25 Samhain Quotes Celebrating A Spiritual Holiday

By Clifton Sankofa

School Leader, Language Arts Expert & Master Quote Curator

Published June 15, 2023

Get aligned with your spiritual side with our Samhain quotes.

Samhain is a popular holiday celebrated by many Wiccans, Pagans, and Witches.

Learn more about the cyclical nature of time and seasons with our Samhain quotes.

What is Samhain?

Samhain is a holiday whose roots go back to ancient Celtic culture.

Samhain is one of three harvest festivals or sabbats and is acknowledged as an observance that brings in the darker half of the year.

Check out these Samhain facts below:

Samhain is both a religious and spiritual holiday.
Samhain is celebrated differently depending on the culture.
Samhain marks the end of the summer and the beginning of the winter.

What are the Irish origins of Samhain?

Many ancient Celts lived in modern-day Ireland.

Samhain was a holiday celebrated to honor the earth and the spirits who inhabit it.

People would use the holiday as an opportunity to harvest the last of their labor.

The hazelnut was traditionally harvested last, becoming an important symbol of the Samhaim ceremony.

In Irish culture, they believe that during the transitional time of year, the veils between the physical and spiritual world were the thinnest during Samhain.

The barrier between the dead and the living dropped, and spirits could roam the earth and interact with the living physically.

They believed people were more susceptible to supernatural forces such as ghosts, fairies, ghouls, banshees, sprites, or spirits.

Some of these beings are benevolent and seek to play or celebrate, while others are evil and aim to make humans suffer.

To shield themselves from these evil spirits, humans would wear animal skins or put on masks to hide their identities from the spirits.

They would also leave out food to appease the spirits of ancestors and distract ill-intentioned visitors.

Is Halloween the same thing as Samhain?

Well, yes and no.

Halloween has grown to become a holiday where people focus on costumes and candy consumption.

Modern-day Halloween’s roots can be traced back to Samhain.

In the past, ancient Celts wore masks to hide their identity and put out food to appease spirits.

They would congregate together and celebrate their harvests.

Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Times and traditions have changed, but the roots remain the same.

Today, people dress up in costumes and go house to house seeking sweet treats and candy.

Check out our Samhain quotes below to learn more.

Short Samhain pagan autumn quotes

Samhain and autumn go hand in hand for sweeping out old energy and bringing in the new.

1. “Samhain translates prosaically as summer’s end.” — Judika Illes, The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft

2. “At Samhain, the circle of the year has come to its final spoke in the Wheel.” — Diana Rajchel, Samhain

3. “The pagan Samhain is not, and never was, associated with evil or negativity.” — Edain McCoy, The Sabbats

4. “If there’s one day you can really let your inner freaky witch out, it’s on Samhain.” — Gabriela Herstik, Inner Witch

5. “Wiccans believe that the Goddess is in her crone or wise woman phase at Samhain.” — Thea Sabin, Wicca for Beginners

The best Samhain quotes about traditions

These Samhain quotes explore some of the holiday’s traditions.

6. “It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home for the souls of the dead.”— Scott Cunningham, Wicca

7. “Stories of the dead walking the earth at Samhain were the origin of our Halloween ghosts and goblins running wild.” — Christopher Penczak, City Magick

8. “Also known as the witch’s New Year, Samhain celebrates all we’ve accomplished and allows us to do so alongside those who have made it happen: our ancestors.” — Gabriela Herstik, Inner Witch

9. “Witches traditionally associate the feast of Samhain with two specific aspects of deity: the crone (or the hag) and the Lord of Death, who is also the Lord of the Underworld. — Timothy Roderick, Wicca

10. “Practically, a besom [broom] is used at Samhain to sweep away the last of the autumn leaves; but its also used to ritually sweep out old energy and create space for the new.” — Lisa Lister, Witch

The top Samhain quotes about symbolism and customs

Symbolism is a powerful part of the Samhain rituals, and these quotes explore their importance.

11. “Though death is very much a part of Samhain’s symbolism, this sabbat also celebrates the triumph of life over death.” — Edain McCoy, The Sabbats

12. “It is customary to string nine hazelnuts together, tie the ends together, and consecrate it in the smoke of the Samhain fire.” — Sandra Kynes, A Year of Ritual

13. “According to Druidic traditions, prayers, food, and offerings of burning candles to the dead and the Good People (the fae, or Sidhe) were left on doorsteps and on altars at Samhain.” — Ellen Dugan, Seasons of Witchery

14. “On Samhain, the god was in the underworld, regenerating from his summer death, and, in many myths, the goddess descends into the underworld, as marked by the slumber of the earth, to join him.” — Christopher Penczak, City Magick

15. “The hazelnut is associated with Samhain because it is one of the last things to be harvested. The hazel tree itself was revered by the Celtic peoples as a symbol of wisdom and divination.” — Sandra Kynes, A Year of Ritual

Famous Samhain quotes for getting in tune with Spirit

Below are Samhain quotes that reiterate the holiday’s spiritual nature

16. “Samhain is a holiday infused with positive energy and filled with hope for our planet’s future.” — Laurie Cabot, Celebrate the Earth

17. “At Samhain, the sun’s passage through Scorpio marks the true significance of the holiday.” — Corrine Kenner, Cosmic Sway

18. “Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year.” — Mike Nichols, The Witches’ Sabbats

19. “The winter quarter of Samhain brings restoration and renewal, as the cold weather closes in, so the soul is led to more reflective depths.” — Caitlin Matthews, Celtic Devotional: Daily Prayers and Blessings

20. “In the human growth cycle, Samhain corresponds to the period of old age when wisdom, freedom of spirit, and clarity are experienced.” — Caitlin Matthews, Celtic Devotional

Samhain quotes and sayings about blessings and magic

These quotes remind us that Samhain is a time for rejoicing and gratitude.

21. “The magic of Samhain is that of endless possibility. Since we return to the beginning, we can begin anew in any way we wish.” — Michael Furie, Supermarket Sabbats

22. “Southwestern witches sometimes combine features from the Mexican Day of the Dead with Celtic Pagan customs on Samhain.” — Skye Alexander, The Modern Guide to Witchcraft

23. “During the week before Samhain, they go house to house, visiting the altars of friends and relatives, saying prayers and paying respects.” — Skye Alexander, The Modern Guide to Witchcraft

24. “Samhain is a good time to celebrate the lives of all wise elders, all those whose actions and ideas have brought resolution and peace, all holy ones whose sacrifice have brought new life and opened spiritual thresholds to all.” — Caitlin Matthews, Celtic Devotional

25. “With the icy, cold months of Winter about to begin, it is fitting that on every Samhain eve, the Morrighan, one of a triplicity of Celtic Goddesses with the power to give birth to a new land, celebrates Her ritual union with the Dagda, the ‘Good God,’ one of the highest, most illustrious of the Celtic Gods.” — Laurie Cabot, Celebrate the Earth

Do I have to be a Witch, Wiccan, or Pagan to celebrate Samhain?

One of the beautiful parts of the Samhain holiday is its inclusion.

Anybody can celebrate Samhain.

You do not need to be immersed in Pagain spirituality or be a Witch.

Samhain is a holiday steeped in symbolism.

In a very practical sense, it marks the changing of seasons and celebrates the diversity of the Earth’s experience.

Seasons change throughout the year just as the seasons of our life change as we grow.

Judy Ann Nock, author of The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year, shared the following:

“The identification of Samhain with the beginning of the New Year comes from the Celtic tradition of each day beginning at sundown. Just as each sabbat festival begins on the eve of the celebrated day, so, too, does the year begin with the advent of winter.”