About this video
Learn together with our annual cycle festivals – expert Christian Zwenig ( https://livingearth.one/profil/1735995595156%C3%97812385147870854800 )
the backgrounds, traditions, and rituals of this annual cycle festival.
The show is hosted by Karin Neumeyer from LIVING EARTH.
On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, we will have the eleventh new moon
(also called dark moon) after the last winter solstice. The ancient Celts celebrated a very important festival at this time of year, which was called Samhain.
It is not exactly known whether the ancestors celebrated the festival of Samhain at full moon or at new moon. The sources provide very different information on this matter.
Samhain was the New Year’s Eve of the Celts.
Our pre-Christian ancestors did not divide the year into four seasons, as is done today.
The year was divided into a year night and a year day. Thus, the year began with the start of the year night, at Samhain. The joyful May festival Beltane (https://deref-gmx.net/mail/client/uKZ2IuAaKx0/dereferrer/?redirectUrl=https%3A%2F%2F49k86.r.sp1-brevo.net%2Fmk%2Fcl%2Ff%2Fsh%2F6rqJfgq8dINmODiGCUcWt446M2E%2FHo7YTV4ENSTg&lm), which represents the beginning of the year day, stands diametrically opposed to Samhain in the annual cycle.
With Samhain, the end of the harvest season is reached. This is another important significance of this annual cycle festival.
The harvest season begins with Lugnasad (https://deref-gmx.net/mail/client/XsG35R8EFH0/dereferrer/?redirectUrl=https%3A%2F%2F49k86.r.sp1-brevo.net%2Fmk%2Fcl%2Ff%2Fsh%2F6rqJfgq8dIPRQg0Pgo24ofC1zLG%2Fj0h7j92Cnmag&lm). Mabon (https://deref-gmx.net/mail/client/R8EbEumf7iM/dereferrer/?redirectUrl=https%3A%2F%2F49k86.r.sp1-brevo.net%2Fmk%2Fcl%2Ff%2Fsh%2F6rqJfgq8dIR6T8IZB7RckGJxceI%2FF841VO17NtbH&lm) marks the middle of the harvest season. Samhain is thus the third and last of three harvest festivals in the annual cycle. From this point on, no herbs, no fruits, no vegetables, no berries, and no roots should be harvested anymore. The fruits of Mother Earth belong to the earth and nature spirits from Samhain onwards.
At Samhain, the ancestors and forebears have been honored since ancient times. It is thus a traditional ancestor festival, which marks both the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the coming winter.
According to Celtic belief, the gate to the Otherworld opens at Samhain. The veils between this world and the afterlife, the boundaries between the world of the living and the realm of the dead are particularly thin at this time, allowing one to be very close to their preceding ancestors. Symbolically, it stands for the farewell to what was, in order to look into the future without burden.
Together with our annual cycle expert MANUELA PANTALEO https://livingearth.one/profil/1684524377691×819752547845157000
we have also created a wonderful course on the ANNUAL CYCLE FESTIVALS.
In this course, you will find even more background knowledge from Manuela,
astrological insights into the time qualities of the festivals from Karin, specially created yoga flows
from Lena, and breathing exercises from Tatjana.
Christian Zwenig:
https://www.prana-touch.at/
Karin Neumeyer:
http://www.livingearth.one
More about Living Earth at:
www.livingearth.one
