31/10/2025
Samhain is the Gaelic festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, the “darker half” of the year. Celebrated from sunset on 31 October to 1 November, it appears throughout early Irish literature as a liminal time when the veil between worlds thins. Historically, communities gathered for ritual bonfires, mumming and guising, divination with apples and nuts, and to honour ancestors with a place at the table. Many modern customs of Halloween and Allhallowtide echo these rites.
The painting above, The Dance of Death (the Wellcome Collection) reminds us that Samhain is not a morbid festival. It sees death not as an ending, but a transformation: a step in the eternal dance between spirit and form.
To our students and friends: may your Samhain be blessed, protected, and full of quiet wisdom 🌒✨
Blessed Samhain.