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Samhain (/ ˈ s ɑː w ɪ n / SAH-win, / ˈ s aʊ ɪ n / SOW-in, Irish: [ˈsˠəunʲ], Scottish Gaelic: [ˈs̪ãũ.ɪɲ]) or Sauin (Manx: [ˈsoːɪnʲ]) is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. [1] It is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November.
In the order of the Wheel of the Year: Samhain/Halloween (Celtic): 31 October – 1 November, Celtic New Year, first day of winter; Yule (Norse): 21–22 December, winter solstice, Celtic midwinter; Imbolc/Candlemas (Celtic): 1–2 February, Celtic first day of spring; Ostara/Easter (Norse): 21–22 March, spring equinox, Celtic midspring
Holiday/Time of Year Significance Black | Samhain: Black is the primary colour of Samhain. [52] Black symbolises the vastness and mystery of the spirit world (and the universe to a greater extent). [53] It also represents the dead and the fading of light in the ‘dark half’ of the year. [53] Red: Beltane, Yule
October 31 brings the celebration of Samhain, the halfway point between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It marks the beginning of the “darker half” of the year. The autumn harvest is ...
The ancient celebration of Samhain invites introspection as we confront the mysteries of life and death. This year, the astrology alone proves that Halloween is set to be even spookier than years ...
Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the year. [114] [115] It was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned. This meant the Aos Sí, the 'spirits' or 'fairies', could more easily come into this world and were particularly active.
The light half of the year started at Calan Haf/Bealtaine (around 1 May, modern calendar). This observance of festivals beginning the evening before the festival day is still seen in the celebrations and folkloric practices among the Gaels, such as the traditions of Oíche Shamhna (Samhain Eve) among the Irish and Oidhche Shamhna among the Scots.
It may otherwise have originated in a Celtic festival, Samhain, held on 31 October–1 November, to mark the beginning of winter, in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. The festival is believed to have pre-Christian roots. In the 9th century, the Catholic Church made 1 November All Saints' Day.