Samhain: An Eclectic Wiccan Perspective

Happy Samhain, Lightworkers! Last year I wrote a pithy post about Samhain being the Witches New Year and provided some really basic bish info that anyone could've Googled. It was a lame attempt to recognize this Wiccan holiday on my blog and to be honest, I was rushed, and the end result was... blah. I re-read it again with the intention of re-posting it and thank goodness I did, because yikes.

Now truth be told, I am no less rushed today than I was 365 days ago [insert nervous laughter] but there is no way in heck that I'm republishing that post. So for my next trick, I'm going to write a proper essay on Samhain, and I hope you enjoy it.

CONTEXT: Please note that this post is not meant to be an academic study but rather a personal share of what I've gleaned from over 24 years of experience as a practitioner of The Craft. During this time, I've read countless books and have read and listened to innumerable interviews and essays from experts in the field. I've also lived on two different sides of the world and have (gratefully) spent much of my life being exposed to a wide variety of cultures and their spiritual practices. All this to say, you may not agree with my findings, and that's okay. Take what I say with a grain of (black) salt.

What is Samhain?

Samhain (pronounced "sow-wen") is a Wiccan festival celebrated on October 31 - Halloween. From a Wiccan perspective, Samhain is recognized as the day of the year when the veil between the worlds - that is, the energetic boundary that separates the living and the dead - is the thinnest. It's also recognized as the official end of the harvest season and the beginning of Winter. Samhain can be translated to mean "Summer's end".

A Brief History of Samhain (and Wicca)

You may be wondering why I define it as "Wiccan" rather than use the overarching term "Pagan", or even "Celtic". I say Wiccan because this is how Samhain came to me. I was introduced to Wicca by the work of Gerald Gardner, the founder of Wicca as a religion. We can thank Gardner for popularizing the terms "Wiccan" and "Witch", and especially for making the word "witch" a non-gendered term. In the early days, he was said to claim that he was a hereditary witch and learned his practices from his grandmother; this was later disputed, and it was discovered that many of his practices, while inspired by ancient lore (including, but not limited to, Celtic mythology), were of his own design.

That's not to say that he invented Samhain or any of the Wiccan/Pagan festivals, or the concept of fire festivals. These did exist, although what was actually practiced, and why, is still very much up for debate. By their very nature, these ancient mystery practices were kept under wraps so it's hard to verify and validate the few findings that exist.

Not that it matters, because Wicca was not created to be a reconstructionist form of spirituality, but a modern revival (Callow, 2025). Wicca is a modern earth-based spiritual practice that focuses on living in tune with the Wheel of the Year; nature veneration and animism; and a female and male godhead, or at the very least, the recognition of the Goddess.

Many of its practices are inspired by the ancient Celts, but I also see so many parallels between Wiccan practice and Hindu, Buddhist, and dare I say Catholic practice. If you're also a longtime practitioner, I'm sure you've noticed it too.

According to John Callow, Gardner created Wicca to be "an entirely new synthesis of magical beliefs drawn from both Eastern and Western traditions" (2025).

So while there are some people who connect with Samhain from a purely anthropological perspective, or even a desire to connect with their own ancestry, the fact of the matter is that Samhain has made its way into the mainstream via Wicca and Neo-Pagan practice. It may be tempting to "justify" its celebration by saying, "Oh, this is something that people have ALWAYS done, I'm simply connecting to nature!", and if you're in the broom closet, I GET IT. But make no mistake, this be witchcraft.

Who Celebrates Samhain?

If you asked me this question 20 years ago, I would've said "Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans, obviously". But now? My answer is, "Well, according to the echo chamber that is my Instagram feed - everyone!".

If, like me, you came to The Craft pre-social media, you've seen the capitalization and commodification of Wicca and Witchcraft over the years, as the practice has become more mainstream. A double edged sword, no doubt. I'll admit that I used to be a cantankerous old traditionalist (which is my right, as a Solitary Practitioner) that scoffed at the #witchesofinstagram, but I eventually got over myself and started adopting the very same hashtag as my own.

So, yeah. I say this with utmost sincerity: Welcome to the Circle. If you love Samhain, witch or no, I hope you celebrate it in a way that is meaningful to you and your beloved dead.

Ancestor Veneration

No, I do not pull out my Ouija Board during Samhain - I don't even own a Ouija Board - and I don't use this particular day to communicate with my beloved dead... Because I am communicating with them ALL THE TIME :)

Fun fact, I spent my early childhood in Hong Kong, and in Chinese culture, ancestor veneration is not a "one day a year" thing, it's a lifestyle. Many traditional (and perhaps modern) Chinese homes have a permanent altar/shrine dedicated to their ancestors where family members can make regular offerings of incense, prayers, and other items. This may be in combination with, or in addition to, the altars that offered to the spirits of the land/home. I can't speak to this practice in much detail because I was raised in a Filipino household (and Filipinos don't usually have ancestor shrines) but as a very Catholic culture, we are often lighting candles and offering prayers to our loved ones who have passed.

Speaking of Catholic practice, while "Halloween" is not officially recognized, November 1st is All Saints Day, and November 2nd is All Souls Day. These dates coincide with Dia de Muertos (the Day of the Dead), celebrated in Mexico and Latin American countries.

A quick glance at any of the aforementioned traditions will show you just how far reaching the cultural and religious influences are on our modern-day practice of Samhain. Therefore, regardless of your culture, there is certainly a Wiccan practice that will resonate with you on Samhain, and on any other day of the year!

Who Are Our Ancestors?

Why, our beloved dead, of course! It's not about age or time period. Perhaps you have some aunts or uncles who have passed away, or perhaps you have a sibling who died as a young child. These are your ancestors, because they have gone before you. Maybe you've lost close friends who, while not blood-related, you would still consider family. Maybe you consider your pets your family, and therefore can include your beloved animals who have passed as well.

Samhain is a time to honor and remember our beloveds. They may not be with us in physical form, but truly, they are only ever a breath or a thought away. On that note, don't wait for Samhain to communicate with the dead, and certainly don't think that you've "missed the window" if you don't do anything special to reach out to them. All of this ritual regalia is for us, mental stage-setting, as it were. Of course, offerings and prayers are always appreciated by them, but you can talk to them anytime. If anything, Samhain is a good reminder to do so more frequently.

Samhain as the Witches’ New Year

Yes, from the Wiccan perspective, Samhain is often considered to be the Witches' New Year. Not sure who came up with that. I have a feeling this was post-Gardner, and at this time I don't have the answer to this question, but suffice it to say that when I came to the Craft, this was already fully baked into the zeitgeist.

How to Celebrate Samhain

Last year I shared a list of activities that were kinda-sorta Samhain-flavored. Stuff anyone could do without anyone being none the wiser. This year, I'm not doing that. Listen, it's October 30, so if you don't already have plans, you probably weren't gonna do anything special anyway, and that's fine.

Those of you in a coven definitely already have plans. And if you're a Solitary Practitioner, you have your practice. Far be it from me to tell you what to do.

Myself, I plan on taking my kids trick-or-treating, and enjoying copious amounts of mini Kit-Kats. And then after that? Well, only the dead know...

Blessed be!

References:

Callow, John. Gerald Gardner and the creation of Wicca. Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/gerald-gardner-and-the-creation-of-wicca/3A84FE399D63CEA37C363E1DEB380E75