The witch’s new year is here! Samhain, the ancient Gaelic festival that ends the Celtic year, takes place from October 31st to November 1st. It’s considered the origin of Halloween and is a time when the boundary between the supernatural and our world grows thin. This pagan holiday honors the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, aligning with the harvest and the shift from bright summer days to the darker autumn season. It encourages us to look back, communicate with spirits, celebrate both living and departed loved ones, and consider how to improve our lives going forward.
You can observe Samhain in many ways. Traditionally, people create altars for ancestors, leave offerings, and share a feast with spirits. Since it’s such a magical period, the most important thing is to choose a ritual that feels meaningful to you. There’s no right or wrong way to celebrate—follow your intuition. Still, it can be helpful to get ideas from experts to guide you and deepen your understanding of this significant witch’s holiday, known as a “greater sabbat.” Here, 13 modern witches share their unique rituals for honoring Samhain in style.
13 Samhain Rituals
1. Release the Past
Samhain is a time for reflection, focusing on letting go and embracing the present. “As the veil thins, set up an altar with black candles, apples, and a bowl of water to honor your ancestors,” advises Bri Luna, founder of The Hoodwitch and author of Blood Sex Magic: Everyday Magic for the Modern Mystic. “Light incense and softly speak the names of those who came before you. Think about what needs to end and what is ready to begin anew. Write down what you’re releasing on paper and burn it safely. Sip spiced wine or tea while watching the flames, allowing visions and guidance to emerge from the shadows. Remember, the new year starts in the dark.”
2. Manifest the Future
With energy heightened, divination like tarot can help you gain insights and shape your future. “Place the Death card from your tarot deck in front of you and spend a few quiet moments studying its imagery,” suggests Sarah Potter, author of Sober Magic: Using the Tarot and Ritual in Your Journey Away from Drinking. “Reflect on which cycles are ending and what transformation awaits. Write down any insights in a journal. Next, jot down what you’re ready to release—old patterns, fears, or habits—on slips of paper and burn them one by one in a fireproof dish, letting the smoke carry those energies away. Gaze softly into a bowl of water or a mirror to connect across the veil and receive messages from ancestors or spirit guides, trusting any sensations or symbols that appear. To finish, hold the Death card to your heart, state an intention for the coming year, and blow out a candle to seal the ritual.”
3. Honor Nature
Paying tribute to nature is another Samhain tradition. Nicole Rallis, a floral artist at Leila + Olive, recommends tending to a garden and focusing on the future. “I create an altar using three types of autumn plants: a flower, an herb, and a fruit. While dahlias, amaranth, and roses are powerful choices, this year I’m using anemone blooms to symbolize sacrifice and honor the resilience of the departed, rosemary herbs to reflect on memories—both difficult ones to let go of and sweet ones to cherish—and pomegranate to connect with cycles of loss and rebirth. Placing these garden intentions by a window, I meditate on the transition between past and future seasons.”
4. Set an Extra Place
A traditional way to remember the dead on Samhain is with a “dumb dinner,” where you eat in silence and set a place at the table for the deceased. “On Samhain night, I hold a silent meal to honor those who have passed,” one witch shares. “I set an extra place with a candle to guide them andA glass of water can serve as an offering. A thoughtfully prepared meal eaten in silence becomes a gesture of presence instead of words. In that quiet moment, memories seem nearer, and the air fills with a sense of recognition and grace, says Corbin Chamberlin, founder of the ritual brand Sage & Salt. You could even eat your food in reverse order, a Victorian-era tradition believed to attract a future spouse.
5. Feast with the spirits
By meeting spirits’ needs for energy and attention, we acknowledge them as another form of life that requires sustenance. Marshall WSL, author of Cunning Words: a Grimoire of Tales and Magic, recommends hosting a feast to “satisfy their hunger for life and experience.” He advises offering dark bread and red wine to the spirits while reciting these words:
“Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain! Happy All Hallows’ Eve! The dead are alive, the veil is thin, we wear masks to trick unseen eyes. This is a threshold time, the witches’ new year, when powerful magic is spun. The devil dances, the Witch mother sings, and all it takes is belief. We break bread, we drink wine, and receive sacred blessings. For the spirits above and below, we leave this offering.”
6. Offer sweets
Traditional Samhain treats are a way to acknowledge and give thanks for the year’s abundance, according to writer, death doula, and tarot reader Marguerite Recupero. She suggests baking bread or offering sweet treats to your ancestors in gratitude.
In Ireland, this involved baking Barmbrack, a speckled fruit loaf used for fortune-telling. Charms like rings (for marriage), coins (for wealth), cloth (for misfortune), or dried peas (for staying single) were baked inside. In Medieval England, as Samhain blended with All Saints Day, soul cakes were given to “soulers” who went door-to-door, an early form of trick-or-treating.
7. Strengthen intuition
This season heightens our psychic senses, making us more aware of our subconscious. Psychic Renee Watt notes that dreams may become more vivid around this mystical holiday. To enhance your connection to the beyond, create a dream satchel using a small mesh or organza bag in white, lavender, or light blue. Fill it with herbs like rosemary, lavender, bay, or thyme, along with clear, blue, or purple crystals such as amethyst, quartz, angelite, kyanite, or selenite. Keep a journal to record and interpret your visions, and revisit them later.
8. Call in protection
“Samhain opens a gateway for all spirits, including mischievous ones, so spiritual protection is essential,” explains witch and psychic Michael Cardenas of Olde Ways. He recommends lighting two candles anointed with patchouli oil: a white one for purity and a black one for protection. Burn dried rosemary throughout your home and place some outside to repel lower vibrational spirits. Cleanse your doors and threshold with saltwater to establish strong psychic boundaries against harmful energies. Afterward, sit quietly and visualize yourself enveloped in white light.
9. Dress the part
Wearing a costume is another protective measure, as it conceals your true identity. Historically, people dressed in mystical or mythical outfits during this time to confuse ghosts and prevent chaos. The Celts even carved faces into vegetables to keep spirits away from their food.
10. Create a magic circle
Another way to shield yourself from spirits is by forming a magic circle as a safe space. A magic circle serves multiple purposes: it can bind a spirit, define ritual boundaries, and invoke sacred names and symbols. While elaborate rituals exist, even a simple circle can offer protection.While ceremonial magicians’ circles are the most well-known, simpler versions date back to ancient Mesopotamia, where ritual circles were sketched in barley flour, notes Melissa Madara, author of The Witch’s Workshop: A Guide to Crafting Your Own Magical Tools.
11. Clear the Cobwebs
The witch’s new year invites a spiritual reset, which is why Fernando Salinas chooses to declutter and refresh stagnant energy. “I bless my broom—or besom if you have one—by rubbing the bristles with an essential oil like orange or a road-opening oil to attract positive energy. Then, I take a cloth and some magical water, such as full moon-blessed water, and wipe the door jambs to ensure blessings can enter.”
12. Awaken the Body
Stirring the senses and opening the body through movement and self-care is another vital form of cleansing for chakra healing and alignment. “My Samhain ritual takes place in any warm, wet body of water,” shares Monisha Holmes. “Dancing safely and stretching gently with the window open lets the sage-infused air flow through, warming and steaming up my senses for winter.”
13. Build an Altar
Honoring ancestors and celebrating their heritage is a timeless Samhain tradition, helping to safeguard our energy by connecting with our roots. An ancestral altar builds a bridge between the living and the dead. “I pick a separate space from my daily altar,” explains Narayana Montufar, author of Written in Your Stars: Use Your Saturn Return, Pluto Square, and Other Planetary Cycles to Become Your Best Self. “I choose a spot that resonates with the expansive, loving energy I wish to invite. Before arranging the altar, I cleanse the area physically and energetically with incense or palo santo, paying special attention to the room’s corners. Then, I place a transparent base beneath candles, marigolds, crystals, animal spirits, totems, and items or photos that evoke my ancestors.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful and concise FAQs about 13 contemporary Samhain traditions
General Beginner Questions
1 What is Samhain
Samhain is a major Sabbat or holiday in the Wheel of the Year It marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year Its considered the Witches New Year
2 When is Samhain celebrated
Most contemporary witches celebrate from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st Some also observe it on the crossquarter day when the sun is at 15 degrees Scorpio
3 Is Samhain just the pagan Halloween
While Halloween evolved from Samhain traditions they are not the same For witches Samhain is a deeply spiritual and sacred time focused on honoring ancestors and introspection whereas Halloween is a more secular communitybased holiday
Traditions Practices
4 Why is a Dumb Supper held
A Dumb Supper is a silent meal held in honor of deceased loved ones The silence allows participants to be fully present and open to communication from the spirit world A place is set and food is served for the ancestors
5 Whats the purpose of an Ancestor Altar
An Ancestor Altar is a dedicated space to honor your beloved dead It helps you feel connected to your lineage invites their guidance and protection and serves as a focal point for your Samhain rituals and offerings
6 How do you set up a simple Ancestor Altar
Start with a cloth photos of deceased family or friends and mementos they owned or loved Add candles a glass of water and offerings like their favorite food drink or flowers
7 What is divination and why is it so popular at Samhain
Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown The veil between the worlds is believed to be thinnest at Samhain making it an especially potent time for tarot scrying and rune readings to gain insight for the coming year