Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in” or “SAH-win”) is holiday that lies between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. It is a time to honor our dead – pay respects to our ancestors, as the veil between the land of the living and the land of the dead is at its thinnest. It is steeped in Celtic lore (see the video below) as a fire festival filled with feasting and drinking. In our home, we honor our ancestors by placing their pictures or trinkets that remind us of them on our altar and set a place at the table for them to join us during our traditional Halloween dinner of Big Spaghetti. We will write our messages to those we love that have gone before us, and put them in the outdoor fire pit to send our messages to the spirit world through the smoke of the fire. 

Traditionally, Samhain was the last of the harvest festivals (Mabon was the grain harvest and Lughnasadh was the fruit), when animals were either lodged for breeding or sacrificed for winter meat. Then, like the other harvest festivals, meals were shared, celebrations centered around a bonfire, and everyone made merry with the spirits from beyond.

RESOURCES

1. Smith, H., & Vannin, C. (2025). Samhain. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Samhain/
2. Hutton, Ronald (1996) Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. Rhys, John (1901). Celtic Folklore: Welsh and Manx. Cambridge University Press, 2016
4. Rogers, Nicholas (2002). “Samhain and the Celtic Origins of Halloween”. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night