Here are some suggestions for ways of celebrating Samhainn:

Doing it Scottish style

• If possible, avoid going out on Samhainn eve to avoid attracting unwanted attention - this is especially the case after midnight when the good folk are said to be most active. A small cross of rowan tied with red thread, carried in the pocket, can help guard the traveller from harm if necessary.
• Then of course there's guising - going out in disguise is supposed to confound the spirits. Traditionally children didn't trick or treat, but they did (and still do in Scotland) entertain in exchange for treats. This can be in the form of a song, a joke, a poem, or any kind of performance piece. The trick comes in when the guiser is refused a treat or feels the host is being too stingy.
• Light the Samhnag (Samhainn bonfire) - or flame if that’s not possible - at dusk on Samhainn eve. Torches of heather, lit from the fire/flame can be carried around the boundary of the property to ward against evil influences. Ash from the fire can also be spread around your property for the same purpose and to ensure fertility in the coming year.
• Carve a turnip lantern (or more if you want).
• Make a feast for Samhainn eve, preferably with lots of friends around for feasting and merriment…Gingerbread, crowdie, colcannon, mashed potatoes, cakes, apples, nuts, cabbage and any other seasonal produce are all appropriate foods to incorporate into the feast - see Samhainn recipes.
• Try some Samhainn divination during or after the feasting.
• Leave an offering and libation of the feast to the gods and ancestors.
• Make the bonnach Samthain for breakfast on Samhainn morning.
• On the eve of November 1, leave out some food and drink for the dead with a place set for them just before you retire to bed, since it is said that they roam freely on this night and may want to visit their friends and family. Make sure you offer them the appropriate hospitality.
• Candles can also be lit on the hearth, to honour those who have recently passed, as well as your ancestors.

 See also: Entries tagged with Samhainn

Celebrating Irish-style

• If possible, avoid going out on Samhainn eve to avoid attracting unwanted attention - this is especially the case after midnight when the good folk are said to be most active. A black handled knife carried in the pocket can offer protection to the traveller if necessary.
• Carve a turnip lantern (or more if you want).
• Light the Samhainn bonfire - or flame if that’s not possible - at dusk on Samhainn eve. Ash from the fire can be spread around your property for the same purpose and to ensure fertility in the coming year.
• Make a feast, preferably with lots of friends around for feasting and merriment…Colcannon in a big dish with a well of butter in the middle for dipping, eaten communally, is a popular dish in Ireland. Stampy (a kind of sweet potato-cake), boxty (like stampy but made from mashed potato instead of shredded), oatcakes, pancakes, dumplings, apple-cake, blackberry pie/puddings and any other seasonal produce are all appropriate for the occasion.
• During or after the feasting, try some Samhainn divination.
• Make the Samhainn Parshell cross and fix above the door for protection in the coming year. Take two straight sticks and bind them together with plenty of straw across the middle, until only about an inch of wood is left bare for each arm. The Parshell should be replaced each year, with the old Parshell being moved to another part of the house, outhouses or (in this modern age) perhaps even the car. Alternatively, old Parshells can be burnt in the bonfire.
• Leave an offering of the feast with a libation to the gods and ancestors, or some traditional porridge can be left out in a shallow hole dug in the ground.
• On the eve of November 1, leave out some food and drink for the dead with a place set for them just before you retire to bed, since it is said that they roam freely on this night and may want to visit their friends and family. Make sure you offer them the appropriate hospitality.
• Candles can also be lit on the hearth, to honour those who have recently passed, as well as your ancestors.