Wheel of the Year
(Celtic and Other Holidays)
The ancient Celts or Pagans measured the solar year on a wheel that symbolized for them the earth's progression through the changing seasons and the fact that time was cyclical and not linear. There were four major divisions on the Celtic Wheel of the Year which correspond to the Spring Equinox, the Summer Solstice, the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. The celebrations on these days were associated with the life cycles of the Celtic deities and the major phases of the earth. Four minor feasts or sabbat festivals were also held.
It should be noted that the precise dates of each equinox or solstice celebration may change from year to year, but usually fall close to the dates listed.
Samhain – October 31
Samhain (pronounced sow-en), also known as Hallomas, Samana or Halloween is the first celebration of winter when the earth rests so that her fertility can be renewed. It is the day that the Celtic New Year begins. It is a time for both endings and beginnings, through the bounty of autumn to the coming hardships of winter that will give birth to spring. It is the time we reflect on our past deeds and honor our deceased love ones. In ancient times the Celtic people celebrated the Feast of the Dead to honor the memories of their ancestors and to rededicate their lives to living in a way their ancestors would be proud of. This celebration reminds us that life is precious and should be lived to the maximum. At Samhain we should listen to the wisdom of our ancestors and take those truths to begin anew, making right our past wrongdoings.
Share this custom by doing rituals that honor new beginnings. Perform spells to do away with old negative patterns or situations to make room for new life filled with hope and faith. Cast wishes on this night for good fortune. Leave food on the porch or bury apples to nourish the souls of those who have died. After sunset, stand before a mirror and make a secret wish. Keep doors and windows closed on this night to keep out any evil. It is said that lighting a new orange-colored candle at midnight on Samhain and allowing it to burn until sunrise will bring one good luck; however, bad luck will befall those who bake bread on this day or journey after sunset. Black candles are used to ward off negativity. Light candles and place them in your windows so the spirits can find their way.
At this time of the year, decorate your home and altar with leaves, black and orange candles, black gemstones, pictures of your loved deceased ones, and pumpkins.
Yule – Winter Solstice – December 21
Yule is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. The darkness that increased daily through autumn and the first stirrings of winter is drawing to an end as the earth gives birth to the sun again and the days begin to lengthen. Yule is the time for reflecting on fond memories and for knowing that as the sun begins its rebirth, all of nature too must be reborn. As the sun shares her warmth with the earth, we too become nourished and grow. This is a time for serving treats of hot apple cider and sweetened cakes filled with dried fruit from the summer to remind each person of the joys of warmer days and the abundance which was given and which is yet to come. Tradition says that one should relax on this day and refrain from excess work. Eating an apple on this evening ensures good health for the coming year.
Take this time to decorate your home and altar with evergreens, wreaths, pine boughs, mistletoe (a symbol of the Great Mother’s fertility), Yule logs, red candles and holly.
Imbolc – February 2
Imbolc (also known as Candlemas or Bridgid’s Feast) is the festival that celebrates the Goddess as the bride-to-be of the returning Sun God. It is a time filled with the warmth of the returning sun and symbolizes the promise of fertility yet to come and of the earth stirring from its icy sleep of winter. On this day charge and anoint early spring seeds that are kept by your hearth until Ostara, the day in which they are planted. Light candles and lamps in the house and burn a fire in the hearth to welcome the return of the sun. Fire with this celebration represents our own illumination and inspiration as much as light and warmth. This is a good time for self-dedication rituals.
Decorate your altar with seeds and pink and red candles.
Ostara – Spring or Vernal Equinox – March 21
Ostara is the sacred holiday of balance and new beginnings. On this date the day and night is of equal length and the sun is gaining power over the darkness of winter. It signals the blossoming return of spring, a time of new life and is the second of the fertility festivals. It is a time to harmonize our inner and outer realities and is a time to bring to fruition new plans. It is a day of preparation and meditation. It is a time of courtship and play and is a holiday that honors the child within, as well as the body's ability to heal and regenerate itself. This is when you can bless the seeds you'll be planting in your garden, performing rites of fertility and abundance for the upcoming season of growth and renewal. This is also a time to clean your home and prepare your garden to welcome the new season, planting any seeds that were anointed on Imbolc.
Decorate your home and altar (which should be placed in the east) with soft pastel colors, spring flowers (including yellow roses, daffodils, iris and honeysuckle), colored eggs, silver and green candles, flower seeds, equilateral crosses and butterflies.
Beltane – May 1
Beltane marks the second major cycle of the year - summer. This is a celebration of new life in all its forms. It is the time for the return of life and fertility to the world. It is also known as a day of healing and love. It is the symbolic day that the God and Goddess are united in sacred marriage and the day their relationship is fully consummated. As such it is a time for weddings and handfastings (Pagan vows of engagement that last a year and then if desired will be continued for life). It is a time that blesses all (human, animals and crops) with fertility and love for the rest of the year. Celebrate this night with a playful sense of carefree abandon. Light bonfires (Beltane means "brilliant fire") and dance around with joy and merriment. Leaping over a Beltane fire brings good luck. Beltane is also a time for fertility magick.
Decorate your home and altar with May poles (with red and white ribbons), baskets, lilacs, roses and marigolds. Mark a cross in the hearth ashes to guard against intense magical powers at work on this date.
Litha or Midsummer – Summer Solstice – June 21
Midsummer is when the sun reaches its highest power and is the longest day of the year. It is the beginning of the sun's waning toward Yule. Days are warm, flowers are in bloom, crops are at the height of maturity and the earth is lush and growing, filled with abundance. It is a time that holds the promise of a bountiful harvest yet to come. Though it marks the beginning of the sun's dying power, Midsummer is celebrated as a time of lushness, sexiness, and erotica. It is celebrated with picnics and games. It is a time especially suited for healings and love magick. At night celebrate with bonfires and dancing.
Decorate your home and altar with sundials, feathers, flowers (rose, lavender, carnation and daisy). Add chamomile to your bath. Sleep with mistletoe under your head to make your dreams come true. Harvest herbs for your magick on this date for their powers will be stronger if gathered on this day.
Lughnasadh – August 1
Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-Nah-sa) or Lammas is the harvest festival of grain and the feast of the bread. It is a time to honor the Goddess Mother Earth who has given birth to bounty and abundance. It is a time to honor the Father God who has given us prosperity. It is the time to begin harvesting. Corncakes, breads and berry pies are traditionally baked during this celebration and ale is served to honor the abundance of the harvest. It is a time for games and competitive sports, symbolic references to vigor and plenty.
During this celebration, decorate your home and altar with cornucopias of wheat, fruits and vegetables. Bathe in a bath to which you've added wine.
Mabon – Autumn Equinox – September 21
Mabon (also known as the Feast of Avalon, Harvest Home, and the Wine Harvest) is the last harvest festival of the year before winter claims the earth with its blanket of cold and silence. On this equinox, the night and day is once again equally balanced as is the balance between the growing of foods, and our period of rest now that they are stored for winter. It is particularly celebrated as the time that the harvests of the vine and harvests of the apples takes place (and when harvests of grain are completed) and when thanks are given for the bounty of the earth. It is a time when winemaking and apple cider making begins. Mabon was the original Thanksgiving festival. There is a thankfulness during this time for the abundances that have been bestowed upon all and is a time to partake of the season's fruits and celebrate with feasts, song and dance. It is also a time to leave apples upon graves and burial cairns as a token to all life. Honey mead is drunk and the harvest is stored for the coming winter. This is a good time of year to share of your blessings with others and help those who have been less fortunate.
Decorate your home and altar with apples, corn, wine, vines, gourds, cornucopias, acorns, pinecones and garlands.
New Year’s Eve – December 31
This celebration is another time or rebirth and renewal as the cold winter begins its assent into spring. It is a time to reflect on changes that you want to make during the coming year to assure growth, happiness and prosperity. Burning seven candles on this night brings the household good luck. A few minutes before midnight of the New Year, open both the front door and back door - this allows all the bad karma to leave your home through the back door, while good luck rushes in through the front door. Bind your old calendars in wool yarn and burn them while chanting:
Days once spent will now burn
Their worries and
toils to never return.
In your cauldron burn herbs of sage (for wisdom, wishes), allspice (luck), basil (love, wealth, protection), bay (strength), catnip (happiness), chili pepper (fidelity), cinnamon (success, healing, protection, love), clove (love, protection), rice (fertility) and rose petals (love) to release wishes on the night air to bring peace, love, luck and healing to all in the new year. Add green candle wax for prosperity and pink wax for love. Chant the following spell:
A new beginning, a new year starts
New Year’s Day – January 1
On this day make sure your pockets are filled with coins to ensure that prosperity will follow you into the New Year. Decorate your home and altar with greenery and green candles to assure that cash will be plentiful during the year. Hang up new calendars.
Valentine’s Day - February 14
This is the celebration of love and romance. To spread loving energy throughout the household, light seven pink candles and floral incense. Burn any of the following herbs and flowers in your cauldron, or make an infusion of them to bathe in, to guarantee love: cinnamon, apple, aster, barley, caraway (for lust), catnip, chili pepper, clover, coriander, daisy, dragon's blood, gardenia, hibiscus, hyacinth, jasmine, juniper, lavender, magnolia (fidelity), maple, marjoram, orange, parsley, patchouli (for attraction), peach, primrose, rose, vanilla, violet or willow.
Decorate your home and altar with pink candles, amber, amethyst, moonstone, rose quartz and roses.
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