Samhain Shop

Samhain begins at sunset on October 31. This is everything we gather for it: scrying mirrors and gazing balls, black candles, cauldrons, altar brooms, mugwort, black salt and graveyard dirt. Everything here is 25% off through October 31, taken automatically in your cart. Order by October 20 to have it for Samhain. Samhain traditions and how these tools are used

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What Is Samhain?

Samhain is the Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest and the start of the darker half of the year. In Irish and Scottish folklore, the boundary between this world and the Otherworld opened at Samhain, and families set a place at the table for loved ones who had died. Many witches today celebrate it as the witches' new year. Our guide to Samhain correspondences covers its colors, herbs and stones, and you can hear how to pronounce Samhain too.

Ancestor Altars

An ancestor altar holds photos, keepsakes, a candle and an offering for family and loved ones who have died. Black candles are a Samhain favorite for protection and for marking the threshold between the worlds. See how to set up a Samhain altar, traditional Samhain offerings and how to hold a dumb supper.

Divination on Samhain Night

With the veil thought to be thin, Samhain has long been a night for reading the future. Scrying means gazing into a dark or reflective surface, like an obsidian mirror, a gazing ball or a bowl of water, until images or impressions come. Our scrying guide walks through each one, and many witches burn a little mugwort before they begin.

Protection and Clearing

Many witches lay a line of black salt at the door or around the altar on Samhain night, and sweep the old year out with a broom. Here is how to make black salt and use it. A small cast iron cauldron gives you a safe place to burn herbs or a written list of what you are leaving in the old year.

Samhain Questions

When is Samhain?
Samhain begins at sunset on October 31 and runs through November 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, many witches celebrate it around April 30 to May 1.

How do you pronounce Samhain?
Samhain is usually pronounced SOW-in, with the first syllable rhyming with cow.

What goes on a Samhain altar?
Most Samhain altars hold photos or keepsakes of loved ones who have died, candles, seasonal foods like apples and pomegranates, and an offering. Many witches add a scrying mirror or other divination tool for the night.