A Sampling of Pagan Festivals and Rites of Ceremony

THE FESTIVALS

There are many festivals of the different pagan religions. Some are holdovers of what people believe were the originals. While its’ not possible to know for certain, we can learn some small things from those rituals that were steeped in antiquity and involving great beauty.
This is merely a sampler, not meant by any means to be seen as complete.

I have included, to the best of my knowledge, bits of lore with them,as well as special months from the runic calendar that have been gleaned from other sites and content.

Festivals of
January

Jan 13-Celtic Feast of Brewing

*Jan.21-Celtic Tree month of
Luis, Agnes Day, a time of divination by fire

Jan.25-Disting: Feast of
Distir, celebrates the old Norse guardian Goddess

*Jan.31-Imbolc Eve, or
Brigatia, Sacred to the Valkyries, and the Nords, who sit by the well or
Urd under the tree Yggdrasil and decide the fates of Gods and men

Festivals of February

*Feb.4- Imbolc:Fire festival
between yule and the vernal equinox, also Brigantias day, Celtic goddess
of the seasons

Feb.4- Celtic King Frost Day

Feb.9- Feast of Apollo, god of
the sun

Feb.12-Runic half month of
Sigel celebrating good over darkness

Feb 14-Feast of Vali, Feast of
Juno Februa, goddess of love. On this night, if you decorate your
pillow with 5 bay leaves you will see your love in your dreams

Festivals of March

*Mar.2- Sacred to Ceadda,
Celtic God of springs and healing waters, he is symbolized by the Crann
Bethadh, the tree of life, on this day the behavior of birds is
considered prophetic.

Mar.4- Feast of Rhiannon Of
Celtic origin

Mar.8- Welsh, Witches Day

Mar.14-Half month of Beorc
begins, Goddess of Birch trees and rebirth.

*Mar.19-Celtic: Nemetona,
Goddess of the Sacred Grove is revered today.

Mar.21- Ostara, celebrating
the increasing light of the sun, the altar is decorated with spring
flora .

Mar.25-Druidic Festival: Alban
Eiler:meaning light of the earth.

Mar.26-Mabon ap Modron, Celt
deity of youth.

Festivals of April

Apr.10-Celtic tradition says
the sun dances today

*Apr.11-Ystre, or Oestre, The
Goddess Ostara’s day, protector of fertility and children, this festival
was taken by the Christians as their own, to become Easter.

Apr.22-Sigr Blot, a day to
honor Odin

Apr.28-Festival of Floralia,
Roman, traditionally a day of sexual license and experimentation.

Apr.29-Runic half month of
Lagu, or water begins.

* Apr.30-Walpurgis:Norse:Sacred
festival of witches, bonfires of juniper and rosemary are lit , Birch
twigs are placed in windows and doorways to protect the home.

Festivals of MAY

*May.1- Beltane, or in the
Celtic, Cetsamhain:Celtic festival celebrating the union of the Goddess
with the Horned God, a time of mystic union, and great celebration for
Wicce and Druidics alike.

*May 24-Festival of the three
mother Goddesses, Celtic,Roman Festival of Diana and Artemis, Goddess of
the Moon and of the forests, she is sacred to Wicce.

May 30-Sacred to Frigg,
consort to Odin

Festivals of JUNE

*June 1-Hamadryads day, honored
by placing an offering at an oak tree, the most revered tree of Celts
and Druids

June 4 Pagan fest of
Whitsunday, celebrating spring and fertility

*June 5 Domnas day, Celt
Goddess of stones and coves.

*June 10 Celtic tree month of
Duir, honors the oak tree,.

*June 16 Silver Chalice
Night/Wicce: Traditional Wicce share a chalice of wine tonight in honor
of the God and Goddess//Night of Tears/Egyptian:Isis mourned her
murdered husband Osiris on this day by the shedding of her thousands of
tears.

*June 20 Midsummers
Eve:Cerridwen is celebrated, Goddess of love and fertility, by burning
the herb Vervan.

*June 21 Midsummer:
Traditionally
the longest day of the year, the sun is at its peak, and
at the height of its power.
The altar and circle are
decorated with summer flowers and herbs.
Bonfires are lit to
symbolize
the height of the suns glory.
Now is the time to gather herbs and
plants, as they will
be at their most virile during this time
, Druidic feast of Alban
Hefin

Festivals of JULY

July 8 Sacred to the Goddess
Sunniva, Goddess of the Sun

*July 15 honors Rowana,the tree
goddess, patroness of knowledge of runes.The Rowan is the tree of
protection and amulets cut from it this day will be particularly
effective/Egyptian God Set, God of darkness is honored this day

July 31 Oidche Lugnasa, in
honor of the Celtic Sun God Lugh, patron of Sorcery and poetry.//Also
festival of the Norse God Loki, trickster, and his consort, Sigyn

Festivals of AUGUST

*Aug 1 Lammas, festival of the
first harvest, Wicce traditionally weave corn husks,make offerings to
the Goddess, by burning the weavings of the previous year.//Norse,
sacred to Frigg and Odin//Gaelic:Lughnassadh, the games of the Sun God.

*Aug 5 Druidic tree month of
Coll, Coll is the hazel tree which embodies wisdom and Druidic
practices.It encompasses regeneration and growth through the spirit, and
the divination of unseen things.

*Aug 15 Festival of Arianrhod,
Celtic Great mother Goddess.

***Aug 17 Marks the Day Odin
began to hang upon the tree Yggdrasil to secure the knowledge of the
runes .//Roman celebration of Diana

Festivals of SEPTEMBER

**Sept 15 Traditionally the
first full moon after thsi date is celebrated as the harvest moon, A
time of power for those involved in witchcraft, divination or fertility
magick.

**Sept 22 Autumnal Equinox,
the time when darkness overtakes light, Druidic festival of Elban Elued,
the “light of water” when the sun begins to descend into the ocean of
wintertime.

Sept 29 Festival of
warrior gods, sacred to Heimdall, son of Odin.

Festivals of OCTOBER

**Oct 18 Celtic, Wicce, Welsh,
Druidic: Festival of Cernunnos, also knows as Herne, Atho, Hu Gadern,
The Horned God of the forests , is celebrated today.

Oct 24 Feast of the Spirits
of the air.Incense is burnt in honor of the slyphs, the spirits of the
air.

**Oct 31 Samhain Eve.Marks the
end of the last day of light.

Festivals of NOVEMBER

**Nov 1 Samhain, the joining
of summer to winter, the word Samhain comes from the Celtic words Isam
Fuini, meaning summers end.Cailleach, the Celt Goddess is to strike the
earth with a hammer, rendering it cold and hard until Imbolc.The breach
between the living and dead is small at this time of year and the
spirits may walk more freely to speak to the living. Bonfires are
traditionally lit this eve to usher in all souls day.

Nov 7 Night of Hecate, Queen
and patroness of the witches

Nov 22 Festival of Artemis,
and Ydilar, Norse god of archery

Festivals of DECEMBER

Dec.11 Sacred day to
Arianrhod, Celtic Moon Goddess

Dec 18 Celt Goddess EPONA is
honored, Goddess of horses.

Dec.21 Yule: the celebration
of death and rebirth, winter plants are used to decorate the altar and
circle.

Dec 27 Norse Goddess Freyja
is honored on this day. Freyja is a lover of felines.

Dec 31 Traditional new Years
Day

 

 

Pagan Rituals – Druidic Festivals – Pagan Festivals and Rites of Ceremony