With just one week to go until we gather together online at Hearth Fire – (Digital Samhuinn Fire Festival), we’re busy putting the final touches to all the performances, music and storytelling that will mark the turn of the seasons on your screens.

There are ways that you can prepare too. We’ve come up with some rituals that you can do in your own time to help you take part in Samhuinn offline.

Celebrating togetherness and our roots in nature is a big part of our festivals, and we wanted to create the space for you to experience that alongside Hearth Fire. Our offline rituals are for anyone who wants to get outside, immerse themselves in greenery, and feel a sense of community with others who have done the same.

Community art exhibits

We’ve been so inspired by the creative ways communities have found to brighten up our neighbourhoods during this crisis – the rows of painted rocks, the rainbow pictures, the ribbons tied to gates. What a lovely way to connect with each other, even while we can’t be together physically. We’re doing something similar for Samhuinn.

You can contribute to one of our temporary community art exhibits, which will sit in three spots around Edinburgh with a traditional affiliation to Beltane, by leaving messages, art, or natural artefacts for each other. Treat it like a ritual. Pause to see what others have left, or mentally check in with yourself and reflect on how far you’ve come this year.

Please make sure that your offering is made out of natural or upcycled materials, and is no bigger than the size of a pumpkin. Do not fix anything to the wall at the Witches’ Well.

These exhibits will be open between Wednesday 28th October and Monday 2nd November at The Meadows, The Witches’ Well, and the BFS Tree on Calton Hill. Use the map below to find their locations.

Offline ritual, written by the Blues

Our Blues have prepared two rituals for you that reflect on the transitions from Summer into Autumn and Winter, and the changes those bring across our natural world.

Download and print these rituals to take with you outdoors, or to celebrate at home.

Hearth Fire takes place on Saturday 31 October from 7PM. You can access it here on on our website, on Facebook and YouTube. Book your pay-what-you-can ticket from Citizen Ticket.

Featured image by Scott A. Winchester for Beltane Fire Society. All rights reserved.