Samhain

Samhain is the sabbat celebrated on the night of 31 October to 1 November in the northern hemisphere, and around 30 April to 1 May in the southern. Of Gaelic origin, it marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year, and it lies at the root of Halloween. For Wicca it is the witches' new year, when the veil between the worlds is thought to be thinnest. Ancestors are honoured with altars of photographs and food, people reflect on what has ended and divination is practised. It is associated with the Death card, understood as transformation.