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~~~ JANUARY ~~~
New Year's Day was not a prominent holiday. The year was considered to end with Harvest then begin its growth again, so for all practical purposes, All Hallow's Day is the first day of a new year (Nov 1).
~~~ FEBRUARY ~~~
February 1 - Springtide or Imbolc
All celebrations at this time are about the return of the sun and warmth and the growing season after winter's long cold death is coming to an end. Tis the time of seeding and preparing for the nurturing and blossoming of Spring.
Springtide is also called Imbolc which means new life 'in the belly' or in the womb. While the young/new sun (born at Yuletide) begins to grow, the seeds of food and hope are planted.
Torches and/or candles may be lit all at once to celebrate and strengthen the return of the sun's life-giving light and heat. (basis of Candlemas)
Feast of the Waxing Light - (waxing, as opposed to waning) The Child Sun born with the Winter Solstice begins to grow now, becoming stronger as the days grow visibly longer. This is a time when the seeds quicken in their dark places of slumber.
also known as Brigid's Feast - A Celebration of Brigid, the Lady of Wisdom, whose triune nature involves smithcraft, poetry and wisdom, and healing. Brigid's fire (Sun) is a symbolic transformation offering healing, wisdom, and tempering of the soul.
February 24 - Leap Day - if a leap day is needed, the 24th is doubled/repeated
~~~ MARCH ~~~
March 21 - Spring Equinox or Ostara
The first true day of Spring is named after an ancient virgin goddess of Spring. The days and nights are now equal in length. Shoots of new growth and swelling buds on the trees are visible.
Symbols of this festival include eggs and rabbits (sound familiar?)
Easter as we know it was not a prominent holiday as yet and entirely religious but would occur on the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon which would happen somewhere between March 21nd and April 18th
~~~ APRIL ~~~
April 30 - May Eve or Walpurgisnacht
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~~~ MAY ~~~
May 1 - May Day, First Day of Summer
May Day or Beltane celebrates the fertile and ripening land beneath the strong warm sun. It is a time to ejoy the blooming beauty of nature. April 30th, May 1
~~~ JUNE ~~~
June 21 Midsummer's Eve & June 22 Midsummer's Day, Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice (longest day, shortest night) marks the peak of the growing season and coming of harvest. More prominently known as Midsummer. On or about June 21st.
~~~ JULY ~~~
July 27 - Feast of the Seven Sleepers
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~~~ AUGUST ~~~
August 1 - Loafmas or Lammas or Gule of August (harvest time, like Thanksgiving)
Lammas celebrates the beginning of the Harvest. Plants are 'setting their seed'. The sun is still hot but one can see time is soon passing into Autumn. August 1st.
August 30 - Eanswith?
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~~~ SEPTEMBER ~~~
September 21 - Autumn Equinox or Maibon
Maibon is derived from the name of a Welsh fertility god and marks the peak of Harvest. Again the days and nights are equal. Gardens are heavy with nature's bounty. The air is growing more crisp and whispers the coming of winter.
~~~ OCTOBER ~~~
October - first Sunday, bless the fishing nets
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October - mid-month, bless the fishing harvest
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October 30 - Devil's Night or Mischief Night
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October 31 - All Hallow's Eve or Hallowmass Eve or Feast of the Dead (apple & candle night?)
End of Harvest and the cycle of the year ends/begins again
~~~ NOVEMBER ~~~
November 1 - All Soul's Day, All Hallow's Day/Eve
All Soul's or Samhain brings the Harvest to a close. This is a time of thanksgiving and setting up stores for the coming cold. October 31, Nov 1
~~~ DECEMBER ~~~
December 22 - Yule or Yuletide, Midwinter, Winter Solstice, Modranicht (Mother Night), Mean Geimredh
The Winter Solstice (shortest day, longest night) would be the (re)birth of the year and life giving sun out of the longest darkness of the year. Celebrated with Yule or Yuletide. Also known as Midwinter. On or about December 22nd.
longest night of the year
evergreen tree for Yule, either cut or live (to be planted later), much like a Christmas tree, but different decorations such as oranges, lemons, and apples hung from the boughs, as well as garlands of cranberries and cinnamon sticks and dried flowers, bells, candles, crystals, cookies and candies. Evergreen and holly boughs and wreaths are placed around doorways and windows.
would likely burn a Yule log (pine or birch log with carved symbol of the sun) or split a log and bore three candle holes in it like table centerpiece or mantlepiece) and burn the candles
typical foods eaten on this day include nuts (especially chestnuts), fruits, red cabbage, beans and pork, served with wassail or cider, and tea made of hibiscus or ginger.
December 25 - ((Modern Christmas of course))
December 28 - Feast of the [Holy] Innocents, Childermas
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Feast Note: Detailed description of a typical medieval feast including the "ceremony" before the food was presented and the courses of a sample festival meal: http://www.millersv.edu/~english/homepage/duncan/medfem/feasts.html
Source Note: selected holidays from
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/5923/holiday/calhome.html
which used cool alternate spellings of the months, assumed latin (Ianuarii, Februari, Martii, Aprilis, Maii, Iunii, Iulii, Augusti, Septembris, Octobris, Novembris, Decembris)
And yet another note: I found one reference to some obscure Catholic thing called "Festival of the Relics" (Jan 27th) but the search to find out any detail was pretty fruitless. Still, I LOVE that phrase and would like to work it in somewhere. If not, I think it would make a great title for a short horror story. <weg>
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