Although Samhain is over and we are now headed toward Thanksgiving and Yule, I wanted to share with you my first ever Samhain feast!

I had 9 of Kevin and I’s closest friends over to celebrate. Fitting all those people in our tiny apartment was a challenge, but everyone had a good time and the food was delicious!

 Luckily, I had my friend Christina come over to help me prepare for the meal and get everything set up. 

Before I get into the menu I wanted to give a brief background of what Samhain is.

WHAT IS SAMHAIN

Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”) is an ancient Celtic and pagan festival that honors the dead and the end of the harvest season The festival is celebrated from sundown October 31 through November 1. Celebrants believe that during this time the veil between the living world and the underworld is thin and the dead come back to visit with the living. 

The modern-day Halloween is a derivative of Samhain. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1 in order to merge the pagan tradition into Christian observance. Coincidently October 31 became All Hallows Eve; Hallows meaning consecrated or holy. Later the two days were shortened into what we now call Halloween. 

Many Halloween traditions such as jack o lanterns, costumes, and apple bobbing were celebrated by our ancestors during Samhain.

Modern-day pagans, Wiccans, and witches celebrate Samhain amongst the 11 other sabbaths on the wheel of the year. Many celebrate with a feast such as myself. While others may visit deceased loved one’s graves, and/or perform rituals, divinations or spell work. 

Now that we have had a bit of history lesson on Samhain let’s get into the menu. 

MENU

I kept the menu as simple as possible due to the small space I had to prepare the food as well as to save time.  

APPETIZERS

Of course, I had to add a charcuterie board for the appetizer. We have really been into cheeses and meats as an appetizer anytime we have company over for dinner because it is super simple and no cooking is required! 

I also added apple butter, pumpkin butter, olives, pickles, dried fruits, and crackers to the boards as well.

MAIN

For the meat and sides, I incorporated dishes that had seasonal herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme.

I chose a traditional roman recipe of porchetta and made it in my new roaster. It turned out to be absolutely delicious! I would highly recommend this recipe for any holiday meal. 

I also roasted a small chicken in the crockpot in case anyone was not a fan of pork. This turned out to be a great idea because many of our guests had both and we had few leftovers. This was also my first time roasting a whole chicken…ever! I was surprised how moist and delicious it turned out to be. 

I also made a spiked apple cider punch but forgot to take a photo! Oops…

DESSERTS

What would a fall feast be without pumpkin and apple? I served the classic pumpkin pie and Christina made an apple crisp. 

This year’s feast went well so I believe I will continue on and make this into a yearly tradition. It seems to be the perfect time to get everyone together because it’s right before the major holidays when everyone gets busy and offers a nice end of summer get together. 

Do you celebrate Samhain with a feast or have a “Friendsgiving”? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Rachel