Pagan observances dates: a celebration of fertility and renewal

Pagan observances dates vary depending on the specific tradition or group practicing. Paganism is an umbrella term that encompasses various earth-centered spiritual traditions, including Wicca, Druidism, and Heathenry. Each tradition may have different festivals and rituals, but many Pagans celebrate the cycles of nature and the seasons. The Wheel of the Year is a commonly recognized framework for Pagan observances, dividing the year into eight main holidays or sabbats. These sabbats follow the solstices, equinoxes, and other significant points in the natural cycle. The first sabbat in the Wheel of the Year is usually Imbolc, celebrated around February 2nd, which marks the beginning of spring.

Since it’s the beginning of the year, I thought now would be a good time to share my own working pagan calendar for this year. I say it’s “my own”, because it’s what is working for me, and I don’t prescribe it for anyone else. Your own pagan practice should be specific to your our place and time and personality–or else it’s not really “pagan” as I understand that word. But I offer mine here by way of an example.

Imbolc is definitely the worst of the contemporary Pagan holidays for this kind of anachronistic and anatopic like anachronistic, but for place observances. When exactly I will observe the event depends on when I observe certain seasonal changes, like the first buds on the trees in the spring or the first fall of leaves in the autumn.

The first sabbat in the Wheel of the Year is usually Imbolc, celebrated around February 2nd, which marks the beginning of spring. This festival is associated with the returning light and the awakening of nature. The other sabbats include Ostara (spring equinox), Beltane (May 1st, celebrating fertility and the union of the divine masculine and feminine), Midsummer (summer solstice), Lammas or Lughnasadh (August 1st, celebrating the first harvest), Mabon (autumn equinox), Samhain (October 31st, honoring ancestors and the cycle of life and death), and Yule (winter solstice).

No-Nonsense Paganism: One pagan’s calendar

I’m frustrated. I just experienced another public Imbolc celebration which included an explanation of how, in Britain in the time of the Celts, February was springtime. Meanwhile, I’m looking at a forecast for the next two weeks and the temperature will be hovering just above freezing. This is typical for this time of the year where I live (at the bottom tip of Lake Michigan where Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan meet).

Why are we talking about spring in the literal middle of winter? Why are we talking about Celts and Romans did hundreds of years ago? And why are we ritually honoring the bodies of water like the Ganges and the Nile, when there’s a lake within walking distance and one of the Great Lakes not far off?

Imbolc is definitely the worst of the contemporary Pagan holidays for this kind of anachronistic and anatopic (like anachronistic, but for place) observances. But contemporary Pagan practice is plagued by it.

We need a no-nonsense paganism–or rather no-nonsense paganisms (plural). Paganisms which are grounded in and arise out of the specific circumstances of our lives. As Steven Posch has written, “the only pagans that we can honestly be is the pagans for our own time and place.”

Since it’s the beginning of the year, I thought now would be a good time to share my own working pagan calendar for this year. I say it’s “my own”, because it’s what is working for me, and I don’t prescribe it for anyone else. Your own pagan practice should be specific to your our place and time and personality–or else it’s not really “pagan” as I understand that word. But I offer mine here by way of an example.

And I say it’s “working” and “for this year” because I change it all the time–definitely from year to year, and sometimes over the course of the year. There’s spaces at the end of my calendar to indicate that it may expand. Yours should probably change too over time, because you are changing over time.

You’ll notice right away that there’s way more than eight observances. There’s nineteen as of now. I really don’t think “eight is enough” to sustain a spiritual practice. And, in addition to these these seasonal events, I have a daily practice, which I’ve written about before here.

Some of the observances are fixed dates based on solar events, like the solstices and equinoxes. Some are seasonal events, which are moveable, meaning they can happen on any day over a span of time. When exactly I will observe the event depends on when I observe certain seasonal changes, like the first buds on the trees in the spring or the first fall of leaves in the autumn. This forces me to pay attention to the world around me and to take time out of my day-to-day when I notice certain changes.

Some of the observances correspond to the traditional “Wheel of the Year”, but others do not. I’ve kept what makes sense to me and tossed the rest. Some of those I’ve kept, I’ve change the meanings to correspond to the time and place I live. No pretending it’s spring in Imbolc. And, if the winter solstice is celebrating the light in the dark, it make sense that the summer solstice should be about the dark in the light.

Some of the events are based on popular events, like Halloween and Thanksgiving, because I believe there is a lot of social-psychological potentiality that builds up around these dates, which we can turn to our own uses. Some of the events happen on a single day, and others, like the Yule season observance I did last month, last several days. And some of the observances are planned for specific times of day, like the winter solstice at midnight or the summer solstice at noon.

John Halstead is a native of the southern Laurentian bioregion and lives in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago. He is one of the founders of 350 Indiana-Calumet, which worked to organize resistance to the fossil fuel industry in the Region. John was the principal facilitator of “A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment”. He strives to live up to the challenge posed by the statement through his writing and activism. John has written for numerous online platforms, including Patheos, Huffington Post, PrayWithYourFeet.org, Gods & Radicals, now A Beautiful Resistance. He is Editor-at-Large of HumanisticPaganism.com. John also edited the anthology, Godless Paganism: Voices of Non-Theistic Pagans. He is also a Shaper of the Earthseed community which can be found at GodisChange.org.

And I say it’s “working” and “for this year” because I change it all the time–definitely from year to year, and sometimes over the course of the year. There’s spaces at the end of my calendar to indicate that it may expand. Yours should probably change too over time, because you are changing over time.

Each sabbat has its own unique customs and rituals. Aside from these sabbats, Pagans may also observe other dates and events important to their specific tradition. For example, Wiccans often celebrate Esbats, which are lunar rituals held during the full moon or new moon. These rituals may involve spellwork, divination, and connecting with the moon's energy. Additionally, some Pagan traditions follow a specific calendar based on astrology or ancient Celtic festivals. It is important to note that while many modern Pagans celebrate these dates, the specific practices and interpretations may differ between individuals or communities. Furthermore, not all Pagans follow the Wheel of the Year or adhere strictly to traditional observances. Paganism is a diverse and eclectic spiritual path, and the dates and observances can vary widely based on personal beliefs and preferences..

Reviews for "Pagan observances dates and their connection to astrology"

1. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I was really disappointed in "Pagan observances dates". As someone who was hoping to learn more about pagan holidays and rituals, the book was incredibly lacking in detail. It provided only basic information about each observance and didn't offer any suggestions or guidance on how to celebrate or connect with these traditions. Overall, it felt like a shallow overview rather than a comprehensive guide. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of pagan observances.

2. Michael - 2/5 stars - While "Pagan observances dates" does provide a list of dates for various pagan holidays, I found the lack of historical and cultural context to be quite disappointing. The book doesn't delve into the origins or significance of these observances, leaving the reader with only surface-level knowledge. Additionally, the formatting and organization could have been improved, as it was difficult to navigate through the book to find specific holidays. Overall, I was unimpressed with this book and would recommend seeking a more comprehensive resource on pagan celebrations.

3. Emily - 1/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Pagan observances dates," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The information provided was incredibly basic and could easily be found with a quick internet search. I was looking for a book that would offer deeper insights, rituals, and traditions surrounding pagan observances, but this book lacked any depth. It felt like a rushed compilation of dates without any valuable content. I would suggest looking for alternative resources if you're genuinely interested in learning about pagan holidays.

Uncovering the hidden traditions of pagan observances dates