On the last night of October the old year ends. That is how the people of Ireland and Scotland counted it for a very long time: the harvest is in, the cattle are down from the hills, the light half of the year hands over to the dark half, and for one night the door between what was and what will be stands open. They called it Samhain, and almost everything we do at Halloween began there.
This page tells you when Samhain falls in 2026, what people have always done with it, a small ritual you can keep at your own table, and what I hold at mine.
When is Samhain in 2026?
Samhain runs from sunset on Saturday 31 October to sunset on Sunday 1 November 2026. It sits halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. The last full moon before it is on Monday 26 October, the morning after the clocks go back in Europe. In the United States and Canada the clocks go back on Samhain night itself, Sunday 1 November.
Older than any of us
Samhain is pronounced SOW-in, and it is one of the four great fire festivals of the Gaelic year. On the hilltops a bonfire was lit, and every hearth in the valley was put out and lit again from that one flame, so that the whole community began the winter with the same fire. A place was laid at the table for the ones who had died that year, with food left out for them overnight. Lanterns were carved from turnips to light the way, long before anyone had seen a pumpkin. And people looked ahead: apples, nuts and mirrors were all used on this night to ask what the coming year held.
What I love about Samhain is how calm it is underneath the costumes. It asks two things of you. Look back with thanks, by name. Then look forward, and say what you want the dark months to grow.
A Samhain ritual for your own table
You need a candle, a glass of water, paper and a pen. Choose an evening between the full moon of 26 October and Samhain night.
- Remember. Light the candle. Say aloud the names of the ones who came before you, as many or as few as you like, and tell them one thing you did this year that they would have been proud of.
- Put down. Write on the paper what this year made heavy, in one or two lines. Say it once in the past tense: "I have put down ..." Fold the paper and set it under the glass.
- Call in. Now close your eyes and see yourself at the end of the winter, with the thing you want already in your life. Feel what it is like to live in it: the ease in your chest, the warmth in the room. What you hold in your mind with feeling, you draw towards you like a magnet. That is the law of attraction, and it is exactly what the old Samhain divinations were for. Say one sentence aloud, in the present tense, and drink the water.
- Close. Blow out the candle yourself. In the morning, tear the paper up and let it go with the rubbish or the compost. The year is allowed to end.
What I hold at my table
The last full moon before Samhain fell on Monday 26 October, and the names for The Long Night Release have been held at my table. If there is still something you are ready to put down before winter, I hold the Full Moon Release Ritual on the next full moon, Tuesday 24 November: your name on paper, what you are ready to release in your own words, a candle lit for you, and your report in your inbox the day after, with a few small gestures to carry with you. You can order until the day before.
For the night itself I also wrote down five kind Halloween spells you can keep at home.
And for the two days that follow, All Saints and All Souls, I wrote a letter about All Souls' Day, soul cakes and a candle for the ones you love.
For Samhain night itself, and for the days around it, these are held the same day you order, seven days a week:
- Protection & Aura Cleanse: a clearing of what is not yours before the dark months begin.
- Cord Cutting Ritual: the ties you are ready to release, laid down with respect.
- Spirit Guides Reading: who walks with you, what each guide is here for, and how they reach you.
- Past Life Reading: the old story underneath a pattern you keep meeting.
And when the year has turned: the 11/11 Wish Gate on 11 November, and Return of the Light on the winter solstice.
Questions about Samhain
When is Samhain 2026?
From sunset on Saturday 31 October to sunset on Sunday 1 November 2026. The last full moon before Samhain is on Monday 26 October.
How do you pronounce Samhain?
SOW-in, with "sow" as in "cow". The word is Irish, and the month of November is still called Samhain in Irish today.
Is Samhain the same as Halloween?
Halloween grew out of it. Samhain is the old Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest and the start of winter. The lanterns, the disguises and the night of looking ahead all travelled from Samhain into Halloween.
What is a simple Samhain ritual for a beginner?
A candle, a glass of water and a sheet of paper. Name the ones who came before you, write down what you are putting down this year, then see and feel what you are calling in for the winter, and say it aloud in the present tense.
Can I name someone who has died in a ritual at your table?
Yes. Write their name beside yours when you order, and it goes on the same paper, with care, and I speak it once, gently. This is remembrance. Nothing is asked of them, and nothing is promised on their behalf.
What can I expect from a ritual at your table?
A ritual held with care, a report written for you alone, and afterwards I check in with you. I promise no outcome: this is spiritual guidance, offered for entertainment purposes, alongside good advice and never instead of it. Your own choices remain the strongest force.
Go gently into the long nights. They are for resting, and for growing what comes next.
Ivy