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2020 is the first year since 2001 that we will have a full moon on Samhain. Before 2001, it was 1955!

Samhain is celebrated on the sunset of October 31st to the sunset of November 1st, almost halfway between the autumn equinoxes and the winter solstice.

Samhain is pronounced “Sah-win” or “Sow-win” and means “summer’s end”.

Some of Halloween’s most common traditions are rooted in Samhain’s harvest festival roots, such as the carving of pumpkins and turnips, bobbing for apples, bonfires and dressing up.

Rituals surrounding Samhain include bonfires, healing, dancing, thanksgiving, and honouring of the dead.

During the pre-Halloween celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the long, hard winter. Often bones of cattle would be thrown into the flames and, hence, “bone fire” became “bonfire”.

Some celebrate Samhain with a ritual to guide the dead home by opening a western facing door or window and placing a candle in the opening.

It is considered a time when the veil between life and death grows thin. Food is set aside for ancestors and lost loved ones as gifts, and rituals honouring the dead take place.