Samhain pumpkins. I like to carve them with stars and moons to wish on.
Happy Samhain! This pagan festival is known to our world as Halloween. It’s a time of celebration in Witchland, but there’s no trick-or-treating or horror movies.
The witches of Witchland celebrate Samhain much the same way as modern pagans do. This is their festival to remember ancestors and loved ones who have died. Whatever your beliefs, it can feel very peaceful taking a few minutes to remember the dead on this day, people who once brought love, laughter and richness to our lives.
Tales are told of the departed, happy memories shared, and in Witchland a candle is lit beside their portrait (if the household is wealthy enough to have portraits painted). For poorer folk, the candle might be placed next to a cherished item that the dead person once loved. After sharing stories, the candle is extinguished. Sometimes a portion of food is left out in case the loved one’s spirit visits; they can’t eat the food, but it’s believed they can be nourished by its energies, and by this loving remembrance.
For anyone who might want to light a candle by a deceased loved one’s photo to remember them, please be fire safe and ensure the candle is on a stable surface, away from children and pets (who might get burned or even knock it over) and away from anything flammable. Never leave the room whilst a candle is burning. You can’t be too careful with fire!
In Witchland – England in our world – Samhain is a time when the evenings lengthen, candles are lit and witches gather to share stories. A Witch Matriarch like Eliza Peverley (WITCHLAND Book 1) holds a feast for her people, with seasonal foods, storytellers and music. Before the feast, she gathers her dearest loved ones for afternoon tea and a quieter, reflective celebration of her ancestors.
In the world of Witchland, adjoining realms Gwynedd (Wales) and Alba (Scotland) are also ruled by witches and celebrate in a similar way. In Alba customs differ because that society has a strong druid presence… Alba is the only realm on the island where druids are welcome. But who knows what goes on in the mysterious western realm of Ériu (Ireland) that’s sealed off even from Witchland inside an ancient magical barrier?
In all the realms, the strengthening darkness is seen as a time of beauty, for the stars shine in the velvet night, favourite constellations become visible in the sky again (hello Orion!) and there’s a sense of excitement because the walls between the realms grow thin and magic drifts over the Land like mist…
I feel strongly that it’s important to push back against the stereotypes of day/light = good and night/dark = bad. To some extent, fear of the dark can be instinctive – when it’s dark we can’t see our surroundings so well if we don’t have lighting – it’s also common sense to stick to well-lit areas whilst walking home. But day/light and night/dark aren’t a dichotomy, they complement each other. After a busy day, night is the time we rest, sleep, dream upon stars… it’s the time when we are freed from the daily round of work (unless you work nights).
Like the witches of Witchland, I think of darkness as something luminous and gorgeous. Night is a time of wonder, and I’ll always write about it that way.
At Samhain, as during all the seasonal change point festivals, the Fae often come to celebrate with their witch allies and with humans too. But Samhain is the occasion when Lord Morgan Le Fae, Lord of the Woodland Throne, leaves Faerie for a very different reason. It’s the one night each year when demons can slip into the human-witch realm, and Morgan is busy leading The Wild Hunt, his elite band of Faerie warriors, who catch and slay any monsters who’ve come through.
Apart from honouring the dead, other popular Witchland Samhain activities are: labyrinth walking, divination using crystals, and sneaking a small gift on a stranger’s doorstep as a surprise treat.
I’ll be doing some of my favourite Samhain/Halloween activities: looking at happy photos of my parents (RIP) and of my dear boy cats Marcus and Midnight (RIP sweet lads) whilst telling them how I miss them but feel lucky to have had them in my life. And I’ll be sipping a pumpkin spice latte whilst reading, carving a pumpkin and roasting its delicious flesh with garlic. In the evening I’ll watch the one of my favourite DVDs ‘Beauty and the Beast’ starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman, the Samhain/Halloween episode ‘Masques.’
Wishing you and your loved ones, Dear Reader, a very Happy 31 October 2026!