Samhain: The Witch’s New Year

The Origins

Today most people will be celebrating Halloween: dressing up, eating candy and carving pumpkins. But the roots of this day go way deeper than that. Long before it was about costumes and parties, it was a sacred pagan festival called Samhain (pronounced Sow-in).

Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the start of winter. Winter is seen as a time when the land slows down, everything dies and nature prepares to rest. In Celtic tradition, this was actually considered the New Year, the turning point in the Wheel of the Year.

Before Christianity spread across Europe, the Celtic people lived in deep rhythm with the land. Their year was divided into two halves: light and dark. Samhain was the great turning, the Celtic New Year. Fires were lit on hilltops to honour the Sun’s descent and to guide wandering spirits home. People would extinguish their home fires at dusk, then rekindle them from the sacred communal fire, symbolising renewal. They would leave out food and drinks for ancestors, inviting their blessings.

When Christianity arrived, Samhain was reshaped into All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) and All Saints’ Day. During Samhain, the veil between the living and the dead becomes thin, so people can honour their ancestors, light candles for protection and reflect on what needed to be released before stepping into a new cycle.

The Energetics of Samhain

Energetically, this is a time of:

• Death & Release – not as tragedy, but as transformation.

• Ancestral Connection – honouring the lineage that lives in our blood and bones.

• Inner Descent – turning inward to listen to our own shadows and wisdom.

• Divination & Visioning – the unseen world speaks clearly, if we dare to listen.

  
  

Our modern world runs from darkness. But the witches, the wise women and the earth keepers remember that darkness is fertile. Samhain invites us to die consciously, to let fall what is false and to trust that rebirth always follows death.

How to Celebrate It (Wherever You Are)

I’m in Costa Rica right now and even though the jungle doesn’t really do autumn, the energy of release is still present. The Earth is always cycling: things are dying, composting and being reborn all around us. Here’s how you can honour it, even without the classic pumpkins and cold weather.

1. Create an Ancestor Altar

Gather photos, heirlooms, flowers, shells or fruits that connects you to those who came before you. Light a candle, speak their names and thank them for walking before you.

2. Do a Release Ritual

Write down what you’re ready to let die: fears, old patterns, emotional weight. Burn it under the moon or in a small fire bowl. As the smoke rises, you can speak out what you release to amplify the letting go process.

3. Prepare a Feast of Gratitude

Cook something cozy and grounding: roasted pumpkin, cacao, sweet potatoes,.. Eat it slowly, honouring the life force that nourishes you. Optional you can leave a small portion on your altar as an offering for the ancestors.

4. Walk Between Worlds

Take a nighttime walk. In many cultures, this time of year is believed to be when the veil between this world and the spirit world becomes thin, a moment when the seen and unseen softly overlap. As you walk, leave your phone behind and simply listen. Feel the air, the sounds, the stillness. This is a time to connect with your intuition, your ancestors and the rhythms of nature that continue even when the world sleeps.

Samhain teaches us that death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it. It’s the compost that feeds our rebirth, the stillness before the next spring. So as Halloween masks fill the streets, remember the deeper current moving underneath.

-May your fire burn bright. May your heart remember. May your darkness feed your light.-

Blessed Samhain loves!