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Ostara
March 20, 8 p.m. Location: Level Cross
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Traditional date: March 21
Actual astrological date: March 20 in 2009
First day of Spring, actual Vernal or Spring Equinox, the night and day stand equal
Alban Eiler, "Light of the Earth"
Celebrates the the birth of spring, rebirth
Time of planting
Rare day of magic due to the rare balance of light and dark
Colours: Red and green or red and yellow
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Beltaine or Beltane
May 1, 7 p.m. Location: Level Cross
POT LUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Traditional date: April 30 and/or May 1
Midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice
The second largest and most important festival, great tribal gatherings
The beginning of the light half of the year, exact opposite day of Samhain
Third Celtic fire festival (male)
Old Irish "Beletene" means "bright fire"
Gaelic "Bealtaine" means the month of May
Celtic word Beltaine mean fires of Bel
House fires were extinquished and relit from hilltop bonfires
Need-fires are built, walk between for purification
Bonfires of sacred wood are lit in honor of the Celtic god Beli
The veil between worlds (Shield of Skathach) is thin, allowing faeiries to cross over
Colours: Blue, pink, yellow, green
Evolved into May Day
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Litha
June 19, 8 p.m. Location: Level Cross
Traditional date: June 21
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Actual astrological date: June 21 in 2009
Summer Solstice, first day of summer, longest day of the year
Alban Heruin, "Light of the Shore"
Mid Summer's Eve
Celebrates the light and the sun without there would be no life
Time of strengths and accomplishments
Gather herbs as "Herb Night" is when they are most potent
Colours: Blue, green, yellow
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Lughnasadh
August 1, 8 p.m. Location Level Cross
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Overnight campers welcome. Please RSVP if you plan to camp.
Lammas, or Lughnasadh (after the Celtic God Lugus) is one of the harvest festivals. It is a time of corn
festivals and corn dances. All cultures had representations of a corn mother or corn Goddess. In Europe
the corn mother was made of the last sheaves of corn harvested; as her spirit was believed to be
embodied in these sheaves of corn. The descent into the darkness of winter has just begun, but the
lushness of summer is still apparent in our summer gardens. This is the season when everything seems
'full' - trees, crops, and still, long, warm days. These are the "dog days" of summer so called because the
"dog star" Sirius rises and sets with the sun between mid-July and September. The word 'Lammas' comes
from "loaf mass" which celebrates the bread made from the first grain to be harvested. This is the time of
the year when Demeter is just beginning to realize that Persephone is gone and begins to search for her
daughter
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Sept. 18 8 p.m. Level Cross.
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Overnight campers welcome. Please RSVP if you plan to camp
As the sun crosses the equator and continues its journey south, this is the time of harvest. The season to
reap what we have sown from our spring planting, the time of thanksgiving. When day and night are once
again equal, time is in balance. The abundance of the harvest is present, but so is our sense of
preparation for the dark, cold winter and the death of nature. Fall Equinox is the time Demeter mourns for
Persephone and thus causes all in the natural world to die and mourn with her. Another name for the
autumn equinox, Mabon, comes from the Celtic Queen Mab of the Fairies
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Samhain
Nov. 6, 8 p.m. Level Cross.
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Overnight campers welcome. Please RSVP if you plan to camp.
The most sacred holiday celebrated throughout the Wheel of the Year is Samhain. Sometimes referred to
as Halloween, Hallows, Hallowmas, or All Hallows Eve - the "hallow" in all of these names comes from the
Middle English word that means "holy." The name "Halloween" means "hallowed evening". The traditional
Celtic name for this night is Samhain (pronounced something like; 'sow-en'), which may mean "summer's
end" or may be named after Samana, an Aryan death god who is the Grim Reaper and leader of the
ghosts of our ancestors. The veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thinnest on this night.
Celtic tradition says that all those who die each year must wait till Samhain before crossing into the spirit
world where they will begin their new lives. At this moment of crossing, the spirit of ancestors who still have
unfinished business in this world may appear. In ancient times, people who feared the presence of hostile
spirits would attempt to drive them away with grotesque faces carved on turnips, gourds or apples, lit from
within by a candle. Samhain is the time to celebrate the Crone, the wise one, the healer. In modern times,
she is represented as the witch flying on a broom with her familiars, the owl and the black cat, across the
full moon. In the Demeter/Persephone myth, it is the time when Demeter finds Persephone in the
underworld and begins the long journey to bring her back. Samhain is a celebration of the link between the
living and the dead. Ponder the fact that directly opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year is Beltaine,
that joyous, exuberant celebration of light and life.
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Yule/Winter Solstice/Alban Arthuan
Date TBA Location TBA
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Winter Solstice marks the time of the year when the light returns as the sun shifts and starts to move
northward again. In Europe, the tradition of the yule log is celebrated on Winter Solstice. A special log is
brought in and placed on the hearth where it glows for the twelve nights of the holiday season. After that, it
is kept in the house all year to protect the home and its inhabitants from illness and any adverse condition.
The yule log is the counterpart of the midsummer bonfires, which are held outdoors on Summer Solstice to
celebrate the shortest night of the year. It is also customary to place mistletoe around the fire, which is the
plant that grew on the oak tree, sacred to the Druids, the priests of the old Celts. Among other uses,
mistletoe is thought to help women conceive. The Christmas tree also dates from old European or pagan
rituals. It was the time to celebrate the renewal of the earth, and greens were used as the symbol.
Branches of pine, cedar, and juniper commonly used bring a wonderful fragrance into the home. Red
candles are used to symbolize the fire and heat of the returning sun as the days begin to
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Imbolc 2010
Imbolc (ihm-olk) Imbolg or Oimelc
POTLUCK and BYOB (see requirements and menu)
Traditional date: Feb 1 or 2
Actual astrological date:
Midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox
Second Celtic fire festival (female)
Festival of Lights, St Brigid's Day
Celebrates the quickening of spring, the end of winter, time of abundance of milk
Time of planning and hopes, fire and purification are prominent factors
Ceremonies involve water, candles pledges and planting a hope or a seed, making candles
Burn your Christmas tree and light candles
Colours: Red, orange, white
Evolved into Groundhog Day: Scots looked for serpents leaving their winter holes. Gaelic hag goddess,
who rules the winter months, Cailleach, gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. If the day is sunny,
she gathers a great deal of wood, husly the winter will continue for some time. If th day is rainy, she will not
gather much wood and the remaining winter will be short.
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