Samhain
Ireland.ie, an official Government of Ireland site, describes Samhain as an ancient seasonal observance marking the dark half of the year and says Samhain begins on 1 November, while Halloween is 31 October.
Date and recurrence
Traditionally associated with 31 October / 1 November; Ireland.ie says Samhain begins 1 November
The date is source-dependent or variable. A target-year source is required before assigning it to a calendar.
Scope and status
The verified scope stored for this record is Irish/Celtic seasonal tradition. The site preserves that boundary and does not infer broader government, global or public-holiday status from the observance name alone.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Refresh the target year before publishing a new date when the record is not safely portable.
- Faith Context Respect.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
When is Samhain?
Traditionally associated with 31 October / 1 November; Ireland.ie says Samhain begins 1 November The stored recurrence guidance is: Traditional observance is associated with 31 October / 1 November; exact customary framing depends on tradition.
Does Samhain fall on the same date every year?
It is not safely predictable from a fixed rule; the target year needs a current source.
Is Samhain an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: Irish/Celtic seasonal tradition. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Samhain?
The stored designation basis is: Ireland.ie, an official Government of Ireland site, describes Samhain as an ancient seasonal observance marking the dark half of the year and says Samhain begins on 1 November, while Halloween is 31 October.. Supporting provenance includes Ireland.ie — Ireland, Home of Halloween / Samhain. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Samhain international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this record in the authority dataset. The source-defined scope is: Irish/Celtic seasonal tradition. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-07.