Imbolc
or
Candlemas (also known as Brighid's day or Bride's day) is
the Holiday that marks the sun's growing strength. We begins to see
the days grow longer. In many places, we observe the first signs of
spring. Imbolc is the time of initiation, the time of beginning. We
look forward to spring and summer, preparing for the activities
done in the warm time of year.
Ostara
is the
celebration of the Spring (Vernal) Equinox when day
and night balance. Astronomically, the sun crosses the celestial
equator at this time. Held in late March, the actual date can vary
from year-to-year as with the Autumnal Equinox and the two
Solstices. The Vernal Equinox usually falls on March 20 or 21.
Always check your almanac for your time zone. Called Ostara after
the Saxon Goddess Eostre, this is a time of renewal, regeneration
and resurrection as the Earth wakes from her long slumber. This is
the time of planting, children, and young animals. It is the
fertility of the Earth that we celebrate, and we symbolize this new
life springing from sun and soil with eggs, chicks, lambs, and
rabbits (all symbols of the Great Mother). Ostara promises freedom
form the dreariness of winters, it heralds the return of hope and
dreams. With the days lengthening, we fill our lungs with fresh air
and drink the pungent cleansing teas that clear our bodies from the
heavy foods of winter .
Beltane
is the
great spring holiday of the Goddess. Halfway around
the year from Samhain, when we honor out beloved dead, Beltane is
the festival that celebrates all of the living world: plants,
animals, and human beings. On both occasions, the veil between the
worlds is said to be thin, and is no more unusual to see the
fairies near Beltane, than it is to see the spirits of the dead at
Samhain. Beltane is a time of Faerie Magic and the Queen of faeries
is represented by the Queen of the May. Along with her consort, she
rules over the festivities and serves as representative of the
Goddess. In most temperate climates, flowers are now in bloom,
trees are in blossom or in full leaf, and gardens are beginning to
grow. All of the hibernating animals are fully awake. The birds
have nested and settled down to raise their brood. Beltane is the
Holiday of fertility. For Pagans, one of the great gifts of the
Goddess is the power of the earth to grow wonderful flowers and
fruits and all the things we eat. We are thankful fu the fertility
of the earth, and our job is to keep the land and the soil healthy,
to protect the animals and plants and trees so that fertility can
continue. The earth is a living being, and all of her creatures are
part of her body. Each has a place, a purpose, a special part in
the great dance of life. On Beltane, we also celebrate all the
different kinds of human fertility and creativity. We give thanks
for the power women and men have to make babies, to bring new
people into the world. But people can create in other ways as well.
When we paint pictures, make up songs, tell new stories, plant a
garden, or cook a dinner, we take part in the fertility of the
Goddess. Beltane is also the time when we celebrate the joys of
being alive. We give thanks for all the different kinds of pleasure
our bodies give us, for without our bodies we couldn't see, hear,
touch, taste, smell, run, dance, jump, sing, dance, or swim. Adults
celebrate sexual pleasure at Beltane. For Pagans, the good, loving
feelings that people can give each other with their bodies are
special gifts of the Goddess. When we give each other love and
pleasure, the whole earth is pleased.
Litha
The Summer Solstice The Festival of Growth Litha is the season of
expansion, when the crops burgeon forth. We forget winters cares
and spend our days basking under the brilliant light. The Summer
Solstice brings us the longest day of the year - the zenith of the
Sun King, and also His death as the Holly King dethrones him and
takes reign over the now waning year. From now until Yule, the
light will fade into darkness. This is the time of lovers and
gardeners. The rutting fervor of Beltane has deepened into the
passionate eroticism that grows when partners become familiar with
one anothers rhythms and moods. It is the love between those
committed by heart as well as body. It is also the love of parents
for their children (be they two- or four-legged!). Everywhere we
look, ripeness spills out from field and forest. Litha is the
height of the Divine Marriage, then the Oak King falls, His vigor
and prime giving way to the sagacity of the Holly King, even as the
Goddess prepares Herself for harvest and Cronehood.
Lammas
The
Festival of Sacrifice Lugnasadh (pronounced Loo'-na-sah)
is the Celtic festival dedicated to the God Lugh, the Long Handed,
who is associated with light and fire. he festival is also
considered to be the first harvest, the harvest of the grain, and
is linked to the God (or Spirit) of the Corn. Summer is at it
height, but already the days are growing shorter and we know that
autumn is on its way. This is the season to think about our hopes
and fears. We hope that we will be able to pick and eat all the
things we worked so hard to grow - but a lot could still happen,
storms, drought. To harvest we must cut down the plants we have
tended so carefully. We mourn and grieve for the spirit of the
grain. We honor them because they give us life.
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Mabon
the
Fall Equinox, is our harvest celebration. As during the
Spring Equinox is is a time of balance between dark and light. But
now, we are moving from light to darkness, from warmth to cold. We
gather the harvest of summer and prepare for the winter ahead.
Samhain
"Halloween: Samhain is the time that the veil between the
world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest. In
ancient times it was believed that this is the time that our
ancestors would return to visit us, to give help and advice. People
set out lights in hollowed-out turnips to guide the spirits of the
dead (the fore-runners of the modern Jack-o-lanterns) and put out
food as an offering (which evolved to the modern tradition of
"trick-or-treating"). Pagans are not afraid of the spirits of the
dead. They are our friends and family. They are our ancestors who
gave us life. We call them our "beloved dead". Death is a natural
part of life, in fact, a gift of the Goddess. If nobody died, there
would be no room for new things to be born, not change or growth.
Nobody really knows what happens when they die. Most Pagans believe
that our spirits live on in one way or another while our bodies
return to the elements and sustain other lives. There are many
beautiful names for the place where our spirits go: Summerland (the
place that is always summer and never winter), Tir n'a Nob (The
Irish "Land of the Youth" where spirits grow younger and younger
until they are young enough to be reborn) , Avalon (the Isle of
Apples, where the dead wander in the orchards of the Goddess, where
the trees bear fruit and flowers at the same time), and Heaven
(where streets are paved with gold, and the spirits are transformed
into angles and spend eternity in the presence of God). However we
imagine this place, it is a place of peace and rest where we stay
for a time until we are ready to be reborn again, perhaps as an
animal or a tree or as another person. In each life we learn new
lessons, so our spirits are always growing wiser. Samhain is also
our New Year's Day. It may seem strange to have a new year begin in
the fall, when the days are growing shorter and colder. But death
and birth are two sides of the same coin. It is the time of death
and the time of new beginnings, when we think about hope and change
and what the next year will bring.
Yule
the
celebration of Midwinter. The Winter Solstice is the
longest night of the year, when the Sun King is re-born to light
the world, to free it from the chilling grip of winter.
Traditionally a time of getting together, parties and festivities.
In the past, villages and towns were often cut off from one
another, going through the harsh part of winter alone. Yule was the
hope which people hung on to, the hope for the return of warm
weather and planting seasons. When Yule arrived, with it was cause
for celebration, the source of life was re-emerging from darkness
