30/10/2026
Samhain, Halloween, All Souls’ Day… whatever you call this time of year.
Across different cultures and traditions, this season has long been associated with death, remembrance and the changing relationship between the living and those who have gone before us.
In Celtic traditions, Samhain marks the turning of the year towards winter. It was a time to recognise the final harvest, prepare for the colder months and, in some traditions, honour the dead. In the Christian calendar, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day offer their own opportunities to remember the departed. In Mexico, Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead) is a beautiful celebration of loved ones keeping their memories alive. Different traditions, different customs, but a familiar human thread running through them all: love doesn’t simply end because someone is no longer here.
Many people speak of feeling their loved ones walking alongside them around now, more keenly than they might during the rest of the year. Whether you understand that spiritually, through memory, or simply as the way grief and love make themselves known, there’s something rather beautiful about making space for those connections.
Some gather with their communities, share stories and celebrate. Others quietly curate a heartfelt altar with photographs, treasured belongings and candles. Perhaps you tell the same old stories, or simply sit for a while and remember.
There’s no right way to honour someone.
Light that candle or dance around the kitchen with their favourite songs playing far too loudly.
The beautiful autumn leaves, with their stunning shades of gold, copper and russet, are a gentle reminder that we’re stepping into winter now. Nature is beginning to slow down, let go and turn inward. Perhaps we can take a little inspiration from that, too.
As the veil thins and the wheel turns, gather your ancestors close, honour those who came before you and remember the loved ones who are still part of your story, even if no longer earthside
