Samhain
Harvest's end festival
Samhain is an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, observed around October 31st to November 1st.
The Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin during Samhain, allowing spirits to cross over.
Modern pagans and Wiccans celebrate it as one of their major holidays.
Halloween derives partly from Samhain traditions.
Pronounced roughly "SOW-in" or "SAH-win."
Celtic spiritual leaders
- GaelicCeltic linguistic tradition
- BeltaneCeltic spring fire festival
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- paganismNon-monotheistic religious practice
mythology · Brigid · Eire · bard · ovate · grove · neopagan · wheel of the year
Change from one state
- liminalAt a threshold
- otherworldSupernatural plane of existence
- passageSegment of text
- portalImposing entrance or gate
crossroads · boundary · doorway · between worlds · transformation · cycle · death and rebirth · new beginnings
Gathering mature crops
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
- pumpkinsLarge orange autumn gourds
- cornucopiaAbundance symbol, horn-shaped
- acornsSeeds of oaks
foliage · amber · crimson · brisk · gourds · harvest moon · cider · bonfire
Liquor or apparitions
- veilFabric that obscures
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
lineage · forebears · family · kinship · legacy · traditions · memories · heirlooms
Clothes for assuming roles
- trick-or-treatHalloween candy solicitation
- jack-o'-lanternsCarved pumpkins with lights
- ghostsSpirits of the deceased
- witchesPractitioners of dark magic
haunted · candy · spooky · skeletons · masks · cobwebs · bats · black cats
druids
Celtic spiritual leaders
- GaelicCeltic linguistic tradition
- BeltaneCeltic spring fire festival
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
paganism · mythology · Brigid · Eire · bard · ovate · grove · neopagan · wheel of the year · Morrigan
transition
Change from one state
- liminalAt a threshold
- otherworldSupernatural plane of existence
- passageSegment of text
portal · crossroads · boundary · doorway · between worlds · transformation · cycle · death and rebirth · new beginnings · darkness
harvest
Gathering mature crops
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
- pumpkinsLarge orange autumn gourds
- cornucopiaAbundance symbol, horn-shaped
acorns · foliage · amber · crimson · brisk · gourds · harvest moon · cider · bonfire · deciduous
spirits
Liquor or apparitions
- veilFabric that obscures
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- genealogyStudy of family descent
heritage · lineage · forebears · family · kinship · legacy · traditions · memories · heirlooms · offerings
costumes
Clothes for assuming roles
- trick-or-treatHalloween candy solicitation
- jack-o'-lanternsCarved pumpkins with lights
- ghostsSpirits of the deceased
witches · haunted · candy · spooky · skeletons · masks · cobwebs · bats · black cats · pumpkins
- holidaysChristmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, New Year's Day
- IrelandDublin, Cork, Irish, leprechaun, Galway
- Irish cultureshamrock, shamrocks, leprechaun, leprechauns, Celtic cross
- witchcraftwitch, spell, spellwork, witches, spells
- folk festivalsBeltane, maypole, Midsummer, Harvest Festival, May Day
- Celtic CultureCelts, Celtic cross, Celtic knots, Celtic knot, Celtic music
SamhainBeltane
Celtic spring fire festival
harvest festival · spring equinox · celebration of life · rebirth
SamhainAll Saints' Day
Feast commemorating all saints
All Hallows · All Souls' Day · Halloween · Easter · Día de los Muertos