On my personal wheel of the year, I call my autumn cross-quarter festival Liminalia, in acknowledgement of the liminal feeling the world wears at this time.
Inspired by the Irish festival marking the start of winter, this point on the wheel is known as Samhain on the traditional neopagan wheel of the year.
Here's some information about how this seasonal festival looks for me, in my secular, bioregional practice in the south-west of Australia. Feel free to take what resonates with you, and leave anything that doesn't.
Other names: Samhain (Irish & Wiccan/neopagan), ShadowFest, Hallowtide (Christian)
Traditional Date: 31st April (NH: October 31)
2026 Astronomical Date: 5th May (NH: November 7)*
Themes: Honouring and communicating with ancestors and spirits, divination.
Associations
Moon Phase: Waning crescent
Colours: Black, orange, purple, dark green, wine red
Native Botanicals: Banksia, hakea, sheoak, early wattles
Other Botanicals: Allspice, mugwort, nutmeg, poppy, rosemary, sage, wormwood
Incense: Bay, myrrh, nutmeg, rosemary, sage, sandalwood
Crystals: Garnet, haematite, jet, obsidian, onyx
Foods: ANZAC biscuits, apple, hazelnut, pomegranate, pumpkin
As the days get darker and the air cools, many of us naturally start to feel more introspective and reflective. For those of us in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand), ANZAC Day brings and opening to this liminal period of remembrance and reflection; a reminder of those we’ve lost and the legacy they left behind.
By now, most introduced deciduous trees’ leaves have begun to turn and fall. The landscape is dotted with the oranges of banksias in flower, a mirror of the autumnal colours of temperate climates, in floral form.
While I observe most seasonal festivals as a single event, or point in the seasonal flow of the year, I find Liminalia lends itself to a longer period, and consider its energy and lessons from ANZAC Day through to the astrological event.
It’s a time to consider those we’ve lost over the past year, to give some thought to our ancestors and departed loved ones, to reflect upon the closing journey of the solar year, and to begin to prepare for the cooler months — whether they bring you a reprieve from the heat of summer, the SADs (seasonal depression), or both.
Linked & Coinciding Festivals:
- ANZAC Day (Australia & Aotearoa)
- Samhain (Ireland)
- Calen gaef (Wales)
- Hallowtide: Halloween/All Hallows Eve, All Hallows/Saints Day
There are a lot of myths around the history of Samhain and Halloween — largely started by Victorian folklorists who desperately searched for ‘evidence’ for the romantic notion of an enduring Pagan history of European folk practices.
In Irish culture, Samhain marked the start of winter, and was accompanied by feasting. By 800 C.E., Catholic churches in England and Germany were celebrating All Saints Day on 1st November, with All Souls being added on the 2nd in the middle ages. That said, it seems to have long been a liminal time, where folks were protecting themselves from faeries, witches, and goblins.
I highly recommend Ronald Hutton’s Stations of the Sun (1996) for a thorough history of the British ritual year.
How to celebrate Liminalia/Samhain in Australia:
- Spend time outside; What is the Land doing now?
- Open the house and let the energy of the season inside.
- Decorate your home, your altar, or yourself to align with the seasonal energy.
- Prepare a meal that suits the season. Using in-season local produce is an amazing way to connect with the energy of the season if you can!
- Participate in a public ANZAC Day event as a ritual of remembrance with your community.
- A 'Silent Supper' is a modern pagan practice where you invite a departed loved on to join you for a silent meal — is there someone you'd like to invite?
- This is a wonderful time of year for ancestor work and divination.
- Spend some time thinking about, speaking to, or journaling about an ancestor or lost loved one. Remember that ancestors are not only those related to us by blood, but others who've had a significant impact on who we are.
- Whether your energy aligns more with the solar year (which sets and rises at the Winter Solstice) or the calendar year (Jan-Dec), this is a great time to reflect on your goals and plans as we go into the winter season. Will it be an active time for you, or a time of rest? How can you make the best of it either way?
What does Liminalia/Samhain mean to you?
I'd love to hear what this festival looks like for you - especially if you've personalised, localised, or otherwise adapted something unique!
For a little more about my own festival (including my ritual script and some of my favourite seasonal recipes), you can check out my Liminalia zine!
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*: Southern Hemisphere dates based on Perth, WA (GMT+8); Northern Hemisphere dates based on GMT.
Find the date/time based on your location here.