Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"... the -ow- rhymes with cow) is observed on October 31st. Also referred to as All Hallows Eve, Samhain is when the Celtic New Year is celebrated, which is why many witches choose to celebrate it as their New Year as well. Since it is the New Year, it is a time for renewal. This makes it a perfect time to evaluate your life and rid yourself of bad habits or excess emotional baggage and start again with a clean slate.
During Samhain, the veil between the world of man and the world of spirit is at its thinnest so those who have passed over can easily come and go as they please. Their spirits seek the warmth of the Samhain fire and communion with their relatives still living. It is a time to remember those who have departed the world of man.
This is the last of the three harvest festivals and marks the completion of harvest as it is the time when we harvest meat. In our ancestors time, farmers were not able to feed an entire herd for the whole winter so every year at Samhain. they slaughtered a portion of their stock. This practice provided meat for the family through the coming winter and helped ensure there would be sufficient feed for the remaining stock. Crops also had to be harvested by Samhain because it was believed that mischievous creatures called ‘Pooka’ spent that night destroying or contaminating whatever remained in the fields.
