Samhain (usually pronounced “SOW-in”) is celebrated from sunset on 31 October into 1 November. It’s an old Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, and it has become an important date in many modern witchcraft and Pagan traditions.
It’s also where much of the atmosphere around Halloween comes from. The costumes and pumpkins are later additions, but the older tradition is rooted in the changing season, the coming darkness and remembering those who have died.
You don't need a huge altar to mark Samhain. A whole table is lovely, but a shelf, mantelpiece or corner of a windowsill can work just as well. What matters more is that you've chosen the space deliberately and filled it with things that mean something to you.
If you're putting one together for the first time, don't feel that you need to buy everything on a traditional checklist. A candle, something from the autumn harvest and a photograph or keepsake of someone you're remembering can be enough.
This guide takes you through the setup, from choosing the right spot to closing the altar down after 1 November.
Gathering your bits and pieces for a Samhain altar? Orders are dispatched within 1 to 2 working days, then delivered by tracked UK post in 2 to 5 working days, so allow up to seven working days if you need everything by 31 October. Delivery is £4.99, or free on orders over £40.
Where to set up your Samhain altar
Choose somewhere you can leave your altar undisturbed for a few days. A shelf, mantelpiece, side table or deep windowsill are all good options.
If you have cats or young children, put it somewhere out of reach. A beautiful altar isn't much use if the candle gets knocked over or the offerings become an impromptu midnight snack.
Some traditions associate the west with sunset, endings and the dead, so you may choose to face your altar that way. But don't get too hung up on direction. If west isn't practical in your home, set it up somewhere you can comfortably sit with it. That matters far more.
Give the surface a good clean before you begin. If you like to cleanse the space with smoke, a Dragon’s Blood Sage Smudge Stick (£16.75) fits nicely with the darker, autumnal feel of Samhain.
How to set up a Samhain altar
There's no single correct way to arrange an altar. Start with the things that matter most to you and build around them.
Start with a cloth
An altar cloth immediately makes a small space feel intentional, as well as protecting the surface from wax and ash.
Black is an obvious choice for Samhain, but deep red, purple, orange and dark green all work beautifully too.
The Life, Death and Rebirth Altar Cloth (£5) is particularly suited to the occasion. It's 50cm square, made from cotton with a fringed edge, and the design centres around the cycle of life, death and renewal.
If you have more room to cover, the Ancient Witch Tarot Reading Cloth (£5) is 75cm square. You can also browse the full altar cloths collection if you want something more decorative.
Add a candle
One candle is plenty. You don't need to turn the altar into a wall of flames.
Candles have a natural place on a Samhain altar, whether you're using one as a seasonal light, dedicating it to someone you're remembering or simply creating a warm focal point as the evenings get darker.
The Ancient Witch Ritual Candles (£15.99 to £16) are 24cm tall and have imagery pressed into the wax. Three designs work especially well for Samhain:
- Ravens' Remedy has raven imagery and a lavender and fennel fragrance, with a theme of peace and harmony. The raven is often associated with mystery, transition and the unknown, making this a thoughtful choice if you're setting up an altar in memory of someone.
- Gothic Garden combines skulls and roses with a theme of cleansing, release and transformation. It's probably the most obviously gothic of the three.
- Raven’s Remedy is the quieter of the two, and comes gift-boxed with a ritual spell card.
If you'd rather use an intention candle, the Cleansing Magic Spell Candle (£14) contains white jasper and has a sage and peppermint fragrance. It burns for around 50 hours. The Cleansing candle (£14), with white jasper, sage and peppermint, is another good option if you're using Samhain as a chance to let go of the old year.
Bring in some incense
Incense changes the whole feel of an altar, particularly once the lights are low.
For a Samhain evening, darker and warmer fragrances tend to work well: dragon's blood, myrrh, frankincense, patchouli, cinnamon and apple.
Aromatika Dragon’s Blood sticks are £1.50 a pack, with around 20 sticks per pack and a burn time of roughly half an hour per stick. Apple & Cinnamon Incense Sticks are £1.49 and bring a much more obviously autumnal scent.
If you prefer resin, Dragon’s Blood Ritual Resin Sticks are £3 and burn on their own stick rather than a charcoal disc.
For something a little easier, the Frankincense & Myrrh Backflow Cones (£20.49) give you a 500g bag of roughly 225 cones.
And then there's backflow incense, which is hard to beat for atmosphere. Dragon’s Blood Backflow Cones (£20.49) used with the Skull in Hand Backflow Burner (£18.99) send the smoke down through the skull and into the base. The Weeping Skull Burner (£21.99) gives a similar dark-season effect.
These are decorative pieces as much as practical burners, so they're especially good if the altar is going to stay up for a while.
Add a few crystals
Samhain is a good excuse to bring out the darker stones in your collection.
Obsidian, smoky quartz, labradorite and black onyx all fit naturally with themes of protection, grounding, reflection and the unknown. You don't need one of everything. One meaningful stone can look better than a dozen crystals competing for space.
We'll come back to the individual stones below.
Make room for the people you're remembering
This is the part that gives a Samhain altar its meaning.
Add a photograph, handwritten note, piece of jewellery, letter or another small reminder of someone you've lost. If you don't have a physical keepsake, simply writing their name on a piece of paper is enough.
Some people also put out a favourite food or drink.
The Gold Goddess Offering Plate (£18) makes a lovely centrepiece for this. It's enamelled metal, gold on black, and raised on three legs, so whatever you place on it stands out from the rest of the altar.
Add something from the harvest
Samhain marks the end of the harvest season, so seasonal food makes an easy and inexpensive addition.
Think apples, pumpkins or squash, nuts, pomegranates, bread, dried leaves, herbs or rosemary. You don't need all of them. A couple of apples and a handful of nuts can be enough to give the altar that unmistakable autumn feeling.
The Three Moons Offerings Bowl (£12) is made from mango wood and is a useful size for nuts, herbs, fruit or other small offerings.
Finish with your divination tools
If tarot, pendulums or scrying are already part of your practice, Samhain is a natural time to bring them onto the altar.
You might use them for reflection on the year that's ending, questions about the year ahead, or simply as part of your usual practice.
Samhain colours and what they mean
There isn't a rulebook for Samhain colours, but a few shades come up again and again.
- Black works as the foundation: darkness, winter, protection and the unknown.
- Orange brings in the harvest and the last warmth of autumn.
- Deep red adds warmth and can represent blood, life and connection with ancestors.
- Purple works well for anything connected with intuition, mystery and the unseen.
- Gold and silver make good accents, particularly if you're bringing solar or lunar symbolism into the altar.
A black cloth with a little orange, red or purple and some brass or copper is an easy combination to work with. It looks seasonal without needing to look like a Halloween display.
Samhain crystals
You can choose crystals according to your own practice, but these are some of the stones commonly associated with the themes of Samhain.
Obsidian
Black, glossy and volcanic, obsidian has a natural place on a Samhain altar. It's often associated with protection, truth, reflection and endings.
A Shadow Seer Obsidian Pendulum (£19) puts the same stone to work for divination, which suits the night.
Smoky quartz
Smoky quartz is often chosen for grounding and protection, and its dark colouring makes it an easy fit for an autumn altar.
The Smoky Quartz Obelisk (£18) is 11cm tall, six-sided and translucent. If you want something considerably larger, the Smoky Ghost Quartz Cluster (£48) has smoky quartz with ghost-like inclusions and makes a striking centrepiece.
Labradorite
Labradorite is one of those stones that looks fairly understated until the light catches it. Then you get flashes of blue, green and gold across the grey.
It's often associated with intuition, mystery and the boundary between the known and unknown, which makes it a popular choice for Samhain.
A Madagascar Labradorite Stone (£32), a polished piece from Madagascar, catches the flash of colour the stone is known for and makes a statement on an altar.
Black onyx
Black onyx is another good choice if you want something dark and uncomplicated. It's commonly associated with grounding, strength and protection.
The Black Onyx Rune Set (£15) combines the stone with a divination tool, presented in a printed cotton pouch.
Carnelian, garnet and amethyst
Not every Samhain crystal needs to be black.
Carnelian brings some warmth and colour into the darker months. Garnet has the deep red tone that works particularly well alongside ancestor and harvest symbolism, while amethyst brings a rich purple to the altar.
Add a skull, if that's your style
Skulls are a familiar symbol on Samhain altars because they bring death and remembrance into the design without needing much explanation.
A carved crystal skull can work particularly well.
The Calcite Geode Carved Skull (£15.50) is carved from a natural geode, with crystal formations running through the stone, so each one has its own appearance.
Samhain incense and scents
If you're choosing incense specifically for the season, these are the easiest fragrances to start with:
- Dragon's blood – dark, resinous and often associated with protection and strength. Aromatika Dragon’s Blood sticks are £1.50, while Dragon’s Blood Backflow Cones are £20.49 for a 500g bag.
- Myrrh – earthy and resinous, with longstanding associations with mourning, ritual and remembrance. Frankincense & Myrrh Backflow Cones are £20.49 for a 500g bag.
- Frankincense – another classic resinous scent, often used in cleansing and ritual settings. Tribal Soul Frankincense sticks are £1.50.
- Apple and cinnamon – warmer and sweeter, with a distinctly autumnal feel. Apple & Cinnamon sticks are £1.49.
If you're burning resin, you'll need the right burner and charcoal. For something simpler, incense sticks are perfectly good.
You can find more options in our incense holders and burners, resins and powders and wider incense collection.
Creating an ancestor altar and trying a dumb supper
Some people make the ancestor part of Samhain the main focus and keep a separate space specifically for people who have died.
It doesn't need to be elaborate. A photograph, candle and offering of food or drink can be enough.
One tradition you might come across is the dumb supper. An extra place is set at the table for the dead, a small portion of the meal is served, and the meal is eaten in silence.
It's a simple idea, but it can be surprisingly powerful. You don't have to recreate it exactly as someone else does it. If the thought of sharing a quiet meal with the people you're remembering feels meaningful, adapt it to suit your own practice.
For a drink offering, the Antique Copper Ritual Chalice with Triple Moon (£16.50) has an aged finish that works beautifully on an ancestor altar. The Iron Ritual Goblet with Pentagram (£24.99) is heavier and more substantial, standing 20cm tall.
Cider, wine or water can all be used as offerings, depending on what feels appropriate to you.
A bell can also be a lovely way to mark the beginning and end of your time at the altar. The Triple Moon Altar Bell (£14.29) is solid brass, 10.5cm tall and has a clear chime.
Divination on Samhain night
Samhain is traditionally associated with divination and the unseen, so it's a popular time to get the tarot cards out or spend some time with a pendulum or scrying tool.
You don't need to make the reading overly complicated. A single question about the coming year can be more useful than a huge spread you're trying to interpret at midnight.
Tarot
Try a single card for the year ahead, or use a spread you're already comfortable with.
Requiem Arcana (£9.95) is a 78-card deck with a guidebook and artwork that combines macabre imagery with something much more beautiful, making it particularly suited to the season.
The Witch Tarot (£28.60) has purple foil detailing and comes with a guidebook. If you'd rather not read for yourself, you can also try our free tarot reading.
Pendulum
Pendulums are useful when you want to ask straightforward yes-or-no questions.
The Smoky Quartz Pendulum (£5) is an inexpensive option with a grounding feel. The Shadow Seer Pendulum (£19) combines an obsidian globe with a double-terminated clear quartz point and is a more substantial piece.
You can browse our pendulums and runes for more options.
Scrying
For a quieter kind of divination, dim the lights, light your candle and spend some time looking into a crystal ball.
The 80mm Crystal Ball on Stand (£11.50) is a manageable starting point. The 100mm Crystal Ball (£26.99) gives you more surface area and makes a stronger centrepiece.
Both are made from K9 optical glass, with more sizes available in our crystal balls collection.
A simple Samhain ritual
You don't need a complicated ceremony. If you'd like a basic structure for the evening, try this:
- When it gets dark, ring your altar bell once.
- Light your candle and incense.
- Spend a few minutes thinking about the people you're remembering. Say their names if you want to.
- Place your offering on the altar.
- Do a tarot pull, pendulum reading or another form of divination if that's part of your practice.
- Sit quietly with the candle for a while. When you're ready to finish, thank the people you're remembering and ring the bell again.
That's really all you need.
If you enjoy working with the moon, you can also check our moon calendar before the evening and incorporate the current lunar phase into your practice.
What to do with your Samhain altar afterwards
You don't have to dismantle everything as soon as 1 November arrives.
Some people leave their altar up for several days, particularly if they're using it as an ancestor space. Others prefer to close it on 1 November and put everything away.
For food offerings, use your judgement. Something like fruit or bread can be returned to the earth where appropriate, while anything unsafe for wildlife should go into the normal waste or compost system.
Candles can be extinguished and stored for another ritual, or allowed to burn down on another evening provided they're kept somewhere safe and attended.
Crystals can stay out through November if you like. Photos and keepsakes can either be returned to their usual places or left on a smaller ancestor altar.
If setting up your Samhain altar has made you want a permanent one, our guide to setting up your first altar is a good place to go next.
You can also read our guide to a Halloween that survives November, browse our witchy Halloween collection and explore our altar and ritual supplies.
And if you're buying for someone else, our witchy gift guide has plenty of ideas for autumn birthdays and Samhain gifts.
Samhain altar FAQs
What do you put on a Samhain altar?
Start with a few things that have meaning: a cloth, candle, incense, seasonal food and something to remember your ancestors or loved ones by, such as a photograph, keepsake or written name.
You can also add crystals and divination tools such as tarot cards, a pendulum or crystal ball. Black, orange, deep red and purple are popular colours, but there isn't a fixed colour scheme you have to follow.
When should I set up my Samhain altar?
Many people set theirs up a day or two before 31 October so it's ready for sunset.
Samhain is commonly observed from sunset on 31 October into 1 November. In 2026, 31 October falls on a Saturday, so you can take your time with the evening rather than trying to squeeze everything in after work.
There's no reason you can't leave the altar up for several days afterwards either.
What crystals are good for Samhain?
Obsidian, smoky quartz, labradorite and black onyx all work well with the themes commonly associated with Samhain, particularly protection, grounding, reflection and the unknown.
Carnelian, garnet and amethyst can add warmth and colour.
You only need one. Three stones can make a nice arrangement, but your altar doesn't need to follow a particular number.
What colours are used for Samhain?
Black is probably the most recognisable Samhain colour, alongside orange, deep red and purple.
Black works well for darkness and protection, orange brings in the harvest, red adds warmth and ancestral symbolism, and purple suits themes of intuition and mystery. Gold and silver can be used as smaller accents.
What incense do you burn for Samhain?
Dragon's blood, myrrh and frankincense are popular choices, while apple, cinnamon and patchouli bring a warmer autumn feel.
Myrrh is particularly suited to an altar focused on remembrance. You can burn resin on charcoal for a traditional feel, or use sticks and backflow cones if you want something easier.
How do you pronounce Samhain, and when is it celebrated in the southern hemisphere?
Samhain is commonly pronounced “SOW-in”.
In the northern hemisphere, it's generally observed around 31 October and 1 November. In the southern hemisphere, many people celebrate the seasonal equivalent around 30 April and 1 May, when the seasons are reversed.
