I get to post this illustration only now, even if Halloween, as we know and celebrate, was last night (as I write, it is the first of November), but Samhain lasts until today, so technically, I’m not late!

Or I’m like 365 days early on Halloween – Samhain of next year!! Life is about points of view, sometimes.

Here in Italy, we did not celebrate Halloween or Samhain until relatively recently. There were some fun parties in discos, but no children in costumes, no carved pumpkins, nothing. Halloween is a fun, commercial celebration, but the original festivity, Samhain, has very ancient roots, here in Italy as well.

I live next to a farm, and the farmer once told me how their grandparents used to bake sweets and decorate the house – with pumpkins too -to welcome the spirits of their ancestors, celebrate winter, and show gratitude for what nature had offered in the last harvest.

I’m pleased to see more and more people reconnecting to the old meaning of Samahin, while also having fun on Halloween. Time changes and traditions evolve, but in this time of uncertainty, there’s a need to reconnect with nature, to return to our roots. After all, nature is the only force we can see and should worship. We often forget we are not above nature; we are a part of it. And a tiny one. Not to mention stupid.

Next on the calendar is Yule, also known as Christmas! I have a couple of weeks to draw something festive, I promise to be on time!