Samhain (November Eve)

Gardner's coven kept four "great sabbats", and November Eve was the chief of them. The name comes from Samhain, the Old and Middle Irish feast of 1 November that opened winter and, in medieval tales, was a time when the otherworld lay open. In the Gardnerian rite the circle is cast as usual and the turning of the year is enacted: the Goddess yields rule to the God, who is honoured as the lord of death and rebirth, and the beloved dead are remembered. Later Wiccan practice often adds a "dumb supper" or a candle for those who died during the year. Folk customs of Hallowe'en, such as divination with apples and nuts, were also absorbed into the festival.

Purpose

In Wicca Samhain honours the dead and the God as lord of death and the underworld, marking the start of the dark half of the year.

Timing

Season / time

The sabbat of Samhain

Traditionally 31 October into 1 November; some reckon it astronomically at the cross-quarter midway between autumn equinox and winter solstice. Wiccan festivals are commonly reckoned from sunset on the eve.

Materials

• candles
• salt and water
• incense
• cakes and wine (or ale)

Tools

• athame (black-handled knife)
• white-handled knife
• wand
• pentacle
• censer
• cauldron

Fire safety with candles, censer and any bonfire or cauldron fire.