Apple is a great ally for Samhain, the ancient seasonal festival marking the threshold between autumn and winter. Samhain is associated with endings, remembrance, the ancestors and the turning of the wheel into the darker half of the year.
The apple carries love, fertility, wisdom, the otherworld, death and renewal. Its seeds hold the promise of future life, even as the fruit itself returns to the earth. This makes the apple a beautiful companion for ceremonies of gratitude, remembrance and letting go.
Every year at Samhain, I gather the windfall apples from the ground, and as a family, we gather around the fire to bless the apples and give thanks.
Through this ceremonial act, we offer the apples with our intention to the ancestors and the ancestors of the land. During this in-between time of Samhain, the apples become food to nourish and feed the spirits of our ancestors,.
Apples are a beautiful way to acknowledge, nourish and give thanks to those who have come before us, to feed the ancestral spirits and honour the lineages that we are part of.
Below is a simple ritual that you can share to honour our relations.
An Apple Offering to the Ancestors
Gather some apples, either from your own harvest or by buying apples that you feel called to share with the ancestors.
One by one, take each apple and hold it to your heart. Imagine imbuing the apple with love and gratitude. Perhaps a feeling or a memory arises, or maybe words come to your heart and mind. Allow yourself to connect with a sense of appreciation for the lives of those who have come before you, and imbue each apple with this feeling.
Once you have done this, gather the apples together in a small basket, bowl or other ceremonial container, and speak a blessing over them. You can offer your own words, or, if you wish, use this blessing:
“May any ancestor who receives this apple nourish their spirit, carrying the love and gratitude held within it. May it offer them the sustenance they need and support their journey to the ancestral realm or to feel this love and appreciation and be remembered.”
Once you have blessed the apples, mindfully carry them outside. Perhaps you will walk into your garden, visit a special place where you wish to leave an offering, or take a pilgrimage through your village or a nearby park. Find a meaningful place where you feel called to offer the apples to the land and the ancestors of that place.
You might wish to set aside particular apples for specific people you want to honour, placing them at a suitable that is connected to their lives. You could also offer a family apple in a place your family has a connection to, perhaps somewhere you grew up as a child, a place your loved ones cherished, or a special spot near your home.
I encourage you to make these offerings outdoors, in quiet places where you feel the ancestors and spirits of the land may be welcomed.
This can become a beautiful pilgrimage through your village or the landscape you call home, visiting places where those who have passed once lived, loved, laughed and felt most themselves.
Through this simple act of offering, you create an opportunity to nourish your family lineage, express gratitude to those who came before you, and deepen your relationship with the spirits of the land. It is a way of remembering that we belong not only to the living, but also to the generations and landscapes that have shaped us.
