Widdershin Cottage

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

Long before Halloween, Ireland marked Samhain, a time when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld was believed to grow thin.

Celebrated around the beginning of November, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

It was a time surrounded by customs, superstition and stories of the supernatural.

🔥 Fires were lit as communities gathered to mark the changing season.

🍎 Games involving apples and nuts became part of Samhain celebrations, with some also used for fortune telling.

🥣 Food could be left outside for wandering spirits or the Aos Sí, supernatural beings who were treated with caution and respect.

🎭 People disguised themselves or went from house to house performing in exchange for food, traditions sometimes linked with later Halloween customs.

🔮 Divination was particularly popular. People attempted to discover who they might marry, what the coming year would bring, or even who might not survive it.

Samhain was not simply an ancient version of modern Halloween. It was an important seasonal turning point, wrapped in traditions that evolved over centuries.

And remarkably, echoes of many of those customs can still be found in how Halloween is celebrated in Ireland today.

Which old Samhain tradition do you find most fascinating?

08/17/2026

Tonight, the CAT NIGHTS begin! 🐱 A rather obscure old Irish legend said that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time (August 17), she couldn’t regain her human form. This bit of folklore also gives us the saying, “A cat has nine lives.”

Learn more about Cat Nights and the lore surrounding them! Almanac.com/Cat-Nights 🐱