Join us to celebrate the evening of Samhain in the magical surroundings of the Great Roundhouse at Butser Ancient Farm. Between 7-10pm you will enjoy professional storytelling from Jonathon Huet of Walk with Trees and a bar with local ales, mead and soft drinks.

Samhain is a Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, or the ‘darker half’ of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This falls about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. 

Like  Beltain, Samhain was seen as a liminal time when the boundary between this world and the next could be crossed more easily, and this meant the spirits and fairies could more easily come into our world. These fairies needed to be propitiated to ensure the people and their livestock survived the winter, so offerings of food and drink were left outside for them. The souls of the dead were also thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality, so feasts were arranged at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and places set at the table for them. 

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