Oct 31 2023: Celebrating Samhain
Originally published on October 30, 2023 -Archived as part of my Sacred Tools and Seasonal Magic content
Thanks to my imaginative mind and Scottish/Irish ancestry, I can practically picture my ancestors enjoying Samhain—pronounced either sow-win or sah-win, depending on one's accent. I wonder if those before me practiced magic to bring good fortune for the following year, constructed enormous bonfires on the hillside, or drove cattle from the slopes of the upper summer pastures.
As my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was born in Sleepy Hollow, I also think it's appropriate to discuss the connection between this Gaelic celebration and Halloween traditions in the United States today. He was born almost 100 years before Washington Irving wrote the short story in Birmingham, England. However, the literature is based on where my grandfather lived, a place known for its ghosts and haunting atmosphere. I can't help but wonder if Irving's roots and potential exposure to Samhain influenced his imagination.
In Irish, Samhain represents both "summer end" and November. The vital fire festival, one of the four significant occasions in the Gaelic calendar, starts every year on October 31 at sunset, following the conclusion of the Celtic day. This is aligned with the harvest celebration and the closure of the autumn season.
Akin to New Year’s Eve, Samhain signifies the new year beginning on November 1st. As days grow longer, this custom marks a significant transition from summer’s long days to the darkness of winter, occurring approximately midway between the equinox and the solstice.
Samhain is said to have pagan origins, but accounts aren't more definitive until 9th-century Irish literature. Thousands of years ago, people in Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and some parts of the UK observed this pre-Christian holiday, which had a purpose and particular customs.
Rich in history, legends passed down orally contained brave tales, mythology, and villains—all elements contributing to the Samhain tradition. The festival isn't precisely determined because some records are missing, lost, or altered by Christian scribes when they were written in the Middle Ages. To completely comprehend these ideas, I'll first delve into some folklore, discussing historic sites 1000 years older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids and how archeoastronomy links everything together.
Imagine a moment when everything is black except for the moon and stars as the sun sets. At this time, before electricity, the Celts thought that darkness preceded day, believing fire was the sun's earthly counterpart. Flickering flames were the only thing that chased nightfall away, lighting the nocturnal and everything unseen that was concealed.
The Ancient East of Ireland is a region located north of Dublin. The old graves of Newgrange (the new farm), Knowth, Dowth (the Fairy Mound of Darkness), Fourknocks, Loughcrew (also known as the Hills of the Witch), and Hill of Tara have all survived in the County Meath.
During the Neolithic era, approximately 3200 BC, Newgrange was constructed almost 5000 years ago. The monument spans almost one acre, comprised on over 200,000 tons of earth and stone, featuring chamber tunnels. This site features megalithic art, including arcs, chevrons, and triskele-like engravings, and is believed to have ceremonial, spiritual, astrological, and religious purposes.
Burned and unburned human remains have been found at Newgrange, signifying typical burial practices of the time. Although slightly off in its modern-day timing, during the winter solstice sunrise, the 63-foot-long entrance passage would have been fully illuminated with sunshine when it was erected.
Knowth is younger than Newgrange and is home to over one-third of all stone art in Western Europe. As evidence of their proficiency in astrology, it contains the first known map of the lunar mare, which represents the dark regions visible on the moon's surface, and a calendar to chart the lunar month.
Loughcrew displays the same intricate stone artwork, and its Cairn T aligns with the spring and summer equinoxes. There are cruciform passage graves, and Slieven a Calliagh, a group of four hilltops, includes the ruins of almost twenty ancient tombs. Cailleach, which means "hooded one" in translation, is a hag of the gods, an ancestor who created the weather, and a construction goddess of the land that formed when she purposefully scattered stones as stairs or dropped them from her basket.
She is known in Scotland as Beira, Queen of Winter, who uses her staff to freeze the ground and ward off spring, acting as the seasonal spirit of winter. She is said to reign between Samhain and Imbolc, another traditional fire celebration on February 1st commemorating the first day of spring.
In the US, Groundhog's Day and Imbolc are comparable holidays. The Cailleach has planned to gather firewood at this time, so everyone is watchful of the weather. According to lore, the appearance of sunny weather will provide enough time to collect plenty of kindling in preparation for a long winter. If Imbolc delivers bad weather, there is a delight as the Cailleach remains in a peaceful slumber, missing her opportunity, indicating that winter will soon end.
Another ancient ruin of significance, the Hill of Tara (also known as the Hill of Kings), was the spiritual and political center of ancient times, dating back to around 3500 BCE. Some regard it as Ireland's most sacred space. Known for the Mound of Hostage, 130 monuments, and earthworks of circular rolling ditches around the mounds that predate Christ, made to keep the evil spirits out and good spirits in. The Sídhe (hills or tumuli) found around these and the other ancient tombs are where people of the mounds reside, to be covered later.
Like Loughcrew, the Mound of Hostages has its passages illuminated on Samhain and Imbolc. This burial tomb has an estimated 500 bodies buried, along with cremated remains spread on the floor. The first Celts arrived in Ireland around 2500 years ago, meaning that the tradition of Samhain was celebrated long before their appearance.
Folklore states that the Irish mythological god Lugh, a supernatural being, member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and master craftsman, calls Tara his home. More believable is the account of the 140+ High Kings of Ireland crowned here. Overlooking 23 of Ireland’s 32 counties, the coronation stone on the top of the site gives the feeling of royalty. Every seventh Samhain, the High King of Ireland hosted the Feast of Tara.
Lia Fáil, also known as the Coronation Stone or Stone of Destiny, was where the Kings received approval from the Mother Earth Goddess, Medb, sovereign of Tara in ancient Ireland. This kinship page of Tara shows that mythical kings were mentioned in primordial history, even before 546 CE. If the King did not have flourishing harvests, animals, or children, he offered an animal through death. The next step was a person; the King was the final sacrifice if the gods remained unsatisfied.
Stories about the annual Samhain festival on the Hill of Tara have also been passed on from generation to generation. The most prominent is the spiteful fairy Aillen, a fire-breathing goblin from the Otherworld, a member of Tuatha Dé Danann. He was a gifted musician who lured the Fianna (small warrior bands) into a hypnotic sleep with faery music from his magical harp, before burning the city and stealing its treasures.
Donn was another famous Mag Mell (aka Otherworld) ancestor of Irish mythology. Referred to as the dark one, Lord/God/King of the Dead, Donn ruled over this pleasurable paradise either west of Ireland or an underwater kingdom. Remarkably, Donn is believed to be a phantom rider traveling on a white horse and wandering the countryside during Samhain. I consider this a strong similarity to the horseman in Sleepy Hollow.
In Irish tradition, it is believed that going to the House of Donn (Tech Duinn) means to die, and souls gather here before being reincarnated or traveling to the otherworld. Tech Duinn is located on an islet resembling a portal tomb or dolmen that becomes tumuli when covered with earth or stones. This natural tunnel is believed to allow departed spirits to pass towards the setting sun.
Druids, high-ranking priests in ancient Celtic cultures with various gifts of magic and clairvoyance (known as second sight or Taibhsear in Scots Gaelic), typically the ones who were in contact with the otherworld and the deceased. This was ideal,given the thin barrier between the living and the dead during Samhain. Druids lit a community fire during Samhain, further covered below.
The Druids are tied to Donn in a medieval Irish Christian pseudo-history when invaders, known as the Miliseans, landed in Boyne, making their way to Tara. Legend tells of the Druids instructing ships to return to sea when a storm hit. Donn, a commander of one of the ships, perished with others, and he was buried in the Skellig Islands. Interestingly, Mogh Roith, an archdruid embellished as the Irish Sun God or Storm God, is said to be responsible for sea squalls and the central focus of the Samhain festival. His daughter, Tlachtga, was a powerful druidess in Irish mythology, learning magic secrets from her father.
To further deepen the threads of this ancient holiday, the Irish place of Tlachtga, known as the Hill of Ward and related to the woman above with the same name, is also located in the Boyne Valley near Tara. This location was tied to Samhain, vastly overshadowing Tara’s, and was the center of the great Fire Festival.
With the suspension of time on Samhain, a place where darkness (winter) is unavoidable, tales of ghosts and spirits are bound to be mixed with fear, lore, and traditions to ensure one’s future prosperity and health. Accounts state that all fires must be snuffed until Tlachtga’s great flame was relit by a need-fire created by friction turning a wheel with special requirements of who could do the work and what wood could be used. As Tlachtga's flame burned brightly across the countryside, it was regarded as a celebration of light.
Druids circled the Samhain bonfires with the skulls of their ancestors. Supernatural magic was used to protect the community, and the Druids also instituted the extinguishing and relighting of the family hearth fires to banish evil. Even the ashes and smoke from the bonfires offered cleansing and defensive properties.
Samhain also represented the conclusion of fighting by the Finna and the night of the Great Sabbat for Ban-Druidh (Scot Gaelic for witches). This night in Scotland, witches gather to practice divination and cast spells.
Towards the Middle Ages, Samhain celebrations transformed slightly, with bonfires called Samghnagans becoming smaller and closer to family farms to continue protection from fairies and witches. Carved turnips embedded with coal dangling from the end of sticks became a tradition. These early jack-o-lanterns later changed to pumpkins, although Dumb Supper emerged.
During the celebration, a vacant place is reserved at the head of the table for the ancestors. The meal was silent, with no eye contact with the empty seat. After the meal, the untouched plate and cup from the Dumb Supper were taken to the forest for the malicious pookas (goblins and ghosts).
These offerings appease ghosts, kelpies, and fairies to ward off bad luck in the upcoming year. Specific individuals from the fairy mounds, descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, are known as Aos Sí. These feisty faery folk, as they are affectionately called, guard fairy hills, rings, or natural places such as wells or lakes (lochs) and can retaliate if angered.
To evade the Aos Sí, who were more active during this time, townspeople would stay close to home, silence mischief, and wear their clothing inside out if they traveled. They also carried salt or iron and practiced protective magic by weaving a parshall, a cross of sticks or straw, and hanging it over the door threshold of their home.
Crossroads, bridges, and cemeteries were always avoided, especially at midnight on this holiday, as Donn, the Lord of the Dead, roamed these places with other ghosts. If the traveler was brave enough to venture to this place, they could glimpse the future by circling a grave three times, but risked a meeting with Donn. Additionally, an unmarried girl might be able to peer into a mirror and catch a glimpse of her future suitor or also see Donn. History later replaced Donn with the Christian equivalent of the devil.
Guising, or costume-wearing, was also part of Samhain. It is unclear whether it was to impersonate the Aos Sí in exchange for offerings or act as a shield from the fairy mound people. Blackened faces, using ashes from a bonfire, were familiar in Scotland during this holiday’s activities for the same reasons.
Pranking was also part of Samhain, with accounts in the Scottish Highlands as early as the 1730’s. Historical records document Samhain as a week-long festival, encompassing three days before and after the main celebration. Weapons used or crimes committed during Samhain would have the offender facing a death sentence due to the military aspect of Samhain. Copious amounts of food and alcohol were prevalent during the festivities, contests, and activities.
Dunking (bobbing) for apples promised good fortune for those who successfully retrieved the fruit considered to be of the Otherworld. Maidens would also pare an apple and cast it over her shoulder, with the peel’s shape signifying the initial of whom she would marry. Similarly, hazelnuts were used for divination, especially for matrimony on Samhain. After adding initials and placing them in the hearth fire, the nuts would pop, sometimes linking names.
Since recently visiting Scotland, I can account for high respect for faeries given a liberal radius. I didn't attend during Samhain, but I can only imagine what it might have been like 1,000 years ago, when we didn’t have the technology to predict storms and other natural phenomena. Likewise, survival depended on the community and its resources; following traditions offered hope of living another year.
The Highwayman is a poem I heard as a child, reminding me of the cold of winter and the darkness it brings. It is one of my favorites, and I read it almost yearly.
May this Samhain bring you good fortune, health, and happiness. Might your upcoming winter be mild, your vigor remains strong, you have friendly folk for company, and the mischievous are kept far from your home.
Until next time, let your inner compass guide you. 🧭 💫Tara
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© 2023–2025 Tara Palazzolo, True Path Co. All rights reserved. Originally published on Wicked FairyTale® and updated for True Path Co for timeless clarity and seasonal alignment. This piece is part of the Traveler’s Codex—designed to support your journey of inner growth and sovereignty. Sharing is welcome with proper credit. No reproduction or redistribution is permitted without written permission.