Samhain is one of the eight sabbats celebrated by Wiccans and other Pagan religious groups. Wiccans and many other American Pagans recognize a seasonal calendar known as the wheel of the year. It is typically based on the agricultural cycle of the UK. The wheel of the year honors the blessings and changes of each season and acknowledges that the year has two halves – a light half and a dark half. Many Pagan cultures held the idea of a light half of the year: spring/summer and a dark half of the year: autumn/winter. Samhain is typically thought of as the end of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark half.
We recognize Samhain as the third and final harvest festival. The first harvest festival is Lughnasadh that we celebrate at the beginning of August. Lughnasadh celebrates the harvest of grains and the last of the summer fruits and vegetables. It is sometimes fondly called the bread holiday. The second harvest festival is Mabon. Mabon is celebrated on the autumn equinox and is a time of balance, thanksgiving, and celebrating the harvest of the last of the fall fruits and vegetables. Some consider Mabon to be the witches thanksgiving.
Samhain is the final harvest of the fall season. This would have been a time when our ancestors brought in any remaining grains and vegetables from the fields, as well as slaughtering animals to supply meat for the upcoming winter. The animal harvest at Samhain may be one of the reasons that death is associated with Samhain and this time of year. However, this is also the time of year when nature grows dormant, which may be one of the reasons we think about death with this time of year.
Samhain and its counterpart Beltane (May 1) were considered liminal times of the year due to the changing from the light half of the year to dark (and vice versa for Beltane). The Celtic people were in awe of times and places “in between”. Holy sites were often border places – the shore between land and water, bridges, boundaries between territories (especially when marked by bodies of water), crossroads, thresholds, etc. Holy times were also border times – twilight and dawn marking the transitions of night and day. Many Celtic myths feature stories set in these liminal times and places.
Because Samhain was a liminal time, because it is the beginning of the winter and dark half of the year, and perhaps because this was a time of year that animals were slaughtered, Samhain became associated with the dead, our ancestors, and otherworldly beings. This is a time of year when the veil or the mists between our world and the Otherworld was thin, making it easier for spirits to cross into our world and visit.
Our ancient Irish and Celtic ancestors honored the turning of the year with bonfires for protection and cleansing, divining for the future – often on matters of love, and by going door to door asking for food or offerings for the dead, or leaving out offerings for the ancestors and other spirits who walked the earth that night. Turnips and other root vegetables were carved with faces to either represent spirits or to protect against spirits.
Samhain in Modern Times
The origins of Halloween are so closely tied to Samhain, it would be easy to say that your Halloween celebrations are much like your Samhain celebrations. There is a lot of overlap. But one of the biggest differences between the two is intention and reverence.
Many Wiccans will do a Samhain ritual close to October 31 – the date we have standardized as Samhain/Halloween. Samhain rituals typically honor deities associated with death and rebirth from various cultures, not just the Irish/Celtic. Samhain rituals typically involve calling out to our ancestors and honoring them or leaving them offerings. Some people put up an ancestor altar at this time of year. Because Samhain is considered the witches new year – remember Wicca is based on Celtic tradition and climate – Samhain can also be a good time to do cleansing and protection work. Some people might also use it as a time to start over or begin something new.
Some people will still hold a dumb supper. Table settings and plates of food are set out for the ancestors, along with the living. The meal is consumed in complete silence, while attendees listen for their ancestors’ voices. The ones I have seen or been to are usually done with a larger group of friends or visitors, but they can be done at home with just you. Because the veil between the worlds is thin, divination is a large part of Samhain. Giving or getting a reading of any sort is popular at this time of year. It is believed that messages are more easily received when the veil is thin.
Halloween is the commercialized version of a religious holiday, giving this time of year a slightly different energy from the origins of Samhain. Many Wiccans and Pagans enjoy Halloween as a part of Samhain. Some of us will decorate our homes or workspaces with seasonal decoration. Pagans carve pumpkins, go to corn mazes and haunted houses and buy a ridiculous amount of candy to “give to the trick of treaters.” It is my understanding that a lot of that candy doesn’t last long enough to be given out. We may likely end up in a costume at a party, eating and drinking with our community – much like our ancestors. We can do all of these fun and exciting things for Halloween, so long as we understand that when we begin the religious portion of our seasonal rites, we must do that part with reverence and intention.
Halloween is fun, Samhain is sacred.
Final Thoughts on Modern Celebrations
Samhain, and Halloween for the masses, is a time of year that fascinates us. It is a time of year when we choose to (or are forced) to confront our fears. Haunted houses and scary movies trigger our brains and our entire emotional system. We willing put ourselves in these experiences that raise our adrenaline and endorphins. Once the experience is over, your body feels like it has had a release. Plus, you get a bonding experience with whoever you watched the movie with or went to the haunted house with.
We also get to play pretend for a while. Regardless of age, wearing a costume may help us temporarily escape our sense of self—which may be psychologically relieving. Halloween and Samhain touch on the realm of myth and imagination. We have permission to believe in spirits and monsters – not that we need it. People can let loose a little bit more because it is expected of us at this time of year. We are given leeway to explore our darker sides in a safe and controlled way.
This Samhain, may your ancestors bless you, may your deities protect you, and may your season be filled with an abundant harvest and many blessings. Regardless of how you celebrate.
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