Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) is the Celtic festival that marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year. Celebrated from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st, it’s the witches’ New Year, the night the veil between the living and the dead is said to be at its thinnest, and the ancient root of modern Halloween.
What does Samhain mean?
The name comes from Old Irish and is often translated as “summer’s end.” It began as a Gaelic festival marking the close of the harvest season and the start of winter, when herds were brought in from summer pastures and communities prepared for the long, dark months ahead.
Samhain is the third and final harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year, after Lughnasadh and Mabon, and is the eighth and last of the Pagan sabbats/holidays. From here, the nights grow longest.
In the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, many witches celebrate Samhain from April 30th to May 1st instead, so it still falls at the true end of the harvest.
Why is Samhain the witches’ New Year?
For many Wiccans and pagans, Samhain is the highest holy day of the year. As well as marking the start of the new year, it marks the end of the old one: a time to let go of what’s finished and look ahead to what’s coming.
It’s also traditionally thought of as the most powerful night of the year for divination, when messages from the other side come through most easily.
Is Samhain the same as Halloween?
Not quite, but Halloween grew from it. Many cultures honor the dead at this time of year, under many names: All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, and Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, which has its own separate roots.
Halloween inherited many of its best-loved customs from Samhain:
- Costumes: in Ireland and Scotland, people went “guising,” disguising themselves on Samhain night, possibly to blend in with the spirits wandering abroad.
- Trick-or-treating: often linked to guising and to old customs of going door to door for food on this night.
- Jack-o’-lanterns: the originals were carved turnips. Pumpkins only took over in America.
- Black cats and bonfires: both were part of Samhain long before they were Halloween decorations.
The gods, goddesses and spirits of Samhain
Samhain is celebrated today by many pagans, including Wiccans and Druids. It honors the time of year when the world of the living and the world of the dead are closest, and when the spirits of our loved ones are most likely to visit us.
- The Crone Goddess: in Wiccan tradition, the Goddess is in her crone aspect at Samhain, mourning the Sun God, who rests as a seed until he’s reborn at Yule.
- The fae: in Celtic folklore, Samhain was when the fairy folk were most active. People left offerings to keep them from causing mischief.
- The Cat Sìth: a large black cat with a white spot on its chest, from Scottish folklore. Some believed it was a witch who could transform into a cat and back nine times, but after the ninth time, she’d stay a cat forever. On Samhain, a house that left out a saucer of milk for the Cat Sìth would be blessed. A house that didn’t would be cursed, and its cows would run dry.
How to celebrate Samhain: traditions to try
There are many ways to celebrate this season in the spirit of the original festival:
- Hang an autumn wreath on your front door.
- Honor your ancestors: visit their graves, research your family tree, or ask your relatives for stories about the people who came before you. If you want inspiration, check out our simple but powerful ancestor ritual here.
- Light a candle in your window to guide the spirits of loved ones home.
- Take a nature walk and say goodbye to the light half of the year.
- Cook seasonal food to share with trick-or-treaters, friends and family.
- Throw a Samhain party or a masquerade: dress up, go trick-or-treating, and bob for apples.
With the veil at its thinnest, it’s also the perfect night to try A Samhain Ancestor Ritual.
Samhain spells and rituals
Samhain is the time for rituals that honor your ancestors, and for spells that celebrate the cycle of birth, life and death. It’s also a powerful time to release whatever you’re ready to leave behind in the old year.
Divination is especially strong on Samhain night, so it’s a wonderful time to work with:
- Tarot cards
- Runes
- Scrying, with a black mirror or a bowl of water
- Meditation
Samhain symbols and colors
You’ll recognize many of the symbols of Samhain: pumpkins, black cats, the waning moon, the cauldron, the scarecrow, the broom and the acorn.
The season’s colors carry meaning too. Black represents death, endings and the dark half of the year. Orange represents the fire of the harvest and the life that continues on through death. Purple, deep red and brown are traditional Samhain colors as well.
How to decorate a Samhain altar
If you don’t have an altar yet, Samhain is a good time to start. A table works well, but a shelf is fine if you’re short on room. Short on space entirely? Make a box or tray altar you can put away when you’re not using it.
If you already have an altar, Samhain is a natural time to change it:
- Photos of loved ones who have passed on.
- Seasonal produce: pumpkins, squashes, apples and late autumn fruits.
- Seasonal colors: black, brown, purple, orange or red.
- Incense of cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Stones of obsidian and onyx.
Samhain food and recipes
As the witches’ New Year’s Eve and the final harvest festival, Samhain is a wonderful time to celebrate with food:
- Bake gingerbread shaped into cats, bats, moons or other seasonal symbols.
- Bake soul cakes, the small spiced cakes once given to “soulers” who went door to door praying for the dead.
- Roast fresh nuts.
- Use your pumpkin flesh for soup or pie, and toast the seeds.
- Seasonal drinks: mead, mulled wine and cider.
I hope you enjoy discovering the pagan roots of this holiday, and celebrating one of the most important nights on the Wheel of the Year.
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