Purpletigron

As far as we know, this time of year was known as Samhain by the people of the British Isles and beyond, before the Romans invaded. We believe it was the start of the 'wheel of the year', the coming of the dark time of the year, like when seeds are buried in the ground to await the return of the warmth of Spring. We think it was a time when the veil to the world of the dead was thinnest.

We believe Samhain may have been defined based on the movement of the sun, which could well mean that it falls in 2009 at 06:42 UTC on Sat 7 Nov: http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/

But a lot of people will be celebrating this weekend - and most of them will probably call it Hallowe'en.

Happy New Year!

Or ... Happy Beltane for those in the Southern Hemisphere! Same date and time, but the festival of fertility.