Pagan Holidays and Celebrations

workingmom — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:26:18 +0000

Pagans celebrate 8 major holidays a year, which we call “sabbats”. You will probably find by looking at the list of holidays below that some look familiar. That is because these holidays existed long before the Christian faith came along. When the Roman’s were trying to outlaw paganism thousands of years ago, many pagan holidays were changed into what we now celebrate as “Christian” holidays. But many of the actual reasons they were celebrated stayed the same. Here is a list of our Major Sabbats, and when they occur.

Samhain (October 31st) – This is the Pagan “new year”, and it marks the end of one year and the beginning of another. During this time we honor those who have passed away from us, and also recognize the changing of the seasons. We try to let go of bad habits at Samhain (pronounced SOW-en), and try to focus on things that need to be changed in our lives. This is also the time of the “death” of the Sun God, who will be reborn at Yule.

Yule (December 21) – This holiday is essentially our “Christmas” celebration. We celebrate by lighting the Yule log, and watching the sun rise (which symbolizes the Sun God’s rebirth on this day). Since this sabbat celebrates the winter solstice, we celebrate the beginning of light returning to the earth. We celebrate this holiday by exchanging gifts, decorating a tree, hanging wreaths and mistletoe, singing, feasting, and making merry!

Imbolc (February 2) – Imbolc (pronounced IM-bolk) is the time when pagans celebrate the renewing fertility of the earth. As winter slowly turns to spring, we are reminded that life is about to burst forth. We celebrate Imbolc by planting seeds, or begining new projects…anything that focuses on the “beginning” of things.

Ostara (March 21) – Ostara (pronounced oh-STAR-ah) is almost celebrated the same as Easter is. On this day we celebrate renewed life and fertility by boiling and decorating eggs, going on egg hunts, and blessing seeds for growth. Anything which celebrates fertility and growth!

Beltane (April 30) – This day is symbolic to us of the God and Goddess uniting in a handfasting (marriage). In this act, they help the Earth to burst forth with life and growth. We celebrate Beltane by dancing around the maypole, or wearing flowers or foliage in their hair, or by bringing flowers into the house.

Litha (June 21) – Litha (pronouced Lee-tha) is the summer solstice, and is generally not celebrated as much as the other sabbats are. This day marks where the God and Goddess are at their peak, but soon the days will grow shorter and shorter. In the past pagans would celebrate this night with a large bonfire, but recently it is only marked with love spells and rituals, and rituals involving nature.

Lammas (August 2) – Lammas is the first harvest festival for pagans. It is the day when tradionally the first grain was cut. It is traditional to celebrate this day by baking bread or other “grain” foods. We also celebrate by holding great feasts to celebrate the bountiful harvest, and decorating our houses with autumn decorations.

Mabon (September 21) – The second harvest festival for pagans. It is held on the Autumn equinox to celebrate the last fruits and harvest of the year. Feasts are also held in celebration, but to a more solemn extent. Cornucopias are a popular decoration, as are ears of corn, gourds, pumpkins, and other late season vegetables.

In addition to the above 8 major sabbats, most Pagans also celebrate “Esbats” which are held once a month to celebrate the moon. While the sabbats celebrate the “God” aspect, the Esbats celebrate the “Goddess” aspect. Esbats are generally held on the full moon.

sell wedding supplies

Basic Beliefs of Pagans and Wiccans

workingmom — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 07:22:36 +0000

Believe it or not, it is exceptionally difficult to write a page on “basic beliefs” for pagans. The main reason is because there are such a wide variety of individual beliefs in paganism, and so many different paths, that it is difficult to write a page on specific beliefs. However there are a few certain universal pagan beliefs that I will attempt to cover on this page.

As far as diety is concerned, most pagans believe in A Goddess, and a God. Instead of the Christian belief where there is only ONE supreme being and that he is male, pagans choose to believe that everything in nature has a duality…a male and female side, and therefore so should Spirit. Although believing in both a Goddess and God are central to pagan beliefs, it should be noted that there are feminist pagan groups who only believe in a Goddess, and other groups that believe that there are many Gods and many Goddesses (representing different aspects of nature).

Another belief that is universal to paganism is called “The Wiccan Rede”, and it goes like this:

“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An’ it harm none, Do what ye will. Blessed Be to thee .”

That is actually the shortened version, however you can look up the full version on nearly any search engine. Since pagans do not have a long list of rules to live by like many other mainstream religions, this one rede is universally accepted by pagans as a “moral code”. In essence, it means “As long as you harm NO ONE (including yourself, other people, animals, plants, or anything living), then you may do what you like.” Pagans take this creed to heart. For instance, most pagans will not do love spells, because it intereferes with free will, which harms someone.

Another part of the full version of the Wiccan Rede talks about the threefold law. This is another belief that is almost universally recognized by pagans. The threefold law states that whatever your actions are, they will come back to you threefold. In otherwords, if you do a bad deed, it will be visited back upon you three times (or three times as bad!). If you do a good deed, it will likewise be returned to you threefold.

Those are the main universal beliefs of paganism. Individual pagans may include additional beliefs and ways to worship, but these 3 main points are the essence of paganism. All pagans also hold a universal high respect for nature, and everything in it. We believe that the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, are very powerful, and are to be respected and honored.

As stated before, individual pagans may have beliefs specific to them, such as: belief in fairies, doing rituals only in skyclad (naked!), focus on herbal magick, and many others.

coffee favors

Working Moms Blog » Religion

Pagan Holidays and Celebrations

Basic Beliefs of Pagans and Wiccans