Australians are set to spend a record $500 million on Halloween this year — for Festival that technically should take place in April! The overtly commercialised and Americanised version of Halloween is billed as candy filled bags of loot and plastic masks of the ghoulish variety. So if Halloween fancy dress isn’t your jam; then here’s more meaningful take on All Hallow’s Eve or Samhain, as it’s traditionally known.

SO WHAT IS SAMHAIN?

Hallowe’en or 'Samhain' (pronounced SOW-win) as Celts called it, was first and foremost a celebration of the end of harvest time; livestock and humans returned in doors and the beginning of the dark half of the calendar year began. Naive Irish speakers will know that the calendar months of May and November are called Beltaine and Samhain respectively. Many will know these terms on the Wheel of the Year calendar. Witches know these markers along with Lunusa and Imbolc as Great Sabbaths. These four power points are Midpoints or Culminating points of a given season - Samhain occurs between the Fall Equinox and Yule (Winter Solstice) in N. Hemisphere. So technically Halloween’s is celebrated in Autumn — not Spring the season before folks in the S.Hemipsheres. See other posts for over view of Samhain and the more seasonal appropriate festival of Beltaine for S.Hemisphere readers wishing to celebrate at this time of year. Plus my thoughts on the use of Celtic calendar downunder.

The Sindevalval by Hans Sebald Beham via Rijksmuseum. Public domain 1.0

FRUITS OF THE DEAD

Samhain commences Shadow time and remembrance of ancestors. Long before the morphed commercialized version of Halloween, seasonal fruits were used as a significant offering to ancestors past and meals prepared for the afterlife on Hallow’s Eve. It was apples, nuts and autumn fruits that graced tucker bags as the treats of the day. And it was the Celts, that chose the humble apple (not pumpkins) as their symbolic fruit of choice - 'Samhain' was known as the 'Feast of Apples'.

Back on 2017 after Storm Ophelia, days before Halloween on 27 Oct, the home of apple cider making ‘Bulmers’, in Clonmel in Co. Tipperary, Ireland; woke to find an actual Feast of Apples carpeting the entire orchard floor. The folk names for apples is Fruit of the Gods or Fruit of the Underworld. It’s said with a staff fashioned from an Apple branch, complete with bud, flower and fruit -all at once - the bough bestowed Cormac (Ireland’s High King) with the power to transcend to the Celtic Otherworld or Tír na nÓg. This talismanic charm was known as the Silver Bough. And perhaps the Snake with an Apple in its mouth thats so often depicted of Adam & Eve imagery in the Garden of Eden, is another folklore reference. Samhain also occurs in the sign of Scorpio, and the snake is association to spiritual awakenings, and death and rebirth themes.

CROSS CULTURAL SYNERGY

Given the current backdrop of warfare, the following symbolic reference to the humble Apple seems on point. If your bandwidth for mainstream news is at a low then this little simple offering is magically subtle. It’s fair to say the goal for Peace atm is uber palpable. And the humble Apple maybe just the ticket to illustrate the desire. An ‘Apple’ is called 苹果 píng guǒ in Chinese. ‘Apple’ in Chinese sounds the same as 平 píng, meaning ‘peace, calm’ therefore a humble apple is a hidden wish for peace. My table is decked with Apples at the moment.

A studded apple with cloves is called a pomander, a love token - symbolic of enduring love. At Hallowe’en since the fruit is seasonally abundant folk oft practiced Love magic. Such as Barnbracks; a teacake make with preserved fruits including apples, was traditionally baked at this time - which included various wrapped tokens including a ring, hidden inside. The first single lady of the household to find the ring token in her slice, was said to marry next.

Clove Apples; is also a Kurdish tradition that spans parts of modern Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. I’ve read folklore accounts that the preserved apples also served as peace offerings! A few years ago I reviving that tradition and fashioned my own. Coincidentally cloves are said to bring comfort to those bereaved.

In a few days time we begin November, and kick start ‘Pomegranate’ month in the Chinese calendar . The common name for Pomegranate, is Crathage Apple! While in Ancient Greece the jeweled burgundy delight was considered the fruit of the dead. It was associated with the Persephone and Hades myth. Persephone’s consumption of just six red seeds led to her spending half the year locked in the land of the dead.

CROSS CULTURAL ANCESTRAL CUSTOMS

While in China, the cultural customs of ancestral veneration occurs numerous times throughout any given year, but Qing Ming is a National day of veneration where various religious symbols of ritual purity, such as pomegranate or willow branches are hung up to ward against evil spirits. Qing Ming is the 5th solar term, which is the opposing solar term that folks downunder experience around the Oct period!

In the Chinese zodiacal calendar we’re currently in the month of the Dog, Chen 戌' - which is known as the Guardian in the Chinese Zodiac. Ancient Asian artists symbolically depicted seasons, by denotes specific animals/birds with natural Floura or Fauna. Dog month’s seasonal expression pairs a Canine with Pomegranates, which are equally as significant to the Chinese folk, as they are to Greeks - parables of death and rebirth. During Dog month another important lunar festival occured on 29 Oct 2025, called ‘Double Ninth Festival’, which also venerates ancestors at this time.

Back in ancient times, Ireland’s burial mounds, such as the Mound of the Hostages, a 5,000 year old burial tomb in County Meath, had their doorways opened and with torches lit on the nights of Samhain, so ancestors could find their way home. The aforementioned Mound, like other Celtic burial mounds deploy Archaeoastronomy alignments, where the rising sun shines down the passageway twice a year, illuminating the inner chamber. The specific time of illumination is on the mornings of Samhain and another festival marker, that of Imbolc. The practice of lighting the way for ancestors alludes to the roots of Hallowe’en costumes. Disguising oneself in a mask or costume was thought to avoid detection from evil spirits that could also pass between the veils.

Mound of Hostages, Ireland by August Schwerdfeger via wiki commons CC4.0

MAGIC & RITUAL

Moons and Magic are never far from a ‘witch’s mind’ - midnight is known as witching hour. Labels aside, it’s commonplace for many, let’s say ‘conventionally minded folk’ to partake in a ritual of sorts on significant Calendar markers. Moon’s current phase (30 Oct 2025) is waxing, increases toward a Full Moon on 6 Nov. Depending on phase, either invoking or banishing rituals will denotes the scene, theme and intention. Rituals can be the simple act of lighting a candle for an Ancestor. If you’ve already established an ancestral altar, then make sure it’s cleaned and ready for veneration. Altar placements are very specific, especially in Feng Shui terms - they can follow general directions or more specific calculations or auspicious sectors - if you need advise on the best location on your floorplan, or according to your Auspicious directions - email me for advice. Or follow Wicca guidelines, or spirit house corners as practiced in Thailand.

Apple orchard by Paul VanDerWerf via Flickr CC02.

Wise Wicca folk are sure to adorn their seasonal altars with a bounty of apples - said to represent an old soul and homage to Venus, if romantic vibes are intended. A waxing Luna alludes to incantations of invoking and enhancing - if undertaken in the right practitioner’s hands. In fact during Samhain rituals, wicca folk will conduct spells in a specific direction. Sunwise is called doesil, (clockwise, in N. H) and a common direction for spell work. But when banishing or at Samhain the direction shifts against the Sun, Ayenward - widdershuns, which is counterclockwise, in the N.H. In the S.H the natural path of the sun is counterclockwise (widdershuns), so this wicca practice is reversed. Note also on October 31st in the S.H the Festival of Beltaine is observed.

For the novice, there’s the simple ritual, magical use of an apple - cut the fruit in three, rub an area of the body that needs freeing from an illness or requires healing; with each piece of apple. Afterward discard the apple pieces in the ground to rid oneself of the illness. If you’re a skilled talisman/amulet maker then the wood of the apple tree makes an excellent longevity charm or magically imbued wand. Noting the night of the 31st is a Thursday and falls under the planet ruler ship of Jupiter, but night of Mars. You can imbue more astro magic, by layering in Planetary hours.

Those favouring the Pomegranate for spell work, will note it falls under the rulership of Mercury. The fruit is typically used for wealth and good luck spells, and it’s juice represents blood. The waxing moon could aid in wealth charms or amulet. Or else pop a pomegranate branch over the door to prevent evil and protect one’s home.

Whichever cross-quarter festival you’re celebrating - Samhain or Beltaine. Seasonal best wishes. ⌘

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