4. Set an extra place
Having a formal “dumb dinner”—where one eats in silence and has a place setting for the deceased at the table—on Samhain is a quintessential way to commemorate the dead. “On the night itself, I hold a silent meal to honor those who’ve passed. One extra place is set at the table, with a candle to guide them and a glass of water as an offering. The intentionally prepared meal is eaten in silence, an offering of presence rather than words. In that stillness, memory feels closer, the air weighted with recognition and grace,” states Corbin Chamberlin, founder of the ritual brand Sage & Salt. You can even eat the food backwards to call in your future spouse, like they did in Victorian times.
5. Feast with the spirits
Satisfying the spirits’ thirst for energy and attention shows them that we know they are another form of life force that requires fuel. Marshall WSL, author of Cunning Words: a Grimoire of Tales and Magic, suggests having a feast for the spirits to “satiate their hunger for life and experience.” He says to offer a plate of dark bread to the spirits and a glass of red wine and say the following words:
Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain! Happy All Hallows’ Eve! The dead are alive, the veil is thin, we don masks to deceive. A liminal time, the witches’ new year, high magic do we weave. The devil dances, the Witch mother does sing, all one must do is believe. We break the bread, we sip the wine, hallowed blessings we receive. And for the spirits, of above and below, an offering we leave.
6. Offer sweets
Speaking of offerings, there are plenty of traditional Samhain treats which, traditionally, were used as “an acknowledgment and a way to give thanks for the abundance you receive throughout the year,” says writer, death doula, and tarot reader Marguerite Recupero, who therefore recommends baking “bread or offer sweet treats to your ancestors in thanks.”
In Ireland, this was done by baking a loaf of Barmbrack bread, or “speckled fruit loaf,” which was also used to fortune-tell with a variety of charms such as rings (foretelling marriage), coins (foretelling abundance), cloth (foretelling bad luck), and dried peas (foretelling singledom) baked into the bread. In Medieval England, when Samhain merged with All Saints\’ Day thanks to the Catholic Church, soul cakes were given out to “soulers” who went door-to-door in an early version of trick-or-treating.
