The Rambling Writer: Samhain and the Days of the Dead

The wheel of the year turns toward winter, and the veil thins between the living and the dead.

(updated for 2025)

We honor the Mexican Days of the Dead, as we honor Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain, on the cusp of the season when traditionally the veil between the worlds thins and the presence of the dead can be felt. The earth’s turning toward dark winter sparks a last explosion of leaf color paving our local trails here in the Pacific Northwest. A time to wonder where the path leads.

Many people observe this turning by asking advice of departed souls. And in Mexico, the spirits are not frightening — witness the celebrations for Dia de los Muertos (actually 2 or 3 days) when the spirits of loved ones visit to impart advice or prayers. Families picnic in the cemetery, build shrines with offerings and mementos, and tend the graves of loved ones. Cultures worldwide have similar celebrations.

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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is Pause, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award and an International Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky).  It’s also a love letter to the stunning beauty of her native Pacific Northwest. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com