Samhain is on October 31st, the same date as the mundane holiday of Halloween and the Catholic holiday of All Saints Eve (prefacing All Saints Day, also called All Hallows Day on November 1st).
This is the final harvest and some late crops such as root vegetables and apples are harvested during this month. In ancient times, this was when animals were slaughtered to prepare them for winter storage and use, so this is sometimes referred to as the “Blood Harvest”.
Ancestors are remembered and honored as the veil between the worlds thins and it is easier to travel between and visit. This is a time for divination and ending things so that a way can be made for new beginnings and introspection as we enter the “dream times”.
The God dies with the harvest and is gone from the world of the living to become ready for his rebirth at Yule. The very pregnant Goddess looks forward to his rebirth at Yule. In the story of Persephone, she is in the underworld to be with her lover Hades during the winter months. Her mother’s loss is evident as the world slips into the cold winter months and its lush ripe growth withers.