Samhain is one of the many Pagan festivals that has become infused into mainstream celebrations. Many people around the world will now celebrate Halloween or All Hallows Eve but Samhain (pronounced sow-in or saah-vin) predates these by over 2000 years, all the way back to the four Fire Festivals in Ireland.
Beginning in the evening of Thursday 31st October and ending in the evening of Friday 1st November, this festival of the final harvest is also one of the two occasions that the veil between this earthly world and the spirit world is the thinnest. This magickal interval is the best time to communicate and honor our departed loved ones and our ancestors who came before.
As a solitary witch, I follow my own rituals leading up to Samhain because this festival is two-fold; a time to memorialize those who have passed on the Summerlands as well as reflecting on how death in nature and the world around us is the opportunity for renewal.
In the week prior, I do the following:
- Write down a memory or two for each person I want to commemorate onto a piece of paper and tie it into a scroll with black bindings.
- Gather the ingredients for the meal I will cook as an offering (this year: spiced apple muffins).
- Go for a walk in the nearby Waitakere Ranges to experience the last moments of nature before it rests for winter. I will also collect items for my altar.
- Review my achievements and challenges of the past year and plan for the future.
This year I will also be making a special candle for my Samhain ritual with the essential oil scents of mint and sage topped off with a cinnamon stick and a piece of obsidian that I charged under the recent full moon.
Tell me below what you do in preparation for Samhain!
Further reading (opens in a new window):
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain
https://www.circlesanctuary.org/index.php/celebrating-the-seasons/celebrating-samhain
https://www.yourirish.com/traditions/ancient-samhain-traditions-ireland
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