Alright, so Samhain is not October 31st. It’s not Halloween. It’s not All Hallow’s Eve. It’s not the day before November starts. It IS a cross-quarter day meaning it is the day exactly between the Fall Equinox (September 22nd in 2012) and the Winter Solstice (December 21st in 2012). That means that Samhain in 2012 will be on the night of November 5th, 2012 by my back of the envelope calculations.
Now, why is this important? Well, why do you celebrate Samhain? I don’t think it’s because it’s someone’s birthday (e.g. the fake reason for Christmas), it’s not remembering an event (e.g. fake Easter), and it’s definitely not in memory of a person (e.g. MLK day). It’s because it’s supposed to be the day of the year that the veil is thinnest. Why in the world would you celebrate that on the wrong day? It’s not going to be the same date every year for the same reason the solstices aren’t the same date every year. Sigh.
Now, the only other day that I could consider being a good day to celebrate it is on the dark moon nearest the cross-quarter date because the dark moon helps to get through the veil to the other side, so it’s probably a pretty thin line as well.
Magick for the Real World 
October 20, 2012 at 11:58 am
So true! I’m wondering if the Celts originally “celebrated” Samhain as a crossquarter day as well. I guess that would be a no brainer though. Any details?
October 21, 2012 at 7:37 am
Actually, it’s also not just a single day and was traditionally celebrated for up to a couple weeks (it is after all the Irish name for the month of November). There is also no evidence that it was thought of as a “cross-quarter” day, as the Celts did not find the equinoxes and solstices to be all that significant. The cross-quarter thing is likely modern invention so the specific night that it falls on is of no particular significance. In other words November 1st is just as valid as the 5th or any other day. If you really wanted to be picky about it you would time it to the actual harvests in your locality. Off we go to the farmers market!
September 23, 2017 at 4:44 am
idiot…actually
October 21, 2012 at 8:45 pm
oh yeah – this year I learned that about Imbolc &… guess forgot til now ^^; thank you for letting us know~!
October 24, 2012 at 1:51 pm
This is very interesting. I’m not sure what date I’ll be celebrating on this year, or what in fact my celebrations will consist of, but you’ve definitely given me something to think about. My thanks.
October 31, 2012 at 10:22 am
Samhain is when the Sun is in 15 degrees Scorpio!
October 31, 2012 at 12:04 pm
so Samhain is really nov 7th http://www.starcenter.com/calendar.htm
November 1, 2014 at 6:30 pm
Reblogged this on Wolf and Raven.
October 4, 2015 at 12:56 pm
Reblogged this on Intuitive Naturalism ~ Remembering How to Live With the Natural World .
October 4, 2015 at 1:00 pm
I’ve always thought the high day was true to date when the sun reached 15 degrees scorpio. Which generally falls around November 7-8th, much like Winter Solstice generally falls around December 21-22.
I find these discussions important! As many of us choose to energetically tap into the ancient rituals in our own way, I certainly appreciate seeing that more people are discussing the appropriate dates of the high days.
Hurray for internet communications I suppose!
And a blessed Samhain to you all this year ; )
February 5, 2017 at 12:56 am
Maybe.. thatcis whyvitbwas celebrated for a week or so?
The celebrations began on or around what we think of Halloween and ended around the 6/7?… hmmm
September 24, 2017 at 8:31 pm
I know this is my third comment here *I wonder if I can delete the others…?* but personally I’ve found I’ve been celebrating Samhain when it /feels/ correct – there’s just something in me that sings out “tonight’s the night~!” – I noticed it for the pass few years. It was only earlier this year that I finally began my Grimoire so I’ll be sure to make note of it from now on to see if there’s any correlation of sorts
June 21, 2021 at 11:00 pm
I’ve been trying to figure out what evidence is there that the Celts actually calculated, much less intended to celebrate on the cross-quarters. What do we know about the Celts ability to make astronomical calculations? There is debate as to whether the builders of Stonehenge were indeed Celts as many place their arrival as later than Stonehenge, though some have also suggested that the Druid Celts were inspired by the builders of Stonehenge. I have read suggestions that they simply regard the time close to the cross-quarters as the beginning of their seasons, and that they did this when it felt right. It is worth noting that the Chinese and Japanese align their seasons more closely with the cross-quarters, with Spring beginning in late January or early February. Often, for them, the season marks the point just after the coldest part of the year, and gradually warming until the next cross-quarter around May, which they then consider summer.