Halloween is a holiday observed on the evening of 31st October in North America and many areas of Europe. Symbolically associated with death and the supernatural, Halloween falls on the eve of All Saints' Day (also known as Allhallows or Hallowmass) and is actually a holy day within the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. It was originally a pagan festival of the dead but the Roman Catholic church established All Saints' Day in the 9th century to honor Christian saints. All Souls' Day (also established by the Roman Catholic church but in the 10th century) is very closely linked to Halloween. Held on November 2nd, All Souls' Day is observed to help purify the spirits/souls of the dead. Historically, Halloween is related to many similar folk holidays around the world.

The majority of Halloween festivities are based on traditional folklore concerning supernatural forces and spirits of the dead. Typically Halloween decorations feature imagery associated with supernatural beings such as witches, werewolves, vampires, and ghosts etc. Black cats, bats, and spiders are also commonly featured in Halloween and are thought to symbolize bad omens.

Probably the most popular Halloween custom (certainly in North America) is for children to dress in costume and to then go trick-or-treating. The threat of "trick" is ceremonial nowadays but in times gone past houses were actually vandalized! Still hugely popular today in North America most children are now accompanied by parents for safety reasons. Halloween is not celebrated in the same way in Europe. Although big business there would love trick-or-treating to catch on (after all they make a lot of profit on candy) it has failed to do so.

But what is Halloween to the modern-day Witch? It's a Sabbat. Other names for this Sabbat include Samhain, Shadowfest, Martinmas and Old Hallowmas. Samhain is the Celtic name for this Sabbat. This is the night where the division that separates the physical world from the spiritual world is at its thinnest. Loved ones who have passed on, ancestors and spirits in general are easiest to contact on this night. Divination is at its very best on this day and scrying into fire or glass is a good way of contacting the the other side. Spirits will help you in divination. It is an Irish-Wiccan custom to place black candles in the windows for protection against evil spirits and to leave plates of food out for the spirits who will come and visit you on this night. The Crone is called upon during this night and the dying God is mourned. Beliefs are reaffirmed in the oneness of all spirits and in the knowledge that physical death is not the final chapter.