The pagan Wheel of the Year, from which the ancient agricultural mysteries were based, is derived from the two solstices, two equinoxes, and four cross quarter days. The solstice marks the longest day and the longest night of the year. The equinox marks the equal balance of light and dark. The ancients celebrated these 8 holy days as days of power, where the veils were thin between worlds, where the sacred energy of the cosmos could enter into the earth plane. These days are also closely linked to the cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, and storing crops, and paralleled in the life cycle of man and animal.
- Samhain, Hallowmas, Halloween – October 31- November 1
- Winter Solstice, Yule, Midwinter – December 20 – 23
- Brigid, Imbolc, Candlemass – February 1 – 2
- Spring Equinox, Easter – March 20 -23
- Beltane, May Day – May 1
- Summer Solstice, Midsummer – June 20 – 23
- Lammas, Lugnasad – August 1 – 2
- Fall Equinox – September 20 – 23
Samhain, Hallowmas, Halloween- October 31- November 1: Marks the final harvest festival and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Now, the dark months begin and seeds await the new life to germination. It is a time to take stock and reflect, honor the dead, explore divination as the veils thin – allowing communication between the human world and spirit world.
Winter Solstice, Yule, MidWinter - December 20 – 23: This holiday, also known as Yule, is the longest night of the year and is a time to celebrate the rebirth of the sun & the Winter King. It is a time for quietude and firelight, when we naturally want to enter our cave and sink into the season of dreaming. Seasonal Altar
Brigid, Imbolc, Candlemass, Groundhog Day – February 1 – 2: The first of the Spring Fire Festivals, honors the Maiden Goddess Brigid & the lactating ewes. Brigid is associated with fertility, nurturing and a full belly. The days marks early Spring and new beginnings, when the first stirrings or plowing are often undertaken. It is now, when we clean our homes and dust off our altars.
Spring Equinox, Easter – March 20 -23: A time of rebirth, fertility & planting, balance returns as day equals night once again. In many places, we see the first signs of Spring as if the Earth herself begins to wake. It is a time of new beginnings, when the Goddess conceives a child to be born nine months from now on the Winter Solstice. This second Spring Festival is associated with the Saxon Fertility Goddess Ostara, the Hare, the moon and eggs of every color. We find ourselves cleaning and sparkling, as we move into the light. Seasonal Altar
Beltane, May Day – May 1: The final Fire Festival of fertility brings the heat! The Light has returned and the flowers are singing towards the Sun. Here we enjoy the dynamic interplay between the masculine and feminine energies, revery, the maypole and spiral dances, and the gift-giving of earthy delights such as milk, eggs, and home-brewed treats for our neighbors and the fairy folk. We now finalize our cleaning and relight household fires. Summer is upon us.
Summer Solstice, Midsummer – June 20 – 23. It is officially the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. It is also referred to as Midsummer because it is roughly the middle of the growing season throughout much of Europe. The Goddess manifests as Mother Earth and the God as the Sun King. In celebration people light fires, stay up all night, and bedeck themselves with flowers. Seasonal Altar
Lammas, Lugnasad – August 1: The first harvest festival comes during the heart of the Summer and is sacred to the Celtic Sun God Lugh and the Mother Earth Goddess Dana invites us to not only delight in the harvest, but to act in a way that ensure a good and safe harvest. It is a time of release, so games are played and sheafs of grain are displayed and honored.
Fall Equinox, Mabon – September 20 – 23. A time of harvesting, hunting & honoring the ancestors, this marks the second harvest festival, where day equals night once more and we begin to reflection on the past 6 months as we celebrate nature’s bounty and offer Thanks Giving. There is more work to be done, but we feel the time of reflection upon us. Seasonal Altar
