Samhain is the festival of the dead and the last of the three harvests. It marks the end of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark, and many witches keep it as their new year. It is the most widely observed sabbat of all.
Samhain at a glance
- Northern Hemisphere
- Sunset on October 31 to November 1
- Southern Hemisphere
- Sunset on April 30 to May 1
- Pronounced
- SOW-in, with the first part rhyming with cow
- Kind of festival
- Cross-quarter fire festival, of Gaelic origin
- Themes
- Ancestors, endings, release, divination, rest
- Colors
- Black, orange, deep red, purple
- Symbols
- Apples, pumpkins and turnips, candles, the cauldron, photographs of the dead
- Foods
- Apples, squash, root vegetables, nuts, bread, mulled cider
Where Samhain comes from
Samhain is one of the four seasonal festivals of the Gaelic peoples, and the name is usually explained as meaning summer's end. It is mentioned in Irish literature from around the tenth century. In those stories it is a time when the burial mounds stand open, the people of the Otherworld walk abroad, and heroes meet strange fates.
In practical terms it was the end of the farming year. The harvest was in, the cattle were brought down from the summer pastures, and the animals that could not be fed through the winter were slaughtered. Later records from Ireland and Scotland describe bonfires, disguises, lanterns carved from turnips, and games for telling fortunes.
You will often read that Samhain was the Celtic new year. That idea comes from scholars of the nineteenth century, and the evidence for it is thin. It is fair to call Samhain the witches' new year, since that is how many modern practitioners keep it.
What Samhain means on the Wheel
In the Wiccan story of the year, the God dies at Samhain and passes into the Otherworld, and the Goddess takes her aspect as the Crone. The fields are bare. It is the moment of the year that faces death directly, without fear and without pretending.
Practitioners often say that the veil between the worlds is thin at Samhain. Whether you take that literally or not, it is the natural season for remembering the people who came before you and for taking stock of what has ended in your own life.
Ways to celebrate
- Build an ancestor altar. Set out photographs and keepsakes of your beloved dead, with a candle and a glass of water. Our article on a simple ancestor altar shows how.
- Hold a silent supper. Lay an extra place at the table for the dead and eat the meal in silence. This custom is sometimes called a dumb supper.
- Cook a family recipe. Food is memory. Make something that a grandparent used to make and tell the story that goes with it.
- Practice divination. Samhain is the traditional night for tarot, scrying, and other ways of looking ahead.
- Let something go. Write down a habit, a grief, or a grudge that you are ready to release, and burn the paper safely in a fireproof dish.
- Carve a lantern. A turnip is traditional and a pumpkin is easier. Set it by the door with a light inside.
A simple ritual
A candle for the beloved dead
You will need
- A candle in a safe holder
- A photograph or keepsake of someone you have lost, or simply their name written on paper
- A small offering, such as a glass of water, a piece of bread, or a food they loved
What to do
- After dark, sit somewhere quiet and take a few slow breaths.
- Light the candle and say the name of the person aloud.
- Set out the offering. Tell them, in ordinary words, what has happened this year and what you are grateful to them for.
- Sit in silence for a few minutes. Let memories come as they will.
- Say thank you and goodbye. Put the candle out, or let it burn down while you stay with it.
- The next morning, leave the food outside or compost it, and pour the water onto the earth.
A gentle note
Samhain can be a heavy festival, especially in a year of fresh loss. There is no need to force anything. Lighting one candle and saying one name is a complete observance. If grief feels too much to carry alone, please reach out to people you trust or to a qualified counselor.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Samhain falls at the end of April, when autumn is ending there. On October 31, Southern Hemisphere witches are keeping Beltane.