Astronomical Samhain 2026 Is November 7, Not October 31: When the Sun Reaches 15° Scorpio — All 8 Wheel of the Year Dates
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Samhain is celebrated on October 31. But the old Celtic fire festivals are also tied to the sky: each sits halfway between a solstice and an equinox. Measured that way, Samhain 2026 falls on November 7 at about 09:51 UTC, when the Sun reaches 15° Scorpio.
On October 31 itself the Sun is at only about 8° Scorpio, a week short of the midpoint.
All eight Wheel of the Year dates, 2026 (UTC)
| Festival | Sun at | Moment (UTC) |
|---|---|---|
| Imbolc | 15° Aquarius | February 3, 19:56 |
| Ostara (March equinox) | 0° Aries | March 20, 14:38 |
| Beltane | 15° Taurus | May 5, 11:36 |
| Litha (June solstice) | 0° Cancer | June 21, 08:21 |
| Lughnasadh / Lammas | 15° Leo | August 7, 11:40 |
| Mabon (September equinox) | 0° Libra | September 23, 00:10 |
| Samhain | 15° Scorpio | November 7, 09:51 |
| Yule (December solstice) | 0° Capricorn | December 21, 20:49 |
The four "cross-quarter" days, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain, all sit at 15° of a fixed sign (Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio). The traditional calendar dates (February 1, May 1, August 1, October 31) come about 5 to 7 days earlier than the astronomical moments.
Samhain where you live, November 7, 2026
| Place | Local time |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 01:51 |
| New York | 04:51 |
| London, Dublin | 09:51 |
| Seoul, Tokyo | 18:51 |
| Sydney | 20:51 |
In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed, so many people there mark Beltane at this moment rather than Samhain.
The same moment, in the East Asian calendar
The cross-quarter points are also the four "beginnings" of the East Asian solar calendar: Li Chun (start of spring, 315°), Li Xia (45°), Li Qiu (135°) and Li Dong (start of winter, 225°). So astronomical Samhain is the same instant as Ipdong / Li Dong, which in Korean Saju and Chinese BaZi is also when the month pillar changes. In 2026 it changes from 戊戌 (Earth Dog) to 己亥 (Earth Pig). The February 3 Imbolc moment is likewise the Li Chun that starts the BaZi year.
What the numbers do and don't tell you
Where the Sun is, is astronomy. Whether a festival "should" be kept on the calendar date or the astronomical one is a question of tradition, and both are in use. This table cannot settle it. It only tells you when the Sun reaches each point.
How we calculated: the Sun's apparent ecliptic longitude from the public-domain (Meeus) solar formulas in our chart engine, searched to the minute for each target degree. Our Sun is accurate to about a hundredth of a degree, so treat each time as accurate to within a few minutes. Our December solstice time (05:49 Korea time on December 22) is within a minute of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's published 05:50.