Samhain - The Threshold of Winter
The festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year.
Samhain (October 31 - November 1) marks when the veil between worlds is thinnest. Ancestors return, the Sidhe walk abroad, and the cattle are brought in for winter. It is a time for divination, honoring the dead, and acknowledging darkness.
At Samhain, set a place at your table for the beloved dead; they have not gone far.
Samhain's importance shows Celtic reverence for ancestors and acceptance of death as transition.
Irish Calendar Tradition
Written about in
- What the Celtic wheel of the year actually means
The year begins by ending. The harvest closes, the cattle come in, and the dead are held to be nearer than usual for a few days.
- What Celtic tradition says about grief
Grief in this tradition begins with a date. On the night of 31 October the household laid a place for the beloved dead, which treats mourning as hospitality owed rather than a feeling to be managed.