•Yule (Dec. 21 or 22) is when the lady gives birth to the lord and he is reborn. Everything is being reborn and can be remade. Christians adopted many of the traditions of Yule for their holiday of Christmas, so some of this may sound familiar. Red, green and gold are traditional colors. Mistletoe is used to decorate doorways to bring love through the door, and an evergreen tree is put up and decorated with colors and lights. Everyone gets one gift, which is wrapped, and they go under the tree. Cookies and warm treats are made, and there is usually only a small meal for this holiday, traditionally with ham, apples and root vegetables. Songs are sung through the night and candles are put in the window to bring us light through the longest night. The Yule log is the most important part of this day. A log is picked out and burned in the fire, which must burn all night. In the morning the ashes and whatever remains of the log should be buried or scattered in the yard. How well the log burns determines how well your family will do in the coming months. Sometimes a play is also performed that shows the battle between the oak king (the god in death) and the holly king (the god being reborn), with the holly king overcoming death. Also, the goals or resolutions you made between Samhain and Yule come into affect on this day.
•Imbolic/ Candlemas (Feb. 2) is a holiday of young love where the maiden and the lord are courting. This holiday is about banishing winter to welcome something new. This is a good time for cleaning, usually with a flower like lavender. Burn white candles after or as you clean to clear the energy and bring positive light into your area. This holiday is great for opening new paths and using creativity.
•Spring Equinox/ Ostara (Mar. 21 or 22) is when spring comes and the lord and lady experience a more steady mature love. Sweet cakes are served at dusk. This is a time when light and dark balance. Baskets are made the night before by children and in the morning they are filled with decorated eggs, candy, flowers and sometime something to plant. The baskets are "hidden" by the kids, who then have to wait for the bunny to come (they can't check too often or it'll scare the bunny away!).
The story of Ostara:
It was long ago, on the last day of winter. Snow covered the ground. There was a little girl who was lost and alone in the woods. She was cold, tired, and afraid. In despair, she dropped down in the snow and began to cry. Just then she saw a bird laying in the snow, it was covered in ice and snow. She picked up the dying bird. She held it close to herself; wrapping it tightly in her coat. She tried to warm the bird and thaw its frozen wings, but it was too cold. She cried out for help! "Help! Help this bird to live", she cried.
The Goddess of Spring, Eostara, heard her and found it unusual that this girl was calling on her to help the bird instead of asking for help for herself. She decided to go to the girl. She floated over the snowy landscape. In her wake flowers bloomed and sweet-scented blossoms burst open as colors blazed into view. Spring followed in her path and the sound of laughter and gentle breezes could be heard on her breath. She was glorious to behold. Rebirth and new life radiated about her. The girl was astounded. She jumped up and thrust the bird at Eostara. "Save it!” she cried.
Eostara reached out her hand and touched the bird with one delicate finger. Light flowed through her, warming the bird. Its eyes opened suddenly. Its foot twitched. It hopped out of the girl's hand. The girl squealed with delight.
"But wait," the girl said, "its wings are still frozen to its body. It can't fly, it will surely die!”
Eostara reached over to the bird and touched it again gently with her hand, turning it into a bunny. "There!” she said to the girl, "Now it has no need of its wings".
Eostara had to leave to start spring, but before she left she made a trail for the girl to follow out of the woods. The trail was made of flowers and candies. The girl saw it, and thanked the goddess. As she followed the trail she put the gifts in her basket. When she got home she left her basket on the windowsill and went inside to warm up. The bunny wished to thank the girl for saving it, so it went to her house. When it saw the basket it thought it looked like a nest, and the bunny jumped into it. Forgetting that it was a bunny now, it laid eggs in the nest! These eggs were colored with the magic of spring that had saved it. When the girl went out in the morning to get the basket, she found the eggs.
To this day, when the snow begins to melt, and the flowers begin to bloom, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blossoms and warmth, the bunny begins to lay its eggs. And in thanks to the child that saved it, the bunny gives its eggs to good children all over. These eggs tell of color, of spring, and of Eostara and her gift of renewed life and release from winter's chill. They are tokens of recognition and gratitude to the Goddess Eostara for the gift of spring.
•Beltane/ May Day (May 1) is when the lord and maiden consummate their love and the maiden becomes the lady. This is a big day for festivals and going out to have fun. There are dances, art projects and everything is decorated with flowers. This is a great time to drink and be merry. Bonfires are traditionally burned as well. If there is a festival they erect a May pole with ribbons, usually red or rainbow, coming down. A May queen is selected; usually a young girl who symbolizes youth, beauty and creativity. Then everyone participates in a dance around the pole, the men holding the ends of the ribbon. By the end of the dancing the ribbons will be wrapped the pole. The pole is obviously a phallic symbol, and the whole holiday has a sexual nature. Sex can be used to celebrate this holiday as well.
•Summer solstice/ Midsummer (June 21 or 22) is when the lord and lady are in their prime. The lady realizes she is going to have a baby by winter, and the lord starts to foresee his own death and accept it. Much of what is being celebrated here is the sun and the bounty of the summer. Usually sunflowers are cut and put in the house and wreaths are made of ivy and flowers and hung on the doors. This is the best night to see fairies. Sometimes the great rite is performed. The great rite is a ritual where one person calls down the goddess into themselves and one person calls down the god into themselves and then they have sex. Sometimes the sex is only symbolic, such as putting the athame (ritual knife) in the chalice (cup).
•Lammas (Ag. 1) is the first step towards death when the lord gives his body to the land to feed the world. We are encouraged to reap the bounty he has given us through his sacrifice. This is one of the harvest holidays. Breads are served and feasts are held to honor this day.
•Fall Equinox/ Mabon (Sept. 21 or 22) is when the lord gives us his blood to drink (from vines ect.). This is another harvest festival, usually corn and other vegetables are harvested. This is a time to give thanks (like thanksgiving if you live in the U.S.). Cornbread is a traditional food, and cider is served to those who don’t want red wine. Another tradition is to put fallen leaves on jars and drip wax or use paraffin to stick the leaves to the jar. These ensure that what good things also come out of death – the leaf is dead but what is inside, like herbs or canned food, is good and life giving. The jars are also lucky and can be sued to store things other than food. This is a good time to decorate for fall. This is an equinox, which means day and night are equal, so balance is usually emphasized.
•All Hollow’s Eve/Samhain (Oct. 31) is our “new years” and the time in which the crone takes the lord to the summer land to wait so as he can be reborn on Yule. Commonly known as Halloween, we go out at night because the veil between the worlds is thin. This means the dead, the fae, and other spirits will be roaming through the night as well. Usually a ritual is performed and the rest of the night is devoted to merry making, traditionally not going to sleep all night. There is a large feast, alcohol and many sweets since this is the last harvest festival. Back in the day, it was like the last hurrah before winter. Marigolds are a good flower for this time, and black and orange are the traditional colors. Candles are burned for those who died. This is a time to reflect on the past year, much as death is a time for reflection on your past life. In preparation of Yule, when the god is reborn, you will use what you learned this past year and will make goals for the next year. This is not a one night thing – you do not start pursuing your goals until Yule.
The exact dates depend on the year because they follow the sun. All the holidays are either related to farming (harvesting) or to the sun. Our holidays are called Sabats, not to be confused with Esabats (which are full moons sometimes used for magic). Some people consider Esabats holidays too but they are really just special days that you are encouraged to do spells and rituals on.
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