rooted to love, while encouraging hope for the new seasons of life ahead.
How are you celebrating Samhain? Share in the comments below or over on Instagram.
