Occurs on or around December 21st. This is the longest night of the year and signifies the ascent of the Sun God who brings the sun back to warm and ripen the land. Yule is a time for new beginnings and has, for a long time, been associated with rebirth. The Christian tradition of a Christmas tree has its origins in the Pagan Yule celebration. Pagan families would bring a live tree into the home so the wood spirits would have a place to keep warm during the cold winter months. Bells would be hung from the branches to alert people to the presence of spirits. Traditionally, our ancestors burnt a Yule log at this time of year, to bring light and warmth into the home for the year to come. The log was gathered from the land of the homestead or given as a gift - but never purchased. Placed in the hearth, it would be decorated with seasonal greenery such as holly and ivy, doused with cider, dusted with flour and then ignited using a piece of Yule log saved from the previous year. It was encouraged to blaze brightly throughout the night, then allowed to smoulder for 12 nights before being completely extinguished. A piece of the log would be kept safely, to be used for lighting the following years log.
1st/2nd February. This festival is associated with the Celtic Goddess Brid and is a celebration of fertility and purification.Imbolc is a time of purification, new beginnings, a time for looking to the future and deciding what your hopes, dreams and ambitions are for the coming year. it is a time when the first fresh shoots appear, bringing the the promise of growth and heralding the coing of Spring.
Occurs on or around March 21st. Day and Night are of equal length.Life is returning to the land and it is a time of renewaland rebirth. The Pagan tradition was to rid their homes of any negative energy harboured from the long hard winter and is also a good time to cleanse oneself.
May 1st. This is one of the most important festivals in the Pagan calender and is and ancient fertility festival marking the begining of the planting cycle. Beltane roughly translates to mean 'Bels Fire' or 'bright fire' and fire celebrations and rituals are an important part of this festival.
June 21st, Midsummer, the longest day of the year and the shortest night .This is considered to be a time when energies abound, and is a good time for magic, purification rites and divination.
August 1st. This is a celebration of harvest and of thanksgiving. This was a time of both hope and fear as our ancestors held hope for a good harvest that yielded plenty of food, but also they feared that the harvest may not be bountiful enouhyg to last the long, cold winter months. The shorter days and long nights reminded them winter was on the way.
September 21st. Day and night are once again equal in length and he last harvest of fruits, vegetables and grains take place. The beauty of the summer months and the bounty from the harvests soon give way to the long, cold winter months. Many Pagans celebrate this festival by holding feasts and thanksgivings.
October 31st. Also known as Halloween, Hallowmas and Ancestors Night. Many Pagans consider this Sabbat to be their New Year and deem this to be the most important Sabbat of the year. It is the time that the veil between the worlds are at their thinnest and is a powerful time for divination and contacting the spirit realm. It's a time to remember and honour our ancestors and all those who have passed on.
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