What is Samhain and how to celebrate?

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What is Samhain?

Originating from ancient Celtic traditions, the pagan festival of Samhain is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd. The final of the three pagan Harvest festivals, Samhain marks the midpoint between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice and start of the ‘darker-half’ of the year. Samhain is pronounced SAH-win, meaning Summer’s End.

Closely aligned with Halloween and All Souls' Day, Samhain celebrates the lives of those who have passed on. Some believe it is a time when the veil between our world and the ‘Otherworld’ is at its thinnest and might even be crossed. Today Samhain is one of the eight festivals, or sabbaths, celebrated in the Pagan / Wiccan ‘Wheel of the Year’.

In ancient Celtic times the New Year would start on November 1st, hence why Samhain is sometimes known as the Pagan, or Witches’, New Year. At this time of the year Bonfires were lit to ward off harmful influences and ghosts. Divination rituals were also a big part of the festival, often involving Hazelnuts and Apples.

Is Samhain the same as Halloween?

The Samhain tradition of wearing costumes to ward off evil spirits and playing tricks in exchange for food in autumn time, goes back as far as the 16th Century. In Scotland this practice was know as ‘guising’. In Ireland ‘Soul Cakes’ would often be handed out to children, who would go from door to door on the evening before Samhain in a practice that became known as ‘souling’. The light source for the ‘soulers’ at nighttime was sometimes provided by hollowed out Turnip Lanterns, often carved with scary faces. These traditions are widely thought to be the origin of today’s ‘Trick or Treating’ and the modern day Halloween celebrations.

Later October 31 became known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween, containing many of the Samhain pagan practices and activities. Halloween began to be celebrated in it’s current form in 19th-century America through Irish immigrants bringing their traditions across the ocean.

How to celebrate Samhain?

Here are some easy ways to celebrate Samhain:

Decorate your home with seasonal vegetables
Invite friends and family over for a bonfire
Host a 'silent' supper and spend time remembering your ancestors
Go for a walk in a woods or cemetery
Carve a pumpkin (or a turnip)
Bake a Pumpkin Pie or make Soul Cakes
Take part in a game of ‘Apple Bobbing’
Light candles to honour and remember the dead

Other names for Samhain include: All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), Hallowtide, Shadow Fest, Allantide, Third Harvest, Feast of the Dead, Spirit Night, Candle Night, November Eve, Ancestor Night and Apple Fest

Samhain Box

You can purchase one of our handmade Samhain boxes which is filled with seasonal products such as scented candles, teas, artwork, decorations and more. Click to find out more.