Samhain: history, meaning and simple ways to celebrate

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Samhain (usually pronounced SOW-in) is the festival of the dark half of the year’s beginning, of ancestors, endings, and memory. For many witches it is the most important sabbat, and for some it is the start of the witch’s year.

It falls on October 31 to November 1 in the Northern Hemisphere and April 30 to May 1 in the Southern.

My book The Novice’s Guide to Witchcraft gives a short background and a simple remembrance practice. This page goes further: a fuller history that separates old from modern, a remembrance altar, a solitary rite and a five-minute version, a spiced bake with an honest history, a lantern craft and a Samhain tarot spread.

When Samhain is

Samhain is kept on the evening of October 31 into November 1 in the Northern Hemisphere, and on April 30 into May 1 in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a fixed calendar date, so it falls on the same days in 2027 as in any other year.

Some witches prefer to mark it on the nearest weekend, or at the astronomical midpoint between the solstice and the equinox, which can land a few days later. Either is fine. The point is to notice the season where you are.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Samhain falls around April 30 to May 1, as autumn deepens. Halloween on October 31 will be happening around you in spring; many Southern witches enjoy it as a community event and keep their Samhain rite for May.

Use local autumn produce and fallen leaves. If May 1 falls during a busy season or school holiday, choose a nearby evening; the exact date matters less than the attention.

History: what is old, what is modern

I label each part of the history so you can see how old it is. Historical means it is recorded in old sources, Folk custom means it is recorded in later village or household practice, Later tradition means it was added by scholars, writers or occultists, and Modern means it comes from today’s witchcraft.

Historical Samain (modern Irish Samhain) was one of the four quarter days of the medieval Irish year, marking the end of summer and the beginning of winter. It is well attested in Irish literature from around the ninth century onward.

In the tales, Samain is a time of great assemblies, feasting, and kingship rites, and a time when the boundary between the human world and the otherworld of the síde, the fairy mounds, opens.

Heroes meet supernatural beings, and the dead and the otherworldly are abroad. The name is usually explained as connected with the end of summer, though the exact etymology is debated.

Later tradition The often-repeated claim that Samhain was “the Celtic New Year” comes from nineteenth-century scholars, especially John Rhys and James Frazer, who suggested it. It is a hypothesis, not a fact recorded in the sources.

The medieval texts do treat Samain as a beginning of the winter half, but there is no ancient statement that it began the year for all Celtic peoples.

All Hallows, folk custom and modern Samhain

Historical In the Christian calendar, November 1 became All Saints’ Day (All Hallows) and November 2 All Souls’ Day, when the dead were remembered and prayed for. The evening of October 31, All Hallows’ Eve, became Halloween.

Many of the customs people now associate with Samhain grew up in this Christian setting: lighting candles for the dead, ringing bells, and “souling,” in which poor people, and later children, went door to door in parts of England, Wales, and elsewhere asking for soul cakes in return for prayers for the household’s dead.

Folk custom In Ireland and Scotland, nineteenth-century folk custom included guising (going about in disguise), divination games with apples and nuts to foretell marriages, bonfires, and lanterns carved from turnips or other root vegetables. Irish and Scottish emigrants carried many of these customs to North America, where the pumpkin replaced the turnip.

Later tradition Modern witchcraft adopted Samhain as one of its four great festivals, calling it November Eve in Gardner’s early writings. Wiccan and other Pagan practice today centers it on ancestors, the dead, and the turning of the year into darkness.

Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead observed in Mexico and across Latin America, also falls in early November and also honors the dead. It is a distinct tradition with its own history and communities. It is not a version of Samhain, and its altars and imagery are best appreciated, not borrowed.

Symbols, themes and altar

Modern These themes and altar ideas are modern practice. Take what speaks to you and leave the rest.

Samhain is first a night of remembrance. You honor people you have lost, family ancestors, and the ancestors of your craft, your land or your work: the writers, teachers and neighbors whose lives shaped yours.

It is also a festival of endings. The harvest is in and the year is closing, so it is a natural time to acknowledge what has ended this year and let it go. Many witches do their yearly review now, and turn inward toward the dark months with rest and reflection.

You will often hear that the veil between worlds is thin at Samhain. Hold that as a poetic frame or as a belief, as suits you. Either way, it gives the night its quiet, listening mood.

A note on difficult ancestors: not everyone has family they wish to honor. If some of your relatives caused harm, you do not owe them a place on your altar. You can honor chosen family, mentors, friends, writers, or the unnamed people of the place you live. Remembrance is about connection and gratitude, not obligation.

For the altar, start with photographs, names or small belongings of people you remember; ask family before using shared photographs. Add a single candle or LED light for the dead, and a notebook or cards for writing memories.

Seasonal produce such as apples, squash, nuts and root vegetables suits the season, with fallen leaves, seed heads and bare twigs gathered legally. A small dish of salt, a bowl of water or a mirror can join them if these are part of your practice.

A carved pumpkin or turnip belongs here too, lit with an LED, not a candle, if it will be left unattended or near children. Keep true lilies and daylilies out of any home with cats, dried leaves away from candle flames, and food offerings away from pets and pests overnight.

A solitary Samhain rite

Modern This rite takes about thirty to forty minutes. It honors people you have lost and marks what has ended in your own year.

Preparation. Choose an evening when you will not be interrupted. Set up the remembrance altar: photographs or names, a candle in a stable holder (or an LED light), a small plate with something the people you remember enjoyed or a slice of soul cake from the recipe below, a cup of water or juice, a pen, and slips of paper.

Eat something light beforehand. If grief is very raw, consider doing this rite with a trusted person nearby, or choose the five-minute version.

Opening. Ground yourself. Open your space in the way you usually do, with a simple circle or just a pause at the threshold. When the space is open, say: “This is Samhain, the end of summer. I stand at the turning of the year.”

The rite, step by step

Main part.

1. Lighting the light. Light the candle. Say: “This light is for those who came before me. For the ones I knew, and the ones I never met.”
2. Naming. Speak aloud the names of the people you remember, one at a time. After each name, pause. If you like, say one sentence about each: something they said, a dish they cooked, a kindness they did. If you do not know your ancestors’ names, say: “For my ancestors whose names I do not know, I remember you too.”
3. Sharing food. Hold the plate of food. Say: “I share this in memory.” Take a small bite yourself, and set the rest aside. Later you will compost it or put it in the trash; do not leave it out overnight.
4. What has ended. On the slips of paper, write what has ended for you this year: a job, a home, a relationship, a habit, an illness, a hope. Read each slip aloud. Say: “This has ended. I honor what it was.”
5. Release. Fold the slips. You will tear them up and put them in the recycling or compost after the rite. Do not burn paper indoors.
6. Listening. Sit quietly for five to ten minutes with the light. Let memories come. If you wish to speak to someone you have lost, do so, in your own words. Write down anything you want to remember.
7. Looking ahead. Say: “As the dark half begins, I will rest, remember, and prepare.” Name one thing you will do for yourself or the living in the coming weeks.

Closing. Thank those you remembered. Say: “Go in peace, and stay in memory.” Extinguish the candle. Close your space the way you opened it.

Grounding. Eat something warm. Write a few lines on a sabbat page. Tear up the slips and recycle or compost them. Put the food in the compost or trash.

Safety and a five-minute version

Safety. Keep photographs and paper well away from flame. If the rite brings up overwhelming grief, stop, turn on the lights, and reach out to someone. If overwhelming grief is part of the picture, please talk to a doctor, counselor or crisis line.

Five-minute Samhain. Light a candle or LED. Say the name of one person you miss. Say one thing you remember about them. Say: “You are remembered.” Sit for one minute. Extinguish the light. Write the name and the memory in your book.

Kitchen and craft ideas

Spiced soul-cake-style biscuits

Soul cakes were small spiced cakes or buns given to “soulers” on All Souls’ Day in parts of Britain, in return for prayers for the dead. They are a Christian custom, not a pre-Christian one, and recipes varied by region. This recipe is a modern version: soft, spiced, and good for sharing.

Makes: about 16 biscuits.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115 g) cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/3 cup (50 g) currants or raisins
• 1 egg
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the flour, spices, and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar and currants.
4. Beat the egg with 2 tablespoons milk and stir it in to make a soft dough. Add a little more milk if it is dry.
5. Roll out to about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick on a floured surface. Cut into rounds.
6. Optional: mark a cross or an X on top with a knife, as many traditional soul cakes had.
7. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool on a rack.

Allergens: wheat (gluten), milk, egg. Check spice blends and dried fruit for additives if allergies are severe.

Food safety: Do not eat raw dough; raw flour and raw egg can both carry bacteria. Store cooled biscuits in an airtight tin for up to four days.

Pets: Raisins, currants, and grapes are toxic to dogs. Keep biscuits and crumbs out of reach.

Variations: For dairy-free, use a firm plant butter and oat milk. For egg-free, replace the egg with 3 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce; the biscuits will be softer.

A remembrance lantern

Modern A simple glass-jar lantern for your altar or windowsill, lit safely with an LED.

You need a clean glass jar, tissue paper in autumn colors or pressed leaves (fully dried, from non-toxic plants), decoupage glue or diluted white glue and a brush, and a battery-operated LED tea light. A ribbon, twine or a paper tag with a name is optional.

Steps:

1. Brush glue onto a small area of the outside of the jar.
2. Press on torn tissue paper or leaves, then brush a thin layer of glue over them. Overlap pieces until the jar is covered, leaving small gaps if you like.
3. Let the jar dry completely, usually a few hours.
4. Tie a ribbon around the neck and attach a tag with a name or a memory.
5. Place the LED inside and switch it on at dusk.

Safety: Use an LED, not a flame, inside paper-covered jars; tissue and leaves can catch fire. Keep glue away from small children and pets.

A tarot spread for Samhain

Samhain and Halloween have a long association with divination in Britain and Ireland. Robert Burns’s poem “Halloween” (1785) describes Scottish country customs such as pulling kale stalks blindfolded and burning pairs of nuts in the fire to see whether a couple would stay together.

Many of these were light-hearted games about love and marriage, played by young people at parties. Modern witches often treat Samhain as the best night of the year for a serious reading, because it marks the turning of the witch’s year.

Try this five-card or five-rune spread with tarot or rune meanings:

Write the reading on your Samhain page and in your divination log, and look at it again at Imbolc. If a reading touches grief, take your time. A reading is a prompt for reflection, not a message you are obliged to accept.

If you are new to spreads, start with the three-card spread and come back to this one when it feels easy.

Staying safe

Keep candles in stable holders, well away from photographs, paper, dried leaves and costumes, and use LED lights in jack-o’-lanterns and paper lanterns. Never leave flame unattended. Flowing fabrics, wigs and capes catch fire easily, so keep costumes away from candles and open flames.

Compost or trash food offerings after the rite. Do not leave food outdoors where it can attract rats or harm wildlife, or indoors where pets can reach it. Chocolate, raisins, grapes, xylitol-sweetened candy and candle flames are all hazards to pets, and lilies are dangerous to cats in any form.

Remembrance can bring up strong feelings, so be gentle with yourself. If grief is part of the picture, please talk to a doctor, counselor or crisis line.

I do not teach spirit summoning or talking boards. If you feel frightened or unsafe, stop, turn on the lights, and do something ordinary.

Samhain does not open a literal door between worlds on a fixed date. What it can do, year after year, is give you a dedicated evening to remember the people who shaped you and to let go of what has ended.

Many people find that this simple act of remembrance is one of the most meaningful things they do all year.

Try this: a page of remembrance

On Samhain evening, light one candle or LED and write a page in your journal. Who did I remember this Samhain, and what did I learn about them, or about myself, while remembering? What ended this year, what am I relieved to let go of, and what do I grieve?

Finish with the dark half of the year: what do I want it to hold, whether rest, study, creativity or care? The next morning, add one line about how the rite felt and what you would change next year.

What next

The wheel turns from Mabon to Samhain to Yule. The Wheel of the Year page shows all eight festivals together.

The moon pages cover the smaller monthly rituals in between, and the dark moon is a quiet monthly echo of Samhain’s letting go.