Halloween has many fun and interesting traditions, including that of the Dumb Supper. Since Halloween or Samhain is the one day of the year when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinest, it would make sense to hold a ceremony like the Dumb Supper at this time. This silent meal is prepared for friends/family as well as their departed loved ones. This ceremony not only helps you honor those who have departed this world, but it is also a beautiful celebration of the universal light and Spirit that is always with us.
How to host a Dumb Supper:
A Dumb Supper usually is celebrated by inviting family and friends. However if you wish, this may also be done as a solitary ceremony. You can prepare whatever food you wish, although many choose to cook the dishes that their loved ones enjoyed most in this life. There are also other traditional Sabbath foods such as Soul Cakes or apple dishes that you can prepare if you would like to try something new.
When setting the table, all plates, glasses, napkins and tablecloths you select are to be black and the room should be lit by candlelight. No electricity should be turned on to light the room during the meal.
Set a place for the living, as well as each of your honored loved ones that have passed.
Silence must be observed by everyone from the moment you enter the room, as well as when you leave the room after the meal. For this reason you may want to exclude younger children from this celebration and also your household pets that could make noise or cause other disturbances. And it goes without saying that everyone’s cell phones should be turned off.
A black candle is placed on each of the empty plates for departed guests, and a white candle sits on the plate at the head of the table to represent Spirit, in whatever form you choose to honor it by. The chair for Spirit should be covered in black or white.
Before the supper begins the host/hostess will silently invite Spirit to join in the dinner celebration before taking their chair at the opposite end of the table.
As each guest enters the room, they stop at the chair of Spirit before heading to the plates designated for their specific loved ones who have departed. At the loved ones plate they can say silent prayers, send loving energy or even leave a note under the plate for them.
A group prayer or blessing takes place both before and after the meal. Since this is a silent supper, it is up to the host/hostess to anticipate the needs of all of his/her guests since they will be unable to speak up and ask for anything they need. As you eat you should use this time to connect to your loved ones. Silently let them know how much they mean to you, remember the times you spent together, and if you are advanced enough you can see if you receive any messages from them.
After the meal is completed and everyone has left the room, the host/hostess goes to the chair of Spirit to give thanks and to release it from the ceremony. Guests are allowed at this time to come back in and help clean up or help the hostess with anything else that she needs.
Once the Dumb Supper is over, everyone is free to speak once again. This is a great time to share any experiences or messages you received during the meal, or share something special about your lost loved one.
Since Samhain is also known as a time of divination, after the supper would be a perfect time for these sort of activates if you so choose. Divination comes in many forms such as tarot, scrying, oracle cards, spirit boards, runes, tea leaf reading, etc. Pick the one that speaks most strongly to you.