Holiday Celebration for Witches

Samhain celebrated on October 31st. A date most people refer to Halloween. A time to wear costumes and children go door to door for treats. To Wiccans and Pagans it is one of the most popular witches' holidays.

There are three reasons why Samhain is one of the most important holidays to witches. First one it is just a plain fun holiday. Secondly, it is the one holiday that the general public will recognize as a pagan (witches) holiday. Lastly, Samhain is the end of summer. We have now reached the half year mark. It is time for our last harvest. It is also considered the start of the new year.
Celts view time as circular not linear. It is a holiday of divination and time of the dead.

The most common feature of this holiday is it's role as the feast of the dead. It is one of the two spirit nights each year. It is the one day that laws of time and space cease. The thin veil between our world and the spirit world is lifted. This night is the easiest time of year to communicate with the spirit world. To contact our ancestors, celebrate their life and toast to their memory.

The Celtics originally celebrated this holiday by leaving offerings of food on altars or doorsteps for the dead who wandered. Today a lot of those that practice the craft still hold to the tradition of the holiday. Single candles that burn are left in windows to help guide the spirits of our ancestors home. Extra chairs are placed at the table for any unseen guests. Lights placed along roadsides to help guide the spirits. This brought on the beginning of the jack-o-lantern. Lights are placed in hallowed out gourds or turnips to be left as guides for the spirits and to ward off any vindictive souls who may try to wonder in where they are not welcomed. The Wee Folk ( a Scottish and Irish nickname for faeries) are known to be very active at this time of year. They have been known to pull pranks on unsuspecting people.

In history it was not advisable to travel at dark. People would dress up in white like a ghost, wear a disguise made out of straw, or dress as the opposite sex in order to fool these pranksters.