7 Ways to Celebrate Samhain
I’m sure you’re aware that Halloween takes place on October 31st, but did you know there another deeper holiday behind the scenes? Come learn some amazing ways to celebrate Samhain!
You probably have many memories of trick or treating as a child, and maybe even taking your own kiddos out. Decorating your house with pumpkins, witches, and all sorts of scary décor. Dressing up in costumes from the super scary gore, to the skimpy outfits you revel in. But did you know that Halloween has so many often unknown meanings that we can connect with to deepen our own spirituality?
How to Prounce Samhain?
Samhain (pronounced sow-in, with the ow like cow), is the name for the holiday that falls on Halloween, and where Halloween actually stems from. It’s a time steeped in great mystical knowledge but has become a holiday heavily celebrated and cherished as it brings so much fun and lively energy with it. It’s also favored as it’s a time you get to escape and be whatever version of yourself you want to be.
Ways to Celebrate Samhain
So what can you do on Samhain to deepen your spirituality, and honestly, your own connection to everything that is you? Simply celebrating the day is a huge first step, so let’s dive into how to celebrate Samhain as well as some amazing Samhain celebration ideas:
1. Connecting with your ancestors is the biggest way to celebrate Samhain.
Samhain is a time where you can honor your past and those who came before you. This is because it’s a time of year where the veil between our world and others is thinner. This means it’s a time of year where you can connect with your ancestors easier. To learn more about the veil and connecting with ancestors check out another blog post I wrote here.
Within this veil lies our connection to those that have passed. Our ancestors; whether blood or spirit. So it’s a time you can communicate with those that have passed on, your loved ones that you want to remember. It’s a time of honoring where you have come from, and those that you have lost and loved; known and unknown.
It’s a time to honor them all, as they should be honored. We all live in a connected web commingling and intertwining. The past lies within us all and brings forth the knowledge that lies deep within that makes us who we are. Samhain is a time to honor that past; where we came from and who we came from on our journey of life.
So how can you honor your ancestors?
Well this can be done in any way that you feel called to but here are some ideas:
- You can put up some pictures of family members or friends that have passed. You can put up a picture of important people in your life that you lost even if they weren’t related or even if you didn’t know them personally.
- You can light a candle in honor of your loved ones.
- Speak a blessing of thanks, or a fond memory.
- Write a message down on paper and put it near their picture or let it scatter to the winds to bring the message to them.
It’s a very personal time so do whatever feels right to you to honor your lineage.
2. Have a meal in honor of those you loved
Traditionally one of the big ways to celebrate Samhain is with a feast as often a big meal is served on Samhain in honor of our ancestors. You can invite family and friends over to gather and share memories of those that you have lost. A favorite family meal can be made to remember a time you enjoyed together. It can be as simple or as complex as you desire.
3. Express gratitude
Samhain is considered the final harvest sabbat in the wheel of the year as at this time all of the harvesting of the crops is done. So it’s a great time to think of what you are grateful for that has occurred in the past year, or in your life in general. When we stop to think of the blessings we have had, it opens space for us to grow and be honored with even larger blessings in our future.
4. Witches New Year
Samhain is not just about embracing what has been, but another Samhain celebration idea is to begin dreaming up your future and what will be. At the same time of honoring your past, it’s also a time to embrace your future, as Samhain also represents the Witch’s New Year. It’s the ending and beginning of the Wheel of the Year; the cycle of seasons. As everything in nature is a cycle, going from life to death, and life again. Never truly ending, just becoming anew with a continuation of the knowledge achieved.
Life is a constant spiral where we occasionally hit the same spot again, but we are still who we are, just added onto. So at this time it’s great to look upon your past year, and then plan for the future year. Take note of how things went, give a nod of respect to all that you have been through, good and bad, and a blessing of gratitude for making it through, no matter how hard it may have been.
5. Play
It’s often something as adults we rarely do but play time is something that really feeds the soul. Laughing and being carefree lets our intuition come to the surface inspiring us with new raw vital energy. So embrace the fun aspect of Samhain, run around like a kid, go trick or treating, dress up and hand out candy, do whatever inspires your fun to come out.
6. Carve a pumpkin
In the old days all sorts of winter squash was carved and candles were placed within them to put in the windows and doorways to keep bad spirits at bay. This is because of the veil being thin, not all those who roam may have positive intentions. So it’s always wise as a blessing of protection to put out a pumpkin with a light to ward off any negativity to be reflected away on Samhain night.
7. Explore your mask
Besides looking at your past and future, the adventure of Samhain is to also look at your present and who you are and what side of you wants to come out. What mask do you want to wear today? What energy do you want to tap into and partake in? Your inner Witch, inner warrior, inner princess, or maybe an inner gift you have not yet discovered. See how it feels wearing that mask. Does it resonate deep inside of you somewhere? Does it bring out a playfulness? What about an unexpected feeling? There are no wrong answers as it’s only you and who you are as an individual. Embrace your past, present, and future. Together they are divine when you allow them to intertwine.
What mask will you wear tonight?
I hope this provided you with some inspiration and ways to celebrate Samhain. I would love to hear how you celebrate it and how it went for you. Feel free to send me a message.
Want to learn how to bring more magic into your daily life? Check out my mini course Beginners Guide to Living a Magical Life.
