Known today as Halloween, Samhain ( pronounced: sow-een ) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year.

Samhain (like Beltane) was seen as a time when the "door" to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings, to come into our world. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them. It has thus been likened to a festival of the dead. People also took steps to protect themselves from harmful spirits, which is thought to have led to the custom of guising. Divination was also done at Samhain.