December Festivals, Ceremonies, and Rituals

December 1, Festival of Pallas Athene (Ancient Greece) 

December 2, Festival of Shiva (Hindu)

December 3, St. Xavier’s Feast Day

December 4, International Hug Day

December 5, International Volunteers Day 

December 6, St. Nicholas Day, precursor to St. Nick

December 7, Burning the Devil Night in Guatemala, La Quema Del Diablo

December 8, Festival of Ix Chel, Mayan lunar goddess 

December 9, Virgin of Guadalupe first appears (1591) 

December 10, International Human Rights Day 

December 11, Pilgrimages at Tortuga, New Mexico

December 12, Pilgrimages at Guadalupe in Mexico, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe

December 13, Saint Lucia Day in Sweden

December 14, Feast of St. John of the Cross

December 15, Consualia in Rome

December 16, Las Posadas in Mexico, procession commemorating the Holy Family’s search for lodging

December 17, Saturnalia begins

December 18, Virgin of Solitude Day in Oaxaca, Mexico

December 19, Feast of Saint Boniface, the apostle of Germany

December 20, Commerce God Festival in Japan

December 21, Winter solstice

December 22, Saint Chaeremon Day

December 23, Laurentalia, Roman festival of hallowing the home

December 24, Mother Night (Anglo-Saxon) 

December 25, Christmas Day

December 26, First day of Kwanzaa (Afro-American)

December 27, Freya’s Day (Teutonic)

December 28, Holy Innocents Day (Mexico) 

December 29, Saint Thomas of Canterbury’s Day

December 30, Nia, or Purpose Night during the celebration of Kwanzaa

December 31, Hogmanay (Scotland)

Nearly every solar god is celebrated in December—Baal, Attis, Adonis, Apollo, Ra, Baldur, and Mithra, to name a few. Scots celebrate Hogmanay, a secular holiday with roots in the worship of the ancient solar god, Hogmagog. Yule is one of the pagan sabaats, or the eight holidays of the wheel of the year, and is celebrated on December 21, the shortest day of the year. The word Yule comes from the Germanic jol, and means midwinter. The old tradition was to have a vigil and a bonfire from dusk to dawn to make sure the sun does indeed rise again on this longest night of the entire year. 

October Celebrations, Festivals, & Rituals

 October 1, Beginning of Shinto “Godless” Month in Japan with pilgrimages to shrines temporarily abandoned by the gods and spirits

October 2, Old Man’s Day in Hertfordshire, England, a day of charity and prayer

October 3, Zhong Oiu Jie is a moveable Chinese Moon festival celebrated around this time

October 4, Saint Francis Day, when pets are blessed

October 5, Pilgrimage to Zapopan in Jalisco, Mexico, celebrating the Virgin

October 6, Festival of Vishnu begins (Hindu)

October 7, United Nations Children’s Day

October 8, Okunchi in Japan with a lucky lion dance parade 

October 9, Han’Gul, Alphabet Day (Korea)

October 10, Shuangshi Jie, National Day in Taiwan, also called “Double Tenth Day,” a festival of folk dancing, sword fighting, and martial arts

October 11, Medrinalia in Rome, the celebration of new wine 

October 12, Fiesta de Nuestra Senora del Pilar in Spain

October 13, Fontinalia, Roman Festival in honor of Fons, son of Jupiter

October 14, Japanese Battle Festival, Mega-kenka Matsuri, celebrated with battle rites and reenactments since 201 CE

October 15, Festival of Mars (Ancient Rome) 

October 16, World Food Day

October 17, Family Day (South Africa) 

October 18, Heroes Day (Jamaica)

October 19, Our Lord of Miracles procession in Peru since 1687

October 20, Guru Har Rai Day for Sihks

October 21, Festival of the Black Christ in Panama, El Jesus Nazareno

October 22, Cheung Yeung (Hong Kong)

October 23, Swallows depart from Capistrano (and arrive back on March 19, St. Joseph’s Day)

October 24, United Nations Day celebrated globally with school fairs, concerts, exhibitions, and banquets

October 25, Saint Crispin’ Day (1415), immortalized in Shakespeare’s Henry V

October 26, Quit Rent Day in Europe, celebrated with ceremonies, feasts, and presentations and token payment of rent with horseshoes

October 27, Feast of the Holy Souls

October 28, Meiji Festival in Tokyo featuring five days of performances, classical court dances, concerts and horseback-archery contests

October 29, Ringing of “Lost in the Dark” Church Bells in England

October 30, Angels’ Night, also known as Devil’s Night (United States)

October 31, Halloween, Samhain

Although October is the tenth month of the year, it comes from the Latin word for eight, as it was the eighth month in the Roman calendar. The Romans designated the month of October to honor Astraea, daughter of Zeus and Themis. Astraea lived on earth, but when mankind became too evil, she departed to the stars. The chilly air and biting winds of October symbolize her departure from earth. The Celts call October Deireadh Fomhair, and the Anglo-Saxons called it Winterfelleth, which translates to “winter is coming.” The Franks linked October to the grape harvest and the pressing of new wine, calling it Vintage Month or Windurmanoth, Farmers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in America called the October full moon the Hunter’s Moon, and Native Americans refer to October as Second Summer, which is why we sometimes call it Indian Summer. 

September

September 1, Greek New Year September 2, St. Mama’s Day in Cypress

September 3, Sukkot, Feast of the Tabernacles, a Jewish moveable feast celebrated around this time

September 4, Founders day of Los Angeles (1835), the “City of Angels,” celebrated with processions, dance, rodeo, and Mass

September 5, Mother Teresa died in 1997

September 6, First day of the Hebrew calendar since 3761 BCE

September 7, Rificolne in Florence and Siena celebrating Cosimo de Medici’s 1260 victory: a celebration with picnics, lantern processions, folk singing, and street dancing.

September 8, Water Festival honoring springs (Tibet) 

September 9, Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan, Choyo no Sekku, Kiky bo Seku

September 10, St. Salvi Day, French bishop who died and came back to life in 574 BCE still celebrated with parades, feasts, and Mass

September 11, Coptic New Year in Egypt

September 12, National Grandparent’s Day (United States) 

September 13, Epulum Jova, The Great Banquet in Rome 

September 14, First day of Greek Eleusinian Mysteries 

September 15, Day to Respect the Aged (Japan)

September 16, Mexican Independence Day in Mexico (1810) 

September 17, Feast of Hildegard of Bingen

September 18, Feast of Demeter (Ancient Rome) 

September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate

September 20, International Day of Peace

September 21, Autumn equinox (on or around this day)

September 22, Birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings

September 23, Shubun no Hi, grave visiting day in Japan 

September 24, Schwenkenfelder, German Thanksgiving

September 25, Rosh Hashanah, the movable Jewish feast of the New Year, occurs around this date

September 26, Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina’s Day

September 27, Saints Cosmos and Damian’s feast day, Arabian doctors

September 28, Birthday of Confucius, the great Chinese scholar (551–479 BCE)

September 29, Day of Saint Michael and All Angels (also known as Michaelmas)

September 30, the first book is printed with movable type, The Gutenberg Bible, 1452

The autumnal winds bring change as we begin harvesting and preparing for the future. We unpack the warm clothes and woolens, and start to winter-proof our homes, offices and cars. In our modern world, we go back to school and college. Vacations are over, and we go off to work with renewed spirits and goals. We now reap what we have sown throughout the year. Winter is also coming, the “scouring storm.” To survive and thrive in the coldest times, we need to prepare by doing our inner work. 

August

August 1, Fiesta Day (Nicaragua)

August 2, Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)

August 3, Drimes Day in Greece with offerings to the dead, all-night parties and bonfires in vineyards and orchards

August 4, Dom Perignon invents champagne in 1693— celebrate!

August 5, Grasmere Rush Bearing Festival in Cumbria, England, dating back to the medieval custom of weaving flooring for cathedrals

August 6, Peace Ceremony for World War II bombing of Hiroshima

August 7, Feast of Hathor (Ancient Egypt)

August 8, Dog Days in Japan, or Doyo

August 9, Nagasaki Peace Ceremony in Japan

August 10, Celebration of the Goddess of Reason, established 1793 in France

August 11, Puck Fair in Killarney, Ireland 

August 12, International Youth Day

August 13, Feast of Vertumnus, god of seasons, gardens, and trees, in Rome

August 14, Ferragosto, Italy’s traditional mid-August holiday 

August 15, Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary

August 16, Saint Roch’s Procession in France and Italy 

August 17, Potunis in Italy; Marcus Garvey Day for Rastafarians

August 18, St. Helen’s Day Pilgrimage

August 19, Roman Vinalia Rustica in honor of Venus since 293 BCE

August 20, Szent Isvan Napja, Day of St. Stephen, in Hungary

August 21, Consualia in honor of Consus, god of seeds, grain, and harvest

August 22, Feast of the Queenship of Mary, Star of the Sea, since 1954

August 23, Paper Costume Parade and Holy Bath Day in Portugal

August 24, St. Bartholomew’s Day

August 25, Opiconsivia, festival to the goddess Ops

August 26, Feast day of Luonnatar, Finnish goddess of fertility

August 27, Birth of Isis

August 28, St. Augustine’s Day to honor Augustine of Hippo (354-430), leading Christian theologian and Father of the Church

August 29, Festival of St. John, commemorating his death 

August 30, Santa Rosa (Mexico); Saint Rose of Lima (Peru)

August 31, Anant Chaturdasi, a women’s purification festival (Hindu)

The Romans honored Demeter, the grain mother and overseer of the harvest, during August. The Celts celebrated Lughnassadh in honor of Lugh, their god of many skills. Lughnassadh was adopted and adapted by the Christian church as Lammas (“Loaf-mass”) and is still celebrated. The custom is that when the first grain is harvest, it must be baked into a loaf and offered to Lugh as thanks for healthy crops. Native Americans called August the Corn Moon, and the Franks referred to this time of year as Aranmanoth, The Corn Ears Month. 

July

July 1, Climbing Mount Fuji Day in Japan

July 2, Palio de Siena, the legendary festival for the Italian horse race with feasts, blessings, and betting, founded in the Renaissance

July 3, Festival of Sothis (Ancient Egypt)

July 4, Festival honoring Pax, Roman goddess of peace

July 5, Tynwald Fair Day on the Isle of Man since 1079

July 6, Jan Hus Day in the Czech Republic

July 7, Tanabata, Japanese Weavers Festival; China’s Chi Nu Feast for Milky Way

July 8, First actual Thanksgiving, Massachusetts’s Bay Colony (1630)

July 9, Pilgrimage for Sempachfeier, retracing and re- enacting the 1386 battle between the Swiss and Austrians. Defend an issue about which you feel strongly, as the peaceful Swiss did.

July 10, Silence Day in India

July 11, Feast Day of Saint Olga, the first Russian Saint

July 12, Nadaam festival of horses, in Mongolia

July 13, Commemoration of the Departed (Japanese Buddhist) 

July 14, Bastille Day (1789) in France

July 15, Chang Yuan, Festival of the Dead (China)

July 16, Feast for Our Lady of Carmel

July 17, Festival of Amaterasu, Japanese Sun Goddess

July 18, Saint Marina Day in Cyprus

July 19, Martyr’s Day in Myanmar

July 20, National Moon Day (United States)

July 21, Horse’s holiday in Rome, part of the Festival of Consualia

July 22, Saint Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day

July 23, Rastafarian Celebration honoring Haile Selassie

July 24, Simon Bolivar Festival Day in South America

July 25, Incan holiday for Illyap, god of thunder and lightning

July 26, Birthday of Carl Jung and Robert Graves

July 27, Birthday of Osiris (Ancient Egypt)

July 28, Peruvian Independence Day (1821)

July 29, St. Martha Day in France, first celebrated in 48 CE

July 30, International Bog Day, celebrating the protection of wetlands

July 31, St. Ignatius’s Day

The most appropriate rituals you can perform in the month of July are those in celebration of the sun.

Sirius, the Dog Star, rises in early July. The Egyptians knew this star as Sothis. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is Queen of Heaven, and Osiris, ruler of the underworld, is her husband and her brother. While these deities ruled, Egyptian culture thrived, advanced in the arts and science, and also grew in magic and religion. The Egyptians built great cities and became very powerful and renowned for the beauty of their civilization.

Isis is typically depicted as a beautiful winged woman. On her noble head is a crown with the disc of the sun gleaming golden. Veneration of Isis spread from Egypt to the Greeks, the Romans, and throughout the Hellenic world until her last temple was destroyed in the fourth century.

The palm tree is sacred to Isis and can be used in ritual. You can lay the palm leaves in your path and walk in procession. The palm has been used in various ways throughout the world in ritual. The following are some suggestions you can build upon in your own ritual design:

• In Cuba, folks sweep each other with palm branches that have been blessed with holy water in order to keep safe from evil spirits.
• Puerto Ricans weave palm leaves into crosses and use them as protective amulets. They also hang the palm crosses in their homes for abundance and to keep the home sacred.
• In Belgium, sections of palms are kept in the fields to ensure a copious harvest.
• The French decorate the graves of their beloved relatives with palm leaves that have been especially blessed for that purpose.
• In New Orleans, the residents plant palmetto palms beside a water fountain or pond on their property to bring money, love, luck, and good health. 

Midsummer Day

Essential elements for a Celtic-inspired Midsummer ritual are a wooden wheel, fallen branches and firewood, multicolored candles, multicolored ribbons, food and drink, and flowers for garlands. This ritual should be performed outside, ideally on a hill or mountaintop, at dusk. Call the local fire department to verify the fire laws in your area. You will likely need a special permit to light a bonfire, and certain areas may be restricted. Always clear the grass and brush away from your fire area, and make sure to dig a shallow pit into the ground. Circle the pit with rocks to help mark the edge of the fire pit as well as to contain the accidental spread of fire. Have a fire extinguisher, a pail of sand, and water bottles nearby in case the fire gets out of control. One person not directly involved in the ritual should be on hand to watch the fire at all times. Make sure the fire pit is far enough away from surrounding trees and other landscape features to allow for a group to dance around it.

Lay the wooden wheel down in the circle of stones, and arrange the fallen branches and firewood around the edge of it. The wheel represents the turning of the year, and the sun on its daily and yearly cycle. Tie the colored ribbons on the nearest tree. While these preparations are being made, the priestess to lead the ritual should meditate in the area where the ritual will be held, connecting to the goddess. The gathered celebrants should weave garlands of flowers while the sun slowly sets. Just before the sun vanishes completely, the priestess should direct the gathered celebrants to ready their candles, or more ideally, torches. The priest lights them, declaring:

The fire festival is begun.

Under this longest day of the sun. 

Let us go forth and make merry. 

The god and goddess are here!

All say:

Blessed be!

The priest leads the celebrants into the circle where the priestess waits, and directs them to throw their torches and candles in the bonfire. The priestess raises her arms and invokes the Goddess:

Great Earth Mother and Lady of the Forest, 

Be with us here and now!

On this night the Goddess reigns supreme. 

On this, our night of our midsummer!

All say:

Blessed be!

All should dance in the direction of the sun (clockwise) around the fire, raise their arms, and clap and shout for joy for as long as they want. When people begin to tire, it is time for the feast. The priest directs the blessing of the food:

Blessed Lady of the Forest,

And old god and animals, spirits of the wild, 

Bless this food and drink,

That it may strengthen us in your ways.

All say:

Blessed be!

Everyone should share in the refreshments and eat, drink, and make merry. Another round of dance and song is in order. When the bonfire has turned to ash, the priestess declares the ritual to be over and says:

Our revelry this day is done, dear one. 

Gods of the old and spirits of nature,

We thank you for your blessings this night. 

This rite is done.

All say:

Blessed be!

Make certain the fire has completely gone out before you leave the ritual site. Soak the ashes with water and clean up the site. Always leave a natural area cleaner than you found it. 

June Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations

June 1, Roman festival of Carna, goddess of doors and locks

June 2, US Congress granted citizenship and voter’s rights to all Native Americans, 1927

June 3, Festival of Bellona, a Roman goddess of battle 

June 4, First recorded Chinese solar eclipse (780 BCE) 

June 5, Feast of St. Boniface

June 6, St. Fermin’s Day in Spain, Running of the Bulls 

June 7, Weaver’s Festival in Japan

June 8, Founding of Islam circa 622 CE

June 9, Vestalia, Festival honoring the Roman goddess Vesta 

June 10, Day of Anahita (Persian)

June 11, Feast of Saint Barnabus

June 12, Dia dos Namorados, Lovers’ Day (Brazil)

June 13, Birth of the Muses

June 14, Otaue Shinji, Rice-Planting Festival in Japan

June 15, St. Vitus’s Day

June 16, Bloomsday festival in honor of Irish author James Joyce with readings, breakfast, and a pilgrimage retracing the steps of Leopold Bloom

June 17, Iceland’s Independence Day, 1944

June 18, High holy day for women’s rights—Susan B. Anthony defies the law in 1872 by voting

June 19, Juneteenth

June 20, Day of Ix Chel (Mayan)

June 21, Midsummer

June 22, Rose Festival in England, Feast of Saint Alban 

June 23, Jani, the major festival in Latvia

June 24, Feast of the Sun (Aztec)

June 25, Croatian Independence Day

June 26, Pied Piper Day, circa 1284

June 27, Stonewall, 1969, the day gays fought back

June 28, Constitution Day in Ukraine

June 29, Saint Peter’s Day

June 30, Burial of Yarilo in Russia, a traditional rite of song, games, and dance 

May Ceremonies, Festivals, and Rituals

May 1, May Day, Beltane

May 2, Last day of Ridvan, the Baha’i festival when no work can be done

May 3, Dia de la Crus, Day of the Holy Cross in Mexico and South America

May 4, Feast of Bona Dea, a Roman women’s mystery rite

May 5, Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo; Children’s Day in Japan

May 6, National Day of Prayer (United States)

May 7, St. Nicola, pilgrimage of the Italian Christian hero

May 8, Festival of the Roman goddess of the mind, Mens, from whom Mensa takes its name

May 9, Lemuria, when Romans banished ghosts from their homes

May 10, Women’s rights hero Victoria Woodhull is the first woman nominated for president in 1872

May 11, Anniversary of the year 330 CE, Roman ritual rededication of Byzantium to Constantinople

May 12, International Midwives Day

May 13, Portuguese Pilgrimage to Fatima

May 14, Mercuralia, Festival of Mercury

May 15, International Day of Families

May 16, French processions on Saint Honoratus Day, patron saint of all bakers

May 17, Norwegian Independence Day 

May 18, International Museum Day

May 19, Holiday of Poetry (Turkmenistan) 

May 20, Cuba’s Independence Day

May 21, Anastenaria, Greek fire-walking festival

May 22, World Biodiversity Day

May 23, The American Civil War ends, 1865—celebrate national unity

May 24, Slovenian Sveti Kiril I Metodi 

May 25, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s birthday

May 26, Birth of Isadora Duncan (1878), self-proclaimed Dionysian ritual dancer and choreographer

May 27, St. Augustine of Canterbury Day, make a pilgrimage to a local shrine or holy place

May 28, John Muir founds the Sierra Club (1892)

May 29, Oak Apple Day in England

May 30, Memorial Day or Decoration Day

May 31, Flores de Mayo, last day of flowers, or May Day

April Festivals, Ceremonies, and More

 April 1, April Fool’s Day; Festival of Kali (Hindu)

April 2, International Children’s Book Day

April 3, Birthday of the Buddha

April 4, Megalesia in Rome (from 204 BCE), celebrating the mother goddess, Cybele

April 5, Tomb-Sweeping Day in Taiwan, or Quin Ming Jie 

April 6, First recorded solar eclipse in history, 684 BCE 

April 7, World Health Day

April 8, Hana Matsurei, Flower Festival (Japan)

April 9, Feast of Glory for Baha’i faith

April 10, Anniversary of the first Arbor Day, 1872. Plant a tree!

April 11, Anniversary of when Haley’s Comet was closest to Earth

April 12, Roman festival of Cerealia begins, honoring the grain goddess, Ceres

April 13, International Librarian’s Day

April 14, Songkran Day, Thai New Year

April 15, Fordicia in honor of the Roman goddess Tellus

April 16, Anniversary of Gandhi’s “Prayer and Fasting Day,” 1919

April 17, Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, deposing Communism

April 18, Friendship day in Brazil

April 19, Saint Dunstan’s Day, Joan of Arc is declared a saint in 1909

April 20, Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, circa 571 BCE 

April 21, International Creativity Day

April 22, Earth Day

April 23, World Book Day 

April 24, Astronomy Day

April 25, Festival of Robigalia, for the Roman goddess Robigus who protected crops from mildew

April 26, Birthday of Leonardo de Vinci (1452), painter 

April 27, Freedom Day in South Africa

April 28, Floralia, the festival celebrating Flora, the Roman flower goddess

April 29, Greenery Day in Japan

April 30, Walpurgisnacht in Germany, May Eve

In April, many cultures honor the continuing growth seen in nature with such festivals as the Christian Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of the crucified Christ. This theme of resurrection is found in the mythology of many cultures, including Celtic mythology. In the spring, the Green Man, an avatar of the forests and fields, rises from his autumnal grave to stand tall once more. 

Mardi Gras or Carnival: a Moveable Feast

Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday,” the last day before Lent, when Catholics were formerly forbidden to eat meat (or fat). Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, when the Lenten season begins. Depending on how early or late Easter is each year, Mardi Gras can be celebrated in March or April. The first Mardi Gras celebration was in New Orleans in 1827. In the olden times, people dressed in animal skin, pelted each other with bunches of flowers, and drank wine. Also called Carnival, this is a very important rite of spring and has traveled all over the world. It is perhaps most grandly celebrated in Brazil. Carnival and Mardi Gras last for days and involve parades, costumes, special foods, and much frolicking. This is an opportunity for you to choose what most appeals to you and create a gorgeous spring ritual.

Ostara’s Equinox: a Ritual for Spring

At this time, celebrate the festival of Ostara, the Saxon goddess who is the personification of the rising sun. Her totem is the rabbit. Legend has it that her rabbit brought forth the brightly colored eggs now associated with Easter. At this time the world is warming under the sun as spring approaches. Every plant, animal, man, and woman feels this growing fever for spring.

This ritual is intended for communities, so gather a group. Tell everyone to bring a “spring food” such as deviled eggs, salads with flowers in them, fresh broths, berries, mushrooms, fruits, pies, veggie casseroles, and quiches. Have the food table at the opposite side of the area away from the altar, but decorate it with flowers and pussy willow branches that are just beginning to bud. These are the harbingers of spring.

Essential elements for this ritual are an altar table; a cot; bay laurel leaves; bowls of water; multicolored crystals; candles; a jar of honey; fruits of yellow, red, white, and purple; musical instruments; and one bowl each of seeds, leaves, flowers, and fruit.

1. Create your own Ostara altar in the middle of the ritual area by covering the table with a cloth of color that represents spring to you. It could be a richly hued flowered cloth or a light green solid color. the cloth should represent new life. Scatter bay laurel leaves around the table. Place goddesses on the altar table, too, with Ostara at the center. Put colored eggs, chocolate rabbits, candles, and crystals around the goddesses. In the east, set a yellow candle and crystals of amber, gold, and yellow such as citrine or agate. Place yellow fruit such as pears or bananas in front of the candle as an offering to the energies of the east. In the south, set a red candle and red and orange stones such as garnet or the newly available “rough rubies,” which cost only a few cents each. Apples and pomegranates are excellent red food to place in front of the candle. In the west, set a purple candle with amethysts in front of it. Sweet plums are a perfect fruit to place in front of the candle. In the north, set a white candle and a clear quartz or white crystal. Honeydew melon is an appropriate selection for the fruit offering.
   
   
2. Choose four representatives to invoke the directions.

• East—Everyone faces east. The representative for the direction should weave a story and create a vision that can be shared by all that is characterized by new beginnings, such as the rising of the morning sun. Spring is the time for new beginnings and growth in nature. The speaker can, for example, take the bowl of seeds and tell the tale of the seeds sprouting in the dark moist soil of Mother Earth. Pass the bowl of seeds around to everyone and urge them to take some seeds home to plant.
• South—Everyone faces south. The speaker for this direction should invoke the power of the leaf. Leaves draw in the energy of the sun through photosynthesis and help keep an important cycle of life moving. Leaves grow throughout the summer season, drinking in the water of life and using the power of the sun for photosynthesis. Pass the bowl of leaves around the group.
• West—Everyone faces west. The speaker for this direction should invoke the power of flowers. Flowers bud and bloom. They follow the sun and are some of nature’s purest expressions of beauty. Flowers bring joy to people and many flowers become fruit. Pass the bowl of flowers to the group and urge everyone to take some.
• North—Everyone faces the north. The speaker for the north should invoke fruit and harvest time. Fruit is the result of nature’s generosity. Fruit also contains the seeds for our future. Pass the bowl of fruit around and suggest everyone take one and eat it, meditating on the glory and deep meaning it contains. If it is appropriate, you can also offer juice or wine as part of the fruit invocation. Wine is the glorious nectar of fruit. 

3. Now it’s time for the ritual enactment. Everyone takes a seat around the altar. Drummers should start to play a gentle rhythm. Chanting, singing, and ululating are also encouraged, however people feel comfortable expressing themselves.

4. Each speaker should in turn light a candle and invoke the ancestors of the group. Remembrances to people who have died in the past year are an important respect paid to the community at large.

5. Next is the honoring of the moon. Ask people to speak about the moon, reciting their favorite moon poems or moon memories.

6. Anointing the third eye blesses your insight for the coming year. Pass the bowls of water and laurel leaves around. Take a leaf and dip it in the water, then touch the wet leaf to your third eye. Pass the bowl on to the next person. When the bowl has made its way back to the ritual leader, sing and dance in celebration of spring. Everyone should get in a line and hold hands and dance around

   the circle like a plant moving and growing, flowering, and fruiting. When the four speakers feel that the energy has reached a climax, each one should clap and say in turn:

And now it is done; now it is spring! 

Then open the circle by saying together:

It is spring in the East, it is spring in the South, it is spring in the West, and it is spring in the North!

March Festivals, Celebrations, & More

March 1, Matronalia, Roman day of honor for all women 

March 2, Saint Ceadda’s Day

March 3, Hina Matsura, Japanese Doll Festival, a celebration of girlhood

March 4, Saint Casimir’s Day, patron saint of Lithuania.

March 5, Navigium Isidis festival honoring Isis as navigator (Greco-Roman)

March 6, Kuan Yin’s birthday (Buddhist)

March 7, Bird and Arbor Day, established 1909 by Luther Burbank

March 8, International Women’s Day

March 9, Forty Saints Day in Romania

March 10, Tibet Day

March 11, Johnny Appleseed Day

March 12, O-mitzutori, “Receiving the Water Day” (Buddhist Japan)

March 13, Las Fallas Day in Valencia, bonfires to burn away the winter

March 14, Pi Day for mathematicians everywhere

March 15, Roman Ides of March; Japanese Phallus festival

March 16, Festival of Dionysus, the first day of the wild Roman Bacchanalia

March 17, Saint Patrick’s Day; Roman Libernalia

March 18, Sheelah’s Day in honor of Sheela-Na-Gig, goddess of fertility (Ireland)

March 19, San Giuseppe Day for Jesus’s father 

March 20, Spring equinox

March 21, No-Rus (Iranian New Year)

March 22, World Day of Water

March 23, Lildienas or Mara Day, named for the great goddess of Latvia

March 24, Feast of Saint Gabriel, patron saint of communications

March 25, The Annunciation, nine months before Christmas Day

March 26, Prince Kuhio Day, for the last royal prince of Hawaii

March 27, Easter, a moveable feast

March 28, Pesach, or Passover, a moveable feast

March 29, Festival of Ishtar (Babylonian)

March 30, Salus Day, also known as Hygieia, goddess of cleanliness, health, and the moon

March 31, Culture Day (Micronesia)

In March we see the more tangible signs of sprig—grass and trees begin to green, birds return from where they have wintered, and we breathe in the warmer breezes that herald summer ahead. Be careful, however—March can be a month of surprises and changes. Celebrate spring by bringing fresh flowers into your home, and take advantage of the first fruits and vegetables in the markets. March marks the vernal (or spring) equinox, one of only two days of the year where the hours of daylight and the night are balanced equally. The vernal equinox, like its partner, the autumnal equinox, exemplifies the concept of equilibrium and the idea that two halves create a whole: only with the darkness can light be seen and appreciated. 

February Holidays

February 1, Saint Brigid’s Day

February 2, Candlemas

February 3, Folklore Day (South Korea)

February 4, Porridge Day in Latvia

February 5, Fiesta de la Alcaldesa (Sicily)

February 6, Waitangi Day (New Zealand)

February 7, Ghost Exorcising Festival (Tibet)

February 8, Youth Day (Congo)

February 9, Chingay Procession (Singapore)

February 10, World Marriage Day

February 11, Kurban Bairam (Islam)

February 12, Chinese New Year (moves according to the lunar calendar)

February 13, Parentalia (ancient Rome)

February 14, St. Valentine’s Day

February 15, Lupercalia fertility festival (ancient Rome)

February 16, Heritage Day (Canada)

February 17, Tanis Diena, ancient Latvian festival honoring pigs

February 18, Spenta Armaiti festival of cultivators (Persian)

February 19, Copernicus birthday, 1473, revolutionary astronomer of the heliocentric theory—honor the sun!

February 20, Museum Day, commemorating to opening of New York’s Metropolitan Museum

February 21, Feralia, Roman festival to honor the dead 

February 22, St. Lucia’s Day (Christian)

February 23, Terminalia, honoring the Roman god of boundaries

February 24, Gregorian calendar begins, as established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582

February 25, Day of Nut (Ancient Egypt)

February 26, Purim

February 27, Ayyam I Ha, Day of Service and Giving (Baha’i)

February 28, Kalevala Day, commemorating the first publication of the Finnish mythological poem in 1835

February 29, Leap Day and Ladies Day

Although February is the shortest calendar month, it holds many rich festivals from several cultures. Celtic Pagans celebrate Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day, as the first sign of spring in the Wheel of the Year. Imbolc translates as “in the milk,” which reflects the lambing and calving season that begins around this time. The idea of purification also runs through February festivals such as Purim, Candlemas, and Lupercalia. Take the opportunity to start “spring cleaning” a bit earlier than you usually do to help chase away the winter blues. And of course, February holds Valentine’s Day, a now-secular celebration of affection and friendship. 

Spring Seasonal Festivals

In March we see the more tangible signs of spring—grass and trees begin to green, birds return from where they have wintered, and we breathe in the warmer breezes that herald summer ahead. Be careful, however—March can be a month of surprises and changes. Celebrate spring by bringing fresh flowers into your home, and take advantage of the first fruits and vegetables in the markets. March marks the vernal (or spring) equinox, one of only two days of the year where the hours of daylight and the night are balanced equally. The vernal equinox, like its partner, the autumnal equinox, exemplifies the concept of equilibrium and the idea that two halves create a whole: only with the darkness can light be seen and appreciated.

Imbolc Invocation: Calling Forth the Guardians

Candlemas, also known as Imbolc, is the highest point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. This festival anticipates the coming of spring with banquets and blessings. Tradition holds that milk must be served, and modern pagans have expanded that to butter cookies, ice cream, cheeses and any related foods. It is an important time to welcome new members of your spiritual circle and new witches into a coven. Candlemas is a heartwarming occasion, but it is still a wintry time, so kindling for the hearth or bonfire should include cedar, pine, juniper and holly along with wreaths of the same to mark the four directions alongside white candles in glass votives. Strong incense such as cedar, nag champa or frankincense will bless the space. The circle leader shall begin the ritual by lighting incense from the fire and begin by facing each direction, saying:

Welcome Guardians of the East, bringing your fresh winds and breath of life. Come to the circle of Imbolc.

Welcome Guardians of South, you bring us heart and health. Come to the circle on this Holy Day.

Welcome Guardian’s of the West, place of setting sun and mighty mountains. Come to us.

Welcome Guardians of the North, land of life-giving rains and snow. Come to our circle on this sacred day.

The leader should welcome each member of the circle and speak to the gifts they bring to the community. Everyone should acknowledge each other with toasts and blessings and break bread together in this time of the coming season.

Sabbat of Imbolc: A February Festival

Although February is the shortest calendar month, it holds many rich festivals from several cultures. Celtic Pagans celebrate Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day, as the first sign of spring in the Wheel of the Year.

Imbolc translates to “in the milk,” which reflects the lambing and calving season that begins around this time. The idea of purification also runs through February festivals such as Purim, Candlemas and Lupercalia. Take the opportunity to start “spring cleaning” a bit earlier than you usually do to help chase away the winter blues. And of course, February holds Valentine’s Day, a now-secular celebration of affection and friendship.

Spring Seasonal Festivals

In March we see the more tangible signs of spring—grass and trees begin to green, birds return from where they have wintered, and we breathe in the warmer breezes that herald summer ahead. Be careful, however—March can be a month of surprises and changes. Celebrate spring by bringing fresh flowers into your home, and take advantage of the first fruits and vegetables in the markets. March marks the vernal (or spring) equinox, one of only two days of the year where the hours of daylight and the night are balanced equally. The vernal equinox, like its partner, the autumnal equinox, exemplifies the concept of equilibrium and the idea that two halves create a whole: only with the darkness can light be seen and appreciated.