5 Easy Samhain Decorations

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Updated on October 21, 2019

Samhain is the last of the three harvest holidays, following Lughnasadh and Mabon, so keep the harvest theme in mind when you’re decking your halls and walls. Consider decorating your home with symbols of the season. Like all holidays – whether spiritual or secular -- decorating your house is one of those things that are a matter of personal taste. Try some of these simple and inexpensive decorating ideas for Samhain.

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Welcome the Dark Side

Cultures around the world have honored the gods of death and dying. — Ron Evans/Photodisc/Getty Images

It’s the time of year when the world is dying; take advantage of it and get in touch with your darker side. While it may creep out some of the neighbors, Samhain is the perfect opportunity to take some grave rubbings, hang scythes and skulls on the walls, and put out other symbols of Death.

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Bowls and Baskets Galore

Autumn Basket — GMVozd/Vetta/Getty Images

Find some inexpensive bowls, cornucopias or baskets at thrift stores. Fill them with harvest foods, such as gourds, apples, corn and miniature pumpkins. Place them on tables throughout your home. If you've got florist's wire, you can hang Indian corn and other goodies in a bundle on your wall.

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Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

A great pumpkin for carving — Alan Dow Photography/Moment Open/Getty Images

Carve jack-o-lanterns! If you have very young children, they may have more fun painting their pumpkins than carving them. Painted pumpkins will last longer than carved ones anyway. Use acrylic paints for brighter colors. Make one for each member of your family, and place them at the front door to greet visitors. If you don't have time to decorate them, that's okay - a few well placed plain pumpkins look nice, and bring home the sense of the season.

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Outdoor Decor

gate decorated for halloween — Yukiko Yamamoto / EyeEm / Getty Images

It's the time of year when your neighbors might not even give you a second glance if you put up decorations outside. Consider making a group of ghosts for the yard or even your own cemeteries. Raid the Halloween stores for bargains and ideas!

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Honor the Ancestors

You can honor your ancestors in the creation of an altar cloth, as well as in ritual. — Patti Wigington 2013

At Samhain, you can make a small shrine to honor your ancestors, or turn it into an entire ancestor altar. Set it up for the recently departed, or your entire extended family. If you know a bit of your family history, consider turning your family tree into an ancestor altar cloth. Hang photos of your deceased family members in a place of prominence - in some traditions, these photos are adorned with a black cloth as a symbol of honor.

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Wigington, Patti. "5 Easy Samhain Decorations." Learn Religions, Mar. 4, 2021, learnreligions.com/easy-samhain-decorations-2562682. Wigington, Patti. (2021, March 4). 5 Easy Samhain Decorations. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/easy-samhain-decorations-2562682 Wigington, Patti. "5 Easy Samhain Decorations." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/easy-samhain-decorations-2562682 (accessed June 2, 2023).