The most sacred holiday celebrated throughout the
Wheel of the Year is Samhian. Sometimes referred to as
Halloween, Hallows, Hallowmas, or All Hallows Eve -
the "hollow" in all of these names comes from the
Middle English word that means "holy." The
name "Halloween" means "hallowed evening". The
traditional Celtic name for this night is Samhian
(pronounced something like; 'sow-en'), which may
mean "summer's end" or may be named after Samana, an
Aryan death god who is the Grim Reaper and leader of
the ghosts of our ancestors. The veil between the
worlds of the living and the dead is thinnest on this
night. Celtic tradition says that all those who die
each year must wait till Samhain before crossing into
the spirit world where they will begin their new lives.

At this moment of crossing, the spirit of ancestors
who still have unfinished business in this world may
appear. In ancient times, people who feared the
presence of hostile spirits would attempt to drive
them away with grotesque faces carved on pumpkins lit

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