Samhain and Halloween

What is Samhain?

Samhain originates from the Celtic tradition, celebrated around October 31st to November 1st marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year. It is one of the fire festivals in the Wheel of the Year, alongside Beltane, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh.

For the Celts, Samhain was a liminal time, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead thinned. This allowed spirits, ancestors, and otherworldly beings to move closer to the human realm. It was not only a time of honouring the departed but also one of divination, reflection, and preparation for the hardships of winter.

How Samhain Differs from Halloween

Modern Halloween has its roots in Samhain but has evolved into a secular, commercial holiday. Where Halloween focuses on costumes and candy/sweets, Samhain is:

• Spiritual and ritual-based rather than commercial.

• About honouring ancestors and connecting with the unseen rather than celebrating the spooky.

• Aligned with the agricultural cycle, marking the final harvest before winter.

• Centres on reflection, death, transformation, and rebirth as part of the natural cycle of life.

Both share traditions like dressing up (originally meant to ward off spirits) and lighting candles (once protective fires, now Jack-o’-lanterns), but the intention behind them is different.

Personally, I celebrate both at home and you can do the same if you want to by combining both celebrations and choosing elements that you are drawn towards.

How to Celebrate Samhain at Home

Here are ways you can include Samhain magic into your home practice:

1. Create an Ancestor Altar

• Place photos, mementos, or heirlooms of departed loved ones.

• Add candles, autumn leaves, apples, or pumpkins.

• Spend time in reflection, perhaps sharing stories about your ancestors.

2. Feast for the Dead

Prepare a meal and leave a portion aside as an offering to your ancestors or the spirits. This could be as simple as bread and wine, or a favourite dish of someone you wish to honour.

3. Practice Divination

Samhain is one of the most potent times for divination. Try tarot, runes, scrying, or even dream journaling to receive guidance for the months ahead.

4. Candle Magic

Light candles to honour the departed or to call in guidance. Black, white, and orange are traditional colours, though any candle can carry intention.

5. Seasonal Crafts

Carve pumpkins or turnips (the original Jack-o’-lantern), dry herbs, or make protective charms to hang by your door.

What Samhain Means for Modern Witches

For witches today, Samhain is both an ending and a beginning. It is the close of the harvest cycle and the turning inward that winter demands. Spiritually, it’s a time for:

• Honouring ancestors and drawing strength from their wisdom.

• Facing death and shadow work, acknowledging endings in life, relationships, or patterns.

• Preparing for rebirth, setting seeds of intention to gestate through the dark months until spring.

• Reconnecting with the unseen, whether through spirit work, meditation, or deep ritual practice.

  
  

Samhain reminds us that darkness is not to be feared but embraced as part of the natural rhythm of life. For modern witches, it is a sacred time to slow down, reflect, and honour both the cycles of nature and the wisdom of those who came before us.

Let me know how you like to celebrate in the comments below.

Love and light,

Martina x