The winter solstice, or Yule, is coming up on December 22, for our readers in the northern hemisphere. This celebration has a long-standing history, from back in the days of Mithras, through the Nordic tribes, and among a number of other cultures. Let’s take a quick look at some of the time-honored traditions of this winter celebration that is observed all over the world.
If you’re one of our readers below the equator, you’re gearing up for Litha, the summer solstice, and the longest day of the year. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for links to some great info about the customs behind the celebration of midsummer!
Many cultures have winter festivals that are in fact celebrations of light. In addition to Christmas, there’sHanukkah with its brightly lit menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, and any number of other holidays. Let’s look at the history of solstice celebrations. Also, be sure to read about winter customs around the world.
This time of year has been celebrated in many ways in many cultures. From the Roman Saturnalia to the Italian La Befana, the Feast of Frau Holle, and the Neopagan tradition of the Oak and Holly King, just about everyone has marked this season with a celebration.
Wondering why we go caroling or kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas? Ever ponder the mysteries of the holiday fruitcake? Believe it or not, many modern Christmas traditions can trace their origins to early Pagan societies. Ten Christmas Traditions With Pagan Roots
It’s a time of celebration, so just for fun, let’s look at ten great things about the Yule season. Also, let’s look at something that’s NOT a Pagan celebration at all, just because we get a lot of messages about it every year.
Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate Beltane, but the focus is nearly always on fertility. It’s the time when the earth mother opens up to the fertility god, and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops, and new life all around. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying — and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.
April’s showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st, festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It’s a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history. Try some of these rituals and ceremonies for your Beltane sabbat celebration.
Setting Up Your Beltane Altar It’s Beltane, the Sabbat where many Pagans choose to celebrate the fertility of the earth. This Sabbat is about new life, fire, passion and rebirth, so there are all kinds of creative ways you can set up for the season. Try some of these ideas to get your altar ready for your celebrations!
Beltane Prayers By the time Beltane rolls around, sprouts and seedlings are appearing, grass is growing, and the forests are alive with new life. If you’re looking for prayers to say at your Beltane ceremony, try these simple ones that celebrate the greening of the earth during the fertility feast of Beltane.
5 Ways to Celebrate Beltane With Kids Every year, when Beltane rolls around, we get emails from folks who are comfortable with the sexual fertility aspect of the season for adults, but who’d like to reign things in just a little when it comes to practicing with their young children. Don’t worry! Here are five fun and easy ideas for celebrating the season with your kiddos.
Beltane kicks off the merry month of May, and has a long history. This fire festival is celebrated on May 1 with bonfires,Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old-fashioned sexual energy. Let’s look at the history behind the Beltane season
Interested in learning about some of the traditions behind the celebrations of May Day? Learn why the Romans had a big party, why we dance around a Maypole, what a hobby horse is, and the reasoning behind all those bonfires.
May 1 will be the sabbat Beltane, also known as May Day or Walpurgisnacht. Beltane begins at sundown on April 30. Traditionally, couples stay out overnight “bringing in the May,” or gathering spring flowers and greenery with which to create garlands, crowns, and bouquets. It is a time of joyous celebration of the fertility displayed by the land as it further opens to the touch of the sun: trees have put forth new leaves and are now flowering, the new grass is lush and thick; the days grow ever longer, and the rains nourish the new crops in the fields.
This festival is opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year, and like that Sabbat, it is a night of divination as the veils between worlds grow thin. The ancient Celts recognized only two seasons– summer and winter– and as Samhain was the beginning of Winter, the dark half of the year, so Beltane recognizes the beginning of Summer, or the light half of the year.
Beltane is also called Walpurgisnacht in Germany. Foods associated with Beltane include anything dairy– as the livestock is now feeding on new grass which improves the quality of milk and cream– as well as mead and other alcoholic beverages.
Traditions and Rituals
Beltane is considered a sexually licentious time. It is the beginning of the season favoured for marriages and handfastings, as well as for re-enactment of the Great Rite, the union between the God and the Goddess. Much poetry and folklore exists describing the abandonment with which dancing, singing, and playing leads to lovemaking. Children conceived on this night are called “children of the Gods,” and are said to be blessed.
The Maypole is perhaps the most recognizable accessory to Mayday celebration. A dancing game in which mean and women interweave ribbons attached to a high pole (passing one another with plenty of kisses), this action is another form of the Great Rite, the pole representing the God, and the ribbons which slowly enfold it representing the Goddess.
Correspondences
Colors: Blue, Green, Pink, Red, Yellow, White.
Gemstones: Amber, Malachite, Orange Carnelian, Sapphire, Rose Quartz.
SGC Admin: (Original Post September 2013): Mabon is a Pagan/Wiccan celebration. This celebration puts focus on giving thanks for blessings bestowed and falls around September 22 the Fall Equinox ….
It is the time of the autumn equinox, and the harvest is winding down. The fields are nearly empty, because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons, and celebrate the second harvest. On or around September 21, for many Pagan and Wiccan traditions it is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. With it being a few weeks away, now is a good time to start decorating your home for the autumn equinox, and planning your fall craft projects!Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Need some quick and affordable decorating ideas for Mabon? Here are some tips on how to bring the season into your home without breaking your bank account! Use apples, leaves, acorns and more to celebrate the fall equinox. Read Full Article
God’s eyes are one of the easiest crafts you can make, and they’re versatile because you can create them in any color. For a harvest celebration, make them in fall colors — yellows and browns and reds and oranges. This simple craft can be used in fall spellwork. Read Full Article
As the Wheel of the Year turns with each season, you may wish to use different types and scents of incense for your ceremonies and rituals. While incense isn’t mandatory for a good ritual, it certainly can help to set the mood. To make your blend of incense for Mabon, the autumn equinox, we’ll be using scents that remind us of the fall season, and the second harvest of the year. Read Full Article
SGC Admin: Summer time is a time of weddings, and each belief system has its own way of celebrating the act of marriage, or the joining of two lives… Check out what Patti Wigington has to share about the Pagan/Wiccan way of getting wed or Handfasting… 🙂 If you are planning your handfasting this summer, Patti has some helpful tips for you… oh and Congratulations… !!!
copy right: andreblais
We’re now into the merry month of May, which means that handfasting season is upon us. Many people in the Pagan community opt to have a handfasting instead of the “traditional wedding” that our non-Pagan friends have. In some cases, it may be simply ceremonial — a couple declaring their love for one another without the benefit of a state license. For other couples, it can be tied in with a state marriage certification issued by a legally authorized party such as a clergyperson or justice of the peace.Either way, the handfasting is becoming more and more popular, as Pagan couples are seeing that there is indeed an alternative for non-Christians who want more than just a courthouse wedding. Today we’ll look at some of the things to keep in mind when you’re planning a handfasting, as well as tips to help make it a magical and successful day!
Handfasting History:
An Old Tradition Made New
In centuries gone by, handfasting was a popular custom in the British Isles. In rural areas, it could be weeks or even months before a clergyman happened to stop by your village, so couples learned to make allowances. A handfasting was the equivalent of today’s common-law marriage — a man and woman simply clasped hands and declared themselves married.
Handfasting HistorySpring is here, and love is in the air! For many people of Pagan faiths, this is the time of year for a handfasting ceremony. If you’re lucky enough to have someone you love this much, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind while planning your handfasting ceremony.
Handfasting TipsSample Handfasting CeremonyIf you’re planning on having a handfasting ceremony rather than a traditional wedding, you may want to work with your Pagan clergyperson on the writing of the vows. This is a sample ceremony that you can make adjustments to based upon your needs and your spiritual tradition.
It’s become traditional to give each of your guests a small wedding favor. Typically, these are small trinkets with either the date of the event or the couples’ names on them. However, if you’re having a Pagan or Wiccan handfasting, rather than a traditional wedding ceremony, why not come up with an idea that celebrates your spiritual path, as well as announcing your commitment to the community? Magical Gifts for Your Guests
Click Here to visit Patti and find our more about Paganism and Wiccan… 🙂
SGC Admin: Mabon is another of the Pagan/Wiccan celebrations, with focus on giving thanks for blessing bestowed upon them and falls (excuse the pun) around September 22 the Fall Equinox …. Please view Patti Wigington ‘s “lesson” on Mabon…
It is the time of the autumn equinox, and the harvest is winding down. The fields are nearly empty, because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons, and celebrate the second harvest. On or around September 21, for many Pagan and Wiccan traditions it is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. With it being a few weeks away, now is a good time to start decorating your home for the autumn equinox, and planning your fall craft projects!Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.
Need some quick and affordable decorating ideas for Mabon? Here are some tips on how to bring the season into your home without breaking your bank account! Use apples, leaves, acorns and more to celebrate the fall equinox. Read Full Article
God’s eyes are one of the easiest crafts you can make, and they’re versatile because you can create them in any color. For a harvest celebration, make them in fall colors — yellows and browns and reds and oranges. This simple craft can be used in fall spellwork. Read Full Article
As the Wheel of the Year turns with each season, you may wish to use different types and scents of incense for your ceremonies and rituals. While incense isn’t mandatory for a good ritual, it certainly can help to set the mood. To make your blend of incense for Mabon, the autumn equinox, we’ll be using scents that remind us of the fall season, and the second harvest of the year. Read Full Article
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