Honouring Samhain in Australia:
- Angela
- Apr 26
- 5 min read
A Sacred Time to Remember and Reclaim the Spirit of Samhain
As the wheel turns here in the Southern Hemisphere, the days grow shorter, the light softens, and the pull inward becomes undeniable. While the Northern Hemisphere celebrates Beltane and dances toward the peak of their sun, we are invited into something quieter — something deeper.
We are entering Samhain.
Often mispronounced (it’s sow-wen, not “sam-hane”), Samhain marks the witch’s New Year — a sacred threshold where the veil between the worlds is thin. It is a time to honour death, transformation, the unseen, and the spirits of those who came before us.
Why Samhain is Celebrated in April in the Southern Hemisphere
Many Australians are familiar with Halloween being celebrated on the 31st of October, thanks to Hollywood and Northern Hemisphere traditions. In recent years, it’s become more common to see children trick-or-treating and dressing up in ghoulish costumes — a fun, social event, but one that doesn’t quite match our seasonal energy.
Samhain, however, is a seasonal festival — not a fixed-date celebration like a birthday. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the darker half of the year. That’s why it lands in late October — when their world is growing colder, crops are stored, and the nights begin to stretch long.
Here in Australia, that same seasonal shift happens in late April to early May. The air cools, the leaves fall, and the energy draws inward. This is our Samhain. Our sacred time of endings and ancestral remembering.
This years date in Australia is 30 April - 1 May.
A Personal Reflection: Family, Loss, and the Beauty of Grief
I’ve spent much of my adult life missing the people who mattered most to me. I lost my mum when I was still a young woman — she was only 50. My dad passed a few years later at just 57. And about a decade after that, both of my grandparents were gone.
As a little girl, my world was rich with love — my grandparents, my mum and dad, and my sister. These were my anchors. My people.
My father also has two wonderful sisters — my aunties — who are still alive and well today. They’re part of my extended family whom I love dearly, and I hold great fondness for them and their families.
But it’s my sister and I who carry a unique connection — the kind that comes from growing up in the same home, shaped by the same people and memories. She remains my closest living relative by blood, and I’m deeply grateful for the bond we share.
Today, of course, I also have my beautiful husband and children, who fill my present life with love and meaning.
But at Samhain, it’s those early relationships — the ones that shaped my heart — that I feel most keenly.
Each year, I create an altar with their photos, special objects, and candles. And for three nights — the day before, the day of, and the day after Samhain — I dedicate my family dinners to them. I invite their memory to the table. I speak to them in my heart. I ask for their wisdom.
What would my mother say to me now?
What would my father’s advice be?
What stories would my grandfather tell?
What comfort would my grandmother offer?
I don’t need answers. The act of remembering is enough. I feel their love in the candlelight, in the stillness, in the food we share.
Sometimes, I visit a cemetery — not necessarily the one where they’re buried, but any quiet place of rest. Just to reflect. To feel the finality of the human body. And to honour the soul’s journey beyond. Because I do believe in life after death — and at Samhain, I come closer to that mystery.
This isn’t a sad ritual. It’s a full one. Grief and love are forever intertwined — and this time of year helps me honour both.
Ritual Ideas for Samhain
Whether you’re new to this path or deep in your practice, here are some simple and heartfelt ways to mark this time.
Create an Ancestral Altar
A few photos or heirlooms
A candle for each loved one you’re remembering
A small bowl of seasonal food (or their favourite treat)
Something from nature — fallen leaves, dried herbs, or seeds
Three-Night Ancestor Dinner
Light your altar candle before your meal
Set an extra place or simply take a quiet moment to speak their name
Share a memory or story aloud. Invite their strength into your life
Close the evening with a few deep breaths and a word of thanks
Cemetery Visit (Optional)
Walk slowly, breathe deeply
Leave a flower, stone, or whisper of love
Reflect on the gift of being alive — and the mystery of what comes next
Talking to Children About Samhain
Children often connect with Halloween through costumes and spooky stories. But Samhain offers something quieter, and in many ways, more meaningful.
You might say:
“Samhain is a time when we remember the people and pets we’ve loved who aren’t here anymore. We light candles and tell stories to show them we still love them. It’s like sending a message to their spirit.”
You can invite children to:
Choose a photo or draw a picture for the altar
Help set an extra place at the dinner table
Share a memory, funny story, or loving thought
This gives them a chance to explore loss gently, lovingly — not through fear, but through connection. Samhain doesn’t have to be scary. It can be sacred. It can be safe. It can be beautiful.
Curious About Northern Hemisphere Traditions?
If you’re feeling drawn to explore more, here are a few traditional Samhain practices from the Northern Hemisphere you might enjoy learning about or weaving into your own rituals:
Dumb Supper
A silent meal held in honour of the dead, where guests eat in silence and set a place for their ancestors. Many say that in the quiet, messages or memories may arise.
Carving Turnips (Before Pumpkins!)
In Ireland and Scotland, people originally carved faces into turnips, placing candles inside to ward off spirits. This eventually evolved into the modern jack-o’-lantern using pumpkins.
Soul Cakes and Door-to-Door Blessings
Before trick-or-treating, people would go door-to-door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for soul cakes — small round pastries. It was a way of blessing both the living and the dead.
Burying Apples for Wandering Spirits
Apples were seen as sacred fruits of the otherworld. People would bury them along roadsides or graveyards as offerings for spirits making their way home.
Bonfires and Divination Games
Large communal bonfires were lit for protection and release. People often burned herbs or symbolic items and played divination games — especially involving apples, fire, or mirrors — to see what the year ahead might bring.
Final Words: The Flame in the Dark
Samhain is often called the “dark sabbat,” but to me, it’s one of the most luminous. Because when we remember our dead, we remember love. And when we walk through our grief with tenderness, we realise just how lucky we were to love so deeply.
So let the veil thin.
Let the shadows stretch long.
And let us welcome the ancestors home — even just for a night.
Blessed Samhain,
Angela
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