Samhain (pronounced as Sow-in) is celebrated between 31st October and 1st November. It’s the most important of the 4 major sabbats on the Wheel of the Year, and is classed as the pagan and witches New Year.
For witches and pagans, it’s a deeply spiritual time of year when we connect with, honour and remember lost loved ones and give thanks to our ancestors.
Traditionally, Samhain is a fire festival and is for the welcoming of the harvest and the start of the dark half of the year. During this time, it’s thought that the ‘veil’ - the borders between this world and the world of spirit - are at their thinnest, and so interactions with loved ones we’ve lost and all those who have gone before us, is heightened.
The ancient origins of Samhain go way back into the mists of time, right back to the ancient Celts who started to emerge in the British Isles and Western Europe from around 1200BC, with their history, traditions and parts of their language still existing in Britain and Ireland to this day.
For the ancient Celts, Samhain was the the most important date of the year.
The success of the harvest would have been a matter of life or death - a good harvest would’ve meant plenty of food to last through the darker months ahead, whereas a bad harvest would have meant mass starvation and almost certain death.
Samhain was also a marker point between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice.
So the celebration of this time - and the worship of various gods and goddesses associated with the harvest - would’ve been an integral part of Celtic life.
But to ancient Celts, Samhain was much more than just a celebration.
During this time, all of the fires in the hearths in every home in the village, were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered in. Once the work was done, everyone would join the Druids in lighting an enormous communal bonfire in the centre of the village. This was done using a large wheel like contraption which created sparks as it span, igniting straw and wood.
This wheel represented the Sun, and as it whirled, prayers and incantations were spoken to the gods and cattle were sacrificed. This is where the idea of the “Wheel of the Year” comes from.
The lighting of the fire was considered the beginning of the festivities, and once the communal fire was lit, a member of each household would light a torch from it and carry it back to their home to reignite their own hearth with the sacred Samhain flame.
This practise itself was an act of worship and protection from the dangers of the darkness ahead.
Samhain was a mandatory celebration - there was no choice in the matter! Each member of the community were required to present themselves to the chieftain or king of the village, and failure to do so would’ve been inviting the wrath of the gods, which would punish you with disease or death. So it was in everyone’s interest to make sure they showed up...!
The celebrations lasted three days and three nights, which consisted of a huge amount of feasting, copious amounts of drinking, usually wine, beer and mead, and high merriment, with music and dancing playing a large part of the festivities. These celebrations were often done to excess, leaving bloated bellies, worn out feet and major hangovers!
The Samhain celebrations also had a military aspect to them. War lords or commanders, particularly in Ireland, had lavish thrones made for them, to reaffirm their “seat of power”.
During this time it was illegal to brandish weapons, and anyone caught doing so would’ve faced the death penalty.
The ancient Celts took this time incredibly seriously and regarded it as a time when they were physically and spiritually closer to the gods. Still today, many pagans and witches see this time as hugely important and deeply spiritual, with a wide range of ways of celebrating, which usually echo much of the ancient Celtic traditions of fire, food and frolicking!
What more could any witch ask for?!
For more musings, why not join our Facebook group 'Beneath the Canopy'?