WINTER SOLSTICE circa December 21st): Also known commonly as Yule, this day sets the wheel in motion. The Winter Solstice marks mid-winter, and the shortest day of the year, when the sun is at its southernmost point. The celebration revolves around mythology of the divine birth, an ancient concept associated with this solstice that long predates Christianity. The Goddess in Her form of Great Mother has given birth to the Sun God. He is young and weak, but from this point on will grow stronger every day, warming the land and bringing back the season of growth. It is a time to be grateful that even in the darkest of times, there remains a seed of light. Traditions of bringing in evergreens to decorate, hanging holly, exchanging gifts, kissing under mistletoe, lighting yule logs, caroling, wassailing, feasting and general merry making date back to ancient holiday Saturnalia, the Roman mid-winter festival.

IMBOLC (February 2): Oimelc, Candlemas, The Feast of Waxing Light, and yes, even modern Groundhog’s Day, all are tied into this ancient holiday, the beginning of spring. The Sun God grows stronger and the Goddess– Mother Earth– begins to rise from her long period of rest after childbirth. As the world begins to thaw, the first stirring of spring is felt. Mankind can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the winter will soon be coming to an end. For Pagans, this is a time for cleansing and purification, and to continue celebrating the waxing of the year.

SPRING EQUINOX (circa March 21st): This day is also called Ostara, named after Eostre, the Teutonic Goddess of the spring at its height. Day and night are equal, but the light half of the year is now overtaking the dark half. The seeds begin to sprout and new life springs forth from the land. For Pagans, this is a time of renewal– a time to plant our own “seeds” in our lives to encourage personal growth. This is the first fertility festival, as the young Sun God is coming into maturity. He begins to feel the stir of desire within when He looks upon the Goddess in her maiden (virgin) form. eggs, and seeds are all ancient fertility symbols associated with this time of year.

BELTANE (May 1st): More commonly known as May Day, the second fertility festival is a full-blown celebration of start of the summer. The land is ripe and bursting forth with new life. The Goddess and God marry and unite in the “Great Rite” (sexual union), and he plants his seed within her womb. This is symbolized by the central tradition of the season: the romp around the May pole. The May pole’s symbolism is two-fold. The first is the sexual connotation; the May Pole (a prime phallic symbol representing God) is driven into the Earth (representation of the Goddess).

Being a fertility festival, this holiday also celebrates that part of our life that accompanies fertility: sex. Loving sexual energies abound at this time of year.  The second of the pole’s symbolism is the weaving of the ribbons, which demonstrates the union of separate things entwining together to become one.

SUMMER SOLSTICE (circa June 21st): Midsummer, or Litha, is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night. Pagans celebrate the zenith of the Sun God’s power, when He is burning brightly in all His glory. It is a time for great revelry, but marks the point where the power of the Sun God will begin to wane. The great Wheel turns as the Earth begins to head toward the dark half of the year. Traditionally, this is a time when magic is at its most potent, and the fairies and elves are at their most playful. It is also a prime time for taking advantage of the magic of the Earth, and so many plants and herbs are collected to be dried or used for medicinal and magical purposes.

LAMMAS (August 1st): Known also as Lughnasadh, named for the Celtic God Lugh, this is the first of the autumn harvest festivals. Lugh (a Celtic God of Light) was a multi-skilled God, and Pagans often take this opportunity to be grateful for their personal gifts and skills. It is also a time to be grateful for the Earth’s abundant gifts. The grain is ripe in the fields and the vines are dripping with fruits. Baking bread is a traditional activity of the season; as the dough is kneaded and the delicious smells fill our kitchen we are reminded of the many blessings of nature. We are also reminded of how care of the “seeds” we have planted in our lives, with hard work and nature’s grace, come to fruition.

AUTUMN EQUINOX (circa September 21st): Commonly known as Mabon, this is the second harvest of the year at the zenith of the fall. At this point, light and dark are once again equal, but now the light is being overtaken by the dark half of the year. The Sun God is growing older, His strength is waning. The Goddess is saddened, knowing Her lover will soon be making His journey to the Summerlands (afterlife), but takes comfort in the life– the seed of light-- growing within Her. We feel the nip in the air and see the leaves turning colors and falling away. We continue to celebrate the harvest and be thankful for nature’s bounty, but with the knowledge that the dark days are now upon us. It is a time to prepare for the coming Winter, a time to journey within ourselves and contemplate our lives and our place in the universe.

SAMHAIN (October 31st): Probably the most misunderstood Pagan holiday of all. Halloween is based loosely on Samhain (pronounced sow-en, meaning “summer’s end”). But Halloween is largely an American Secular holiday that has little or nothing to do with pagan roots. The skewed myths of evil spirits, human sacrifices and devil worship have absolutely nothing to do with this final harvest festival. Call it Shadowfest, Dia De Los Muertos, or All Hallow’s Eve, for Pagans this is a time to celebrate death as a part of the life cycle. At this time, we look back in time and to our ancestors and those who have gone before us with laughter and tears.

We speak their names, put their pictures on our altars, and keep their memories alive, acknowledging the contribution they made to our lives. We make “sacrifices” to them in the form of bowls of ripe fruit or grain, dishes of food, soul cakes, alcohol and other beverages, little gifts we make, smoking incense. We morn the passing of the Sun God, who dies and makes His journey into the Summerlands. He will be born of the Goddess again at Yule, bringing the Wheel full circle again.  We Pagans do not fear death, but see it only as a transition. The eternal spirit will move on to the Summerlands and prepare for a new incarnation, just as the seeds resting below the ground will lie dormant in the cold Earth until the return of the light will beckon them back to life after the long, dark winter.