What is a pagan holiday?

Samhain

Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sah-ween) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It's traditionally celebrated from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st.

Significance: Samhain is considered a liminal time, when the veil between the world of the living and the Otherworld is thin. This makes it a time for remembering the dead and honoring ancestors.

Practices: Traditional practices include:

• Bonfires: Large bonfires were (and still are) lit, often involving rituals believed to protect and cleanse the community. A link to information about bonfires could be placed here: Bonfires
• Divination: Because of the thin veil, divination practices such as scrying and tarot readings are common at Samhain.
• Feasting: Sharing a feast of the harvest's bounty.
• Dressing up: Dressing up in disguise, often to mimic or appease spirits.
• Dumb Suppers: Silent meals to honor and connect with the deceased.

Modern Interpretations: Modern Pagan and Wiccan traditions often celebrate Samhain as a time to honor the Triple Goddess in her Crone aspect and reflect on the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It's also a time for magic and spellcasting.

Here are the links that are used in the format that you requested:

• Otherworld
• ancestors
• scrying
• Triple%20Goddess
• magic