Samhain

Samhain is a Celtic celebration, now often referred to as “The Celtic New Year”.

Samhain has a number of different interpretations both in a historical and contemporary context, but they all have a general time in common. Typically, in Gaelic culture a Samhain celebration would last three nights, which would mark the passing of the summer season into the winter season. This would coincidently be the same time that represents the end of the harvest season when all the crops have been brought in, and the ground is dry enough to construct a bonfire. Generally speaking, in the Northern Hemisphere Samhain occurs on the 31st of October.

The other side of the Samhain festival was its affiliation with various forms of All Saints Day, All Soul’s Day and festivals of the dead. It was believed in Scotland and in Ireland that the Samhain celebrations were a time when the barriers between the living and dead were thin, and as such it was the right time to honor the deceased, be they family or not.

In the modern day, Samhain is celebrated in the traditional way by Celtic Deconstructionist Pagans. These groups are dedicated to preserving and reliving traditional Celtic traditions. As such, some even go so far as to build two bonfires and dance between them as a cleansing ritual. Candles are also placed so their light can be seen from the West of a house, in order to guide spirits.