What is Samhain?

Samhain (pronounced ‘Sow-een’) is considered by some to be the Celtic New Year, and the start of the Witches’ Wheel of the Year. So it feels like a good place to start with the Witchy celebrations on this blog. It marks the start of winter and comes from the Irish meaning ‘Summer’s End’. It is usually celebrated from sunset on October 31st until sunset on 1st November.

Many of the traditions we take part in at Hallowe’en have come from Samhain lore. For example, candles were left outside homes or in windows to guide wandering spirits back home, scary faces were carved into pumpkins and people would dress up in spooky costumes as disguises in an attempt to ward off harmful spirits.

Traditionally, it is thought to be a time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest, and so we celebrate those that have passed and honour our ancestors. Adding photographs of family and friends who are no longer with us, or items belonging to them, to your altar is a way to remember them at this time, and you can leave food or wine as an offering.

If you choose to see this as a new start – personally, I love any excuse to set some new intentions – this is an ideal opportunity to consider what you want to leave behind in the previous year. Write whatever you want to change on a piece of paper, or a bay leaf, and burn it as a way to release it to the universe. Or why not put together a kitchen altar to remind you of your intentions for the rest of the year?

Samhain is a great time to have a declutter and clean. Use your broom to sweep throughout your home clearing out the old energy to make way for new, or light some incense or burn some sage to cleanse.