Samhain, religious celebration of the Celtic calendar

In two days, Halloween will be back with its share of costumes, carved pumpkins and candy. But do you know the origin of this tradition? You've probably heard of the legend of Jack'O'Lantern. However, Halloween or “All Hallow’s Eve” (“Eve of All Saints” in French), draws its customs from a very ancient pagan religious celebration called Samhain. In this article, we explain what this festival is as well as its traditions, customs and beliefs. You will also find our ideas for rituals and traditions that you can establish to celebrate this day!

Samhain, pagan festival which heralds the dark season

The Night of the Spirits, the Feast of the Dead, the Harvest Festival, Nos Calan Gaeaf… All these names designate one and the same pagan religious festival which takes place each year from October 31 to November 1: Samhain or Samhuinn. The etymology of the name is debated but some think it simply means “end of summer” in Old Irish. This celebration has existed for many centuries in Celtic countries and regions such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales and even Cornwall, a county in the southwest of England.

Samhain is a very important date in the Celtic calendar, since it leaves the light season for the dark season. Among the Celtic peoples, we considered two major periods in the year. The clear season designated spring and summer, as well as long, warm days, abundant in harvests. The dark season, for its part, designated the transition to longer nights, cold, the last harvests and the arrival of winter. Samhain is therefore a festival of transition towards the dark season, but also towards a new year for the Celts. It is the first of four important religious celebrations of the wheel of the year. In order: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and finally Lughnasadh (or Lammas).

The ancient practices and traditions of Samhain

According to beliefs, the night of Samhain, from October 31 to November 1, was the time of the year when the boundary between the world of the living and the dead was thinnest. It was therefore a good time to honor and invoke one's ancestors, but also to practice divination. This made it possible to find answers, lessons, in order to get through the dark season that was coming more peacefully.

It was customary to disguise yourself to go unnoticed by the spirits, thinking that you were one of them. Thus, this made it possible to avoid their wrath or even worse: that they take revenge by destroying the crops. Each household also left food as an offering in front of its door accompanied by a candle in order to guide the spirits towards the Kingdom of the Dead. We also honored the Gods so that they would help us get through the winter. Finally, a big feast took place at nightfall, very friendly and warm.

Ideas for Samhain rituals to implement

Celebrate Samhain with a meal with loved ones

Nowadays, it is possible to celebrate Samhain or simply to celebrate autumn by establishing simple rituals accessible to all. For example, you can prepare a good festive meal with seasonal fruits and vegetables such as different types of squash, apples, pears, hazelnuts... You can also add some spices that you associate with the seasonsuch as cinnamon, cloves, ginger… Samhain is an auspicious day for spending time with family or friends. You can therefore take advantage of this to get together and spend a friendly and warm moment with your loved ones!

Allow yourself a moment of introspection to take stock of yourself

The arrival of the dark season heralds long days spent staying at home. So it's time to take time for yourself, to think about your life, your goals, your dreams, for the coming year. Especially since Samhain takes place during Scorpio season, a water sign known to be prone to introspection, deep emotions, and the subconscious.

There are several ways to take time for yourself: meditate, engage in a relaxing artistic activity, do a tarot or oracle reading, write your intentions and thoughts in a journal… You can enhance your activities by lighting a candle for sweet and cozy moments. For example, you can use our Winter Embers scented candle with its notes of wood fire and cedar, or one of our astro candles to realign with your zodiac sign. It’s up to you to find how you want to take time for yourself at Samhain!

Fully embrace your creativity and spirituality

To celebrate Samhain, you can also use your creativity! For example, you can dedicate an altar in honor of your ancestors and the god(s) you love. To do this, you can decorate it with plant and mineral elements such as dead leaves, stones, pine cones, etc. You can also add symbols of the four elements (water, fire, earth and air). For example, a feather can represent the element air.

It is also customary to add candles or candlesticks on an altar. You can either buy ready-made candles or create them yourself. For this, we recommend using eco-friendly, natural, and non-GMO soy wax to make your own candles, with the containers and decorations of your choice. In general, Samhain is associated with red, orange, and black, so you can use natural dyes to color your creations. Otherwise, you can also use our DIY candle kit in which you will find everything to create your candles from A to Z with two scents of your choice.

Samhain teaches us to honor our deceased, our ancestors, and more generally all spirits. It is the ideal time to pray, reconnect with one's beliefs, and spirituality. This can therefore be a particularly emotionally charged period, full of energies. It is thus essential to purify your home to protect yourself from negative energies. For this, you can use the properties of White Sage or the virtues of Palo Santo as well as protective and purifying lithotherapy stones. For example, obsidian, black tourmaline, or amethyst are known to protect and purify the place where they are found.

Take advantage of autumn to take a walk in nature

Finally, to celebrate Samhain, what could be better than going to recharge your batteries by walking in nature? Autumn reveals warm color palettes and a particular atmosphere that is very pleasant and comforting. Walks in the forest are particularly recommended for connecting to the elements, plants, trees that surround us. You can also opt for active meditation by focusing on your movements and what is around you!

And you, Samhain, are you going to celebrate it? What rituals do you plan to do? If you liked this article, feel free to comment on it and share it on social media. You can find all our vegan scented candles, our fragrance diffusers, and our smudging sticks on our online store. To stay updated on La Bougie Herbivore's news, sign up for our newsletter for free and feel free to join us on Instagram and Facebook!