Live, Monday, 5 October 2026
Today
What is on the magic calendar right now: the festivals, solstices and days of the dead under way, the weekday tradition, and one entry to get to know.
On today
Pitru Paksha
Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the ancestors, runs from the full moon to the new moon in the autumn month of Bhadrapada or Ashvina. Each family performs shraddha on the lunar day on which a relative died, offering water mixed with sesame (tarpana) and balls of rice (pinda) to the three generations before them, with a priest reciting verses. The belief is that the offerings sustain the departed on their way and satisfy their debt to the descendants, and that neglected ancestors may bring trouble. Crows are fed, because they are held to carry the offering to the dead, and Gaya in Bihar is the most famous place for the rites. The fortnight is considered a poor time for weddings and new ventures, and the last day, Mahalaya Amavasya, is for all ancestors.
Also part of it, and being written: Pitru Paksha (The fortnight of the ancestors.), Śrāddha (The rite performed for the dead.), Pinda (The rice balls offered.), Tarpana (The water offering.).
Salem in October
Salem, Massachusetts, was the site of the witch trials of 1692 and 1693, in which about two hundred people were accused, nineteen were hanged and one man was pressed to death. Each October the city hosts a month of Halloween events that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. The festival mixes museums and memorials with costumed shops, psychic readers and ghost tours. Some people in the town object to treating a time of injustice as entertainment, and others point to the way the town has embraced modern Pagans and Wiccans, who have a presence there. The Witch Trials Memorial, opened in 1992, honours those who were killed. A reflective visit usually begins there.
Monday in tradition
The Moon's day in Western magic, Shiva's day for many Hindus, and the Monday-born tiger of Burma.
Coming up in the next six weeks
In 6 days, 11 to 19 Oct 2026Navratri, the nine nightsNine nights for the goddess in her forms, with fasting, dance and the worship of young girls.
In 8 days, 13 Oct 2026Tuesday the 13thIn Greece, Cyprus and Spain, Tuesday rather than Friday is the unlucky day, and Tuesday the 13th the worst.
In 11 days, about 16 to 20 Oct 2026Durga PujaThe five days when Bengal welcomes Durga as a daughter home, with clay images that are given life by painting their eyes.
In 26 days, 31 Oct to 1 Nov 2026SamhainThe Gaelic festival of the turn into winter, when the border with the Otherworld is said to thin and the dead and the fairies move about.
In 26 days, 31 Oct 2026HalloweenThe eve of All Saints, now a children's festival of costume and sweets, with older beliefs about spirits, witches and love divination under it.
In 27 days, about 1 Nov to 29 Apr 2027The Theyyam season of north KeralaFrom autumn to late spring, men in towering costumes become gods in village shrines and bless the people who kneel before them.
In 27 days, 1 to 2 Nov 2026Dia de MuertosMexico's festival of the dead, with altars of marigolds, candles, food and photographs, welcoming the souls of the departed home.
In 27 days, 1 to 2 Nov 2026Todos SantosAll Saints in Bolivia, Guatemala and the Andes, with bread dolls for the dead, tables of food at the grave and kites flown to speak to them.
In 27 days, 1 to 2 Nov 2026Fete GedeThe Vodou festival of the Gede, the family of spirits of the dead, held at the cemeteries of Haiti on 1 and 2 November.
In 27 days, 1 Nov 2026The Wheel of the YearThe modern Pagan calendar of eight sabbats, from Samhain to Mabon, assembled in the mid twentieth century from older festivals.
In 34 days, 8 to 12 Nov 2026Diwali, the night of lampsThe new-moon night when lamps are lit to welcome Lakshmi and to drive out misfortune from the house.
In 34 days, 8 Nov 2026Kali PujaThe midnight worship of the goddess Kali on the new-moon night of Diwali, in Bengal, Odisha and Assam.
In 34 days, 8 Nov 2026Dia de las NatitasIn La Paz, families bring human skulls, kept as protectors, to the cemetery to be decorated, blessed and given flowers and coca.
In 39 days, 13 Nov 2026Friday the 13thA day of bad luck in much of the English-speaking world, from the old unluck of Friday and of the number thirteen, studied as a named fear.News
- Day of the Dead FestivalWSPA 7News, Festivals
- "Divining with the Elements: A Conversation about Astrology" with KL Mays and Alice Sparkly KatThe Santa Barbara Independent, Divination
- What Was Halloween Like 100 Years Ago?Mental Floss, Stage magic
- The GPT Oracle: 1 in 10 Americans are reviving the pagan practice of prophecyFortune, Divination
- Voodoo and the School System in Haitilenouvelliste.com, Living traditions
- Four Delightful Children’s Books About Día de los Muertos/Day of the DeadSchool Library Journal, Festivals
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Theyyam: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Salem Witch Trials: unattributed, Public domain, source
- Diwali Lakshmi Night: Kalli navya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kali Puja: Jonoikobangali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Navratri Nine Nights: Mukerjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Durga Puja: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Halloween: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Dia De Muertos: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Todos Santos Andes Guatemala: Fra Angelico, Public domain, source