Wheel of the Year

The turning year

Eight seasonal festivals. Tap one to read what it means, where it comes from, and how you might mark it.

SamhainYuleImbolcOstaraBeltaneLithaLughnasadhMabonYou are hereEarly harvest

Gold ring marks the next Sabbat: Mabon, in 1 days.

Late autumn · SOW-in

Samhain

For many Wiccans, Samhain marks the end of the harvest and the turning inward of the year. It is widely kept as a time to remember those who have died.

When: Around 31 October in the northern hemisphere; around 30 April in the southern.

Historical context

History

Samhain takes its name from a Gaelic seasonal festival marking the end of the harvest season. Medieval Irish sources describe gatherings at this time, but detailed ritual practice is poorly recorded.

Where the history is uncertain: The popular claim that Samhain was 'the Celtic festival of the dead' or a festival of a god named Samhain is not supported by the evidence. Much of modern Samhain practice is a twentieth-century Wiccan development inspired by older folk customs.

Traditional themes

  • Remembrance
  • Endings
  • Rest
  • Divination
  • Ancestry
Modern Wiccan practice

Common correspondences

Correspondence tables are modern conventions collected from folklore and ceremonial magic. Traditions vary, and none of this is required.

Colours:
Deep green, russet, black, bronze
In nature:
Bare branches, fallen leaves, last apples
Foods:
Apples, root vegetables, bread, nuts
Themes:
Memory, quiet, letting the year close

Ways to celebrate

  • Set out a photograph or a simple object that reminds you of someone you've lost.
  • Cook something that person liked, or something that tastes of the season.
  • Write down one thing you're ready to leave behind this year.

A simple beginner practice

Sit somewhere quiet for five minutes with a glass of water. Think of one person or one part of your life you'd like to thank. Say their name aloud if you'd like to. That's the whole practice.

Reflection

Who would you like to thank this year, and what are you ready to let close?

Go deeper

Compare how different Wiccan traditions frame Samhain: some as a solemn ancestor rite, others as a New Year celebration, and notice which language feels honest to you.

Read the full Samhain lesson

Sources & further reading

  • Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun (Oxford University Press, 1996)

    A history of the ritual year in Britain, based on documented custom rather than folklore retellings.

  • Ronald Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon (2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2019)

    The standard academic account of how modern pagan witchcraft, and its calendar, were assembled.

Where reliable evidence is limited, we say so rather than filling the gap.

Dates are approximate and vary by tradition and hemisphere. Many Wiccans mark the exact astronomical solstices and equinoxes instead.