Samhain - Traditions, Halloween, Wicca | HISTORY By: HISTORY.com Editors Observances & Traditions Samhain HISTORY.com Editors Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesPublished: April 06, 2018Last Updated: July 30, 2026 Table of contents 1 Ancient Samhain 2 Samhain Monsters 3 Myths of Samhain 4 Samhain in the Middle Ages 5 Dumb Supper 6 Christian Samhain 7 Samhain Merges With Halloween 8 Wicca and Samhain 9 Celtic Reconstructionists Table of contents Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “sow-win”) is a pagan festival rooted in ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. It’s typically celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to mark the harvest and welcome “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believe that during Samhain, the barrier between the physical and spirit worlds breaks down, allowing greater interaction between humans and the denizens of the Otherworld. Ancient Samhain Ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most important of the four quarterly fire festivals, held midway between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this season, hearth fires in homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered. After the harvest, celebrants joined Druid priests to light a communal fire using a wheel that produced friction and sparked flames. The wheel represented the sun and was used in ceremonies alongside prayers. Cattle were sacrificed, and participants carried flames from the bonfire back to their homes to relight their hearths. Early texts describe Samhain as a mandatory three-day, three-night festival during which people were required to appear before local kings or chieftains. Those who failed to participate risked punishment from the gods, often in the form of illness or death. In Ireland, Samhain also had a military element, with ceremonial thrones prepared for army commanders. Anyone who committed a crime or wielded a weapon during the celebration faced execution. Some accounts mention six days of heavy drinking—typically mead or beer—accompanied by lavish feasts. Haunted History of Halloween Halloween was originally called Samhain and marked the end of the harvest season for Celtic farmers. 2:46m watch Samhain Monsters Because the Celts believed the barrier between worlds could be crossed during Samhain, they left offerings outside villages and fields for fairies, or sidhs. They also expected ancestors to return during this time, so people dressed as animals and monsters to avoid being kidnapped by fairies. Several supernatural beings were linked to Samhain mythology, including a shape-shifting creature called a púca that received harvest offerings from the fields. The Lady Gwyn was said to be a headless woman in white who chased night wanderers, accompanied by a black pig. The Dullahan appeared either as an impish creature or a headless rider who carried his own head. Mounted on a flame-eyed horse, his appearance was considered a death omen. A band of hunters known as the Sluagh—or Faery Host—was also said to roam during Samhain, kidnapping people or stealing souls from the west.