Samhain or Sauin is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year.
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What is the meaning behind Samhain?
Samhain marked the Celtic New Year, the end of summer, and the end of the harvest season. It also signaled the beginning of winter, which they associated with death. On this day, the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was especially thin. This allowed spirits of the dead to visit the living.
Are Samhain and Halloween the same?
Most American Halloween traditions were inherited from Irish and Scottish immigrants. Folklorists have used the name 'Samhain' to refer to Gaelic 'Halloween' customs until the 19th century. Since the later 20th century Celtic neopagans and Wiccans have observed Samhain, or something based on it, as a religious holiday.
Is Samhain good or bad?
Samhain is about honouring ancestors and dearly departed, the season, and warding off evil. It's about light overcoming dark. And, in this way you can see how Samhain shares similarities with other festivals taking place around the world at this time of year.
What is the myth of Samhain?
At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to humankind, and the gods played many tricks on their mortal worshippers; it was a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes.
Samhain, in ancient Celtic religion, one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the year. At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the ...
Aug 11, 2022 · Samhain (also: Samain) was a pastoral/harvest festival celebrated—under various names—across the Celtic world on the evening of October 31st and ...
Samhain
Festival
Date: Fri, Oct 31, 2025 – Sat, Nov 1, 2025
Apr 6, 2018 · In the Druid tradition, Samhain celebrates the dead with a festival on October 31 and usually features a bonfire and communion with the dead.
Oct 28, 2024 · Samhain is the third and final harvest festival, falling after Lughnasad in August and the autumn equinox in September.
In Celtic Ireland Samhain was the division of the year between the lighter half (summer) and the darker half (winter)
Most importantly, Samhain was viewed as a borderline, or liminal, festival as the separation between “summer and winter, lightness and darkness” (Rogers 2002).
Samhain is the festival of the dead, a festival of remembrance and honouring of our dear departed friends and relations.
Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) is one of the earliest Halloween celebrations. It originated over 2,000 years ago in parts of Great Britain, Ireland, ...
Sep 29, 2022 · Samhain is the most magickal day of the year, when the veil between worlds is said to be at its thinnest. That means that the barrier between ...
