As the last of the harvest comes in and the fields begin to rest for winter, the energy shifts. The air feels heavier, the nights stretch longer. You can feel it – the turning of the year!

Samhain (pronounced sOW-in) marks the end of the harvest season and the start of the darker half of the year. It’s an ancient Celtic festival – the root of what eventually became Halloween – and for those who live by the land, it still feels deeply relevant. It’s a time to honor those who have passed, reflect on the year gone by and prepare for the season of rest.

Looking to host a unique harvest festival that’s not all pumpkins and cider? Here are a few simple ways to celebrate Samhain on your farm, either just by yourself or with visitors that you invite in:

1) Set up an ancestor space.

Create a small altar with photos or items that remind you of loved ones who’ve passed – family, friends, even fellow farmers who came before. Light a candle. Say their names. Thank them.

2) Leave an offering.

Traditionally, you’d leave a bit of food out for spirits and ancestors. On the farm, you might offer some of your last harvest, a cup of cider or a piece of bread under a tree or near your compost pile. It’s a gesture of respect – to the land and to everything unseen.

3) Reflect.

Samhain is like the Pagan New Year. Think back on your season: What worked? What didn’t go as planned? What are you carrying forward with you? What can you let go of?

4) Light a fire.

Whether it’s a bonfire or just a candle on the porch, fire honors the season and gives us light as the dark nights get longer. It’s a beautiful way to mark the transition. In with the good, out with the bad.

Fire can tie into reflection as well. You can host an event where folks write what they want to let go of from the previous year on small slips of paper which are then tossed into a bonfire.

Many of our modern traditions harken back to rituals and observances our ancestors practiced centuries (perhaps even millennia) ago. Remember that the Christmas trees we put in our homes every December were influenced by ancient Egyptian, Roman and Druidic practices. And the Easter bunny is often associated with the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, deity of spring and fertility.

Samhain doesn’t need to be complicated or overly mystical. Don’t overthink it if you want to celebrate it. If you feel called to it, trust that.

The land already teaches us to move with the seasons. Samhain is just one more way to do so.

by Becky Mauk & Kenza Boussalham