27/10/2026
Discussion: What are Samhain and Yule?
Lincolnshire's first Samhain Yuletide Fayre is this Sunday, so here is an introduction to the meanings and traditions behind Samhain and Yule.
Before Christianity came to Britain, our ancestors lived their lives by following the seasons, celebrating the dance of planting and harvesting, growth and rest, light and dark. What was once a festival named after the goddess Eostre became Easter and Yule became known as Christmas. Their calendar turned from the spark of new light at Yule, through the first signs of spring, the blooming of summer, the gathering of autumn and the quiet turning inwards of Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"). The modern Wheel of the Year is an evolution of these early festivals; its eight spokes include the equinoxes and solstices, reminding us of nature's own soft, steady rhythm, that every ending is also a beginning.
Samhain is an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, traditionally celebrated from the evening of 31st October into the 1st November. In Britain, it was a time when communities gathered around giant bonfires, prepared for the darker months and believed the boundary between the living and the spirit world grew thin. Today many Pagans honour it as a quiet, reflective festival of remembrance- lighting candles for ancestors, sharing food and giving thanks for the year's gifts. Its lanterns and storytelling helped shape the Halloween we all know.
Yuletide (or Yule) is the mid-winter festival of the Winter Solstice, falling around the 21st of December, when the longest night of the year gives way to the slow return of the light. Rooted in the Norse traditions of Northern Europe, it was a time of feasting, evergreen decorations and burning of the Yule log (a wooden log, not today's chocolate log, but yes, this is where the tradition comes from), to keep hope and warmth alive through the cold of winter. Modern Pagans celebrate by bringing evergreens indoors, sharing meals and welcoming the rebirth of the sun. Many pagan traditions are echoed at Christmas, with the customs surrounding greenery, light and gathering prevalent today.
Our Samhain blends the reflective beauty of late autumn with the hopeful warmth of mid-winter, celebrating the quiet close of harvest and the thinning veil between this world and that of our ancestors. Our Yuletide welcomes the return of light at the darkest point of the year. This combination creates a festive fayre with a lot of soul and an abundance of wonder.
Come for the Christmas spirit, stay for the deeper magic of the season!
Here are some of the fabulous things you might find at our fayre, crafted by: This&That, Hotchi-Witchi Candle House, Taylor Made, Reading Under The Covers, Sparkles, Strings and Sails, Cat's Punky Stuff and Amandas Creations
Full details on the attached event poster
1st November, North Kyme Village Hall, LN4 4DL
