Samhain

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Historical Gaelic festival · contemporary traditions vary

Samhain marks the end of harvest and the start of the dark half of the year. Today it is both a Gaelic heritage festival and a major sabbat for many Pagans and Wiccans.

Origin

Recorded in early medieval Irish literature as a festival around 1 November, when the boundary with the Otherworld was thought to be thin. Modern Pagan observance developed in the 20th century.

Where & who

Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man and modern Pagan communities worldwide. Southern Hemisphere Pagans often observe it around 30 April – 1 May.

How people celebrate

• Honouring ancestors with an altar, photos or a "dumb supper" (a silent meal with a place set for the dead).
• Bonfires and community festivals, such as the Púca Festival in Ireland.
• Reflection on endings and divination games such as apple-bobbing.

How you can take part or learn

• Public heritage festivals are open to all; coven rituals are usually private and by invitation.
• Make a simple remembrance space with names of those you've lost.

Symbols

Bonfires, apples, turnip lanterns, ancestors.

Food, music & art

Colcannon, barmbrack, apples and nuts.