Celebrating the Wheel of the Year: Rituals for Holidays
Holiday time is a time when we all have rituals. As I write this, it is the Celtic New Year, which begins with Samhain, or All Hallow’s Eve. I was fascinated with the media reports that Halloween has become the second biggest consumer holiday in North America. I believe this is indicative of people’s thirst for celebratory times. As for other holidays, I look forward to the times when children have the equinoxes and solstices off from school, when we can observe the changing of the seasons and help people create memories.
As you know, holidays were created around the seasons of the year. Some of them celebrated springtime and the start of new growth, while others celebrated the harvest in preparation for the dark and chilly days of winter. Nearly all of our modern festivals and holy days have ancient roots in farming customs.
This chapter is intended to inform you about holidays, to teach you about ones you are unfamiliar with, and “spice up” those very special days you already observe. For ease and pure pragmatism, we use the traditional calendar year format to take a ritual tour through the Wheel of the Year. Some of these occasions may or may not correspond to the accepted definition of holiday; however, remember that these celebratory days are meant to be a springboard for your own “jump ups,” as Luisah Teish calls ritual get-togethers. Use this chapter as inspiration to create your own holiday and help motivate yourself to honor the seasons and the progress of the year. Be sure to draw from the magical, meaningful correspondences discussed and listed in the appendix in the back pages of this book.
365 Days of Ritual
In this section, I have included a group of international celebrations and special birthdays grouped by month. This long list is intended to provide you with usual, ancient, and, in some cases, extremely obscure holidays to observe in your rituals and celebrations. Create your own unique set of celebration ceremonies with this lore. For example, March 11 is the day Johnny Appleseed died, so you could use this date to design a “seed exchange” or other spring rite with your circle. November 4 is Mischief Night in Great Britain, which sounds like an occasion for playfulness at its best. By researching various multicultural holidays, you can create newer, richer rituals. Choose from the hundreds of festivals and holy days to create your own one-of-a-kind set of glory days.
January
January 1, New Year’s Day, Gantan-sai (Japan)
January 2, the Japanese Day of First Writing: Ancestry Day (Haiti)
January 3, Saint Genevieve Day
January 4, Our Lord of Chalma Day
January 5, Festival of Befana (Italian)
January 6, Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day
January 7, Greek Orthodox Christmas
January 8, Midwife Day
January 9, Feast of the Black Nazarene
January 10, Seven Lucky Gods of Japan
January 11, Carmentalia, Day of Prophecy in Rome
January 12, Seijin no Coming of Age Day (Japan)
January 13, Glaedelig Norwegian Twentieth Day
January 14, Feast of the Donkey in Paris
January 15, Martin Luther King’s birthday
January 16, Festival of Ganesha
January 17, San Antonia Abad
January 18, World Religion Day
January 19, Baha’i Feast of Sultan
January 20, Portuguese Breadbasket Festival
January 21, Saint Agnes Day
January 22, Burgundian Winemaker’s Holiday
January 23, Buffalo Dancer’s Holiday
January 24, Bolivian Ekeko Fair for Prosperity
January 25, Robbie Burns Night (Scotland)
January 26, Indian Independence Day
January 27, Mozart’s Birthday
January 28, St. Thomas Aquinas Day
January 29, Martyr’s Day (Nepal)
January 30, Three Bishops Day
January 31, Feast of Hecate (Ancient Rome)
Any discussion of rituals for the month of January must include New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I remember the drama that ensued as people around the globe stood by to witness the sunrise on January 1, 2000, perceived as the beginning of the new millennium. While many other cultures observe their New Year at other times during the year, January 1 has also become a time of celebration, reflection, and an opportunity to embrace change.
For many millennia, indigenous peoples have celebrated their own New Year in unique ways. One common element is the use of fire rituals by North, Central, and South American peoples. The Pilgrims who arrived in what was to become New England observed and documented that the Iroquois and other tribes they encountered had a New Year’s Council Fire, a time when the tribe gathered to review the past year, listen to the elders, and speak their hopes, dreams, and visions of the coming year.
In addition to your personal New Year’s ritual with the significant people in your life, I recommend the Mayan Fire Ceremony as a powerful way to bring positive change of the New Year into your life.
The Mayan Fire Ceremony was considered to open a door or portal into the spirit world that held the promise of receiving the blessings of spirit—love, healing, prosperity, peace, and anything you need for personal transformation. This ritual is also an opportunity to pay respects and make homage to your ancestors and loved ones you have lost. For this reason alone, I suggest enacting the Mayan Fire Ceremony: our culture is losing the important connection to the older people in our lives. Involving them in the rituals, ceremonies, and passages of our lives could heal a cultural rift and bring deep wisdom to all. Mayan shamans could “read” the fire in a divinatory fashion, and I hear that some modern metaphysicians can do the same. If you are fortunate enough to know anyone with such skills, invite them to your fire ceremony to share what they divine from the flames.
January 1—Mayan Fire Ceremony
What you need:
Candles in the following colors: red, yellow, green, blue, white, and black
Herbs: tobacco, rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, and rose petals
Incense: copal, myrrh, or any resin-based incense
2 cups sugar
1 chocolate bar per person
Bells, rattles, drums, and other noisemakers
A firepot, fireplace, or safe place for an outdoor fire, paper for your intention
The candle colors represent the six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down (or sky and earth). They also represent the different people of the world.
Gather your friends together at dusk on New Year’s Day and ask them to bring a colored candle (assign them a color), a noisemaker, and an open mind. Ask them also to write out what they want to purge from their life and bring the paper into the circle. The Mayan Fire Ceremony serves to bring positive new influences into our lives and also to dispel what no longer serves for good. This “letting go” can be anything. For me, one year ago, it was cancer, and this year it was too much clutter. For you, it could be an unhealthy relationship, a job that makes you miserable, or a cramped apartment.
Here are the steps to the ritual:
Build a fire at 5:00pm and have it burning brightly as your guests arrive. Place a big bowl of herbs, flower petals, and incense near the fire.
Create a circle around the fire and ask the eldest in the group to slowly draw a circle of sugar around the fire.
When the elder has moved back into place in the circle, each person should light his or her candles from the fire and place it in the sugar circle, creating a mandala.
Ask the youngest person to lead the group in this chant:
My life is my own
I must but choose to be better,
Vital breath of life I breathe
No more pain and strife!
Wise ones, bring us health and life
Bring us love and luck
Bring us blessed peace
On this our New Year’s Day.
Into the fire, we toss the old
Into the fire, we see our future
On this, our New Year’s Day.
Harm to none and health to all!
Everyone should rattle and drum away, making merry and rousing the good spirits. The spirits of the wise elders will join you.
After the drumming, start around the circle, beginning with the eldest. Allow people to speak about what they want to release from their life, and have them toss their “letting go” paper into the fire. Then the eldest person should lead the group in a prayer for collective hopes for the coming your, and anyone who wants to add something should also speak out wishes for positive change, for themselves and for the world.
Thank the wise elders and ancestors for their wisdom and spiritual aid by throwing some chocolate into the fire. Be sure to keep some for members of the circle to share and enjoy. The Mayans held the belief that a plentitude of offerings to the ancestors would bring more blessings. They also believed that fire ceremonies helped support the planet and all the nations of the word. Gifts to the fire signal to the elders that they can return through the door and to the other world, until you call upon them for help in the future.
January 11, Carmentalia, Day of Prophecy
Romans observed this day of Carmenta, beloved for her prophetic powers and for her protection of motherhood. One of Rome’s famed gates, the Porta is dedicated to her. A fascinating detail of her lore is that the priests to this goddess never sacrificed animals because Carmenta forbade any kind of butchering. The ancient oracles always gave their prediction in verse, and this Arcadian deity did so as well. Her name comes from the same root as which means “song,” and indicates a spell as well as a prophecy. One legend tells that Carmenta was the mother of Evander, who brought the humanities with him, both the arts and the foundation of the Latin alphabet; another suggests that she was the mother of the alphabet. Only the priests of Carmenta were permitted to enter her innermost shrines. Roman women made sure they visited Carmenta’s shrine during their pregnancies, especially on January 11, to hear the song spell sung for their new babies. This is a wonderful ritual for women to share so that they can know what to predict for the year to come.
Ritual for Carmentalia—Prophecies for the New Year
On January 11, gather a group of women together. Ask them to bring pens, paper, and offerings of fruit, flowers, or vegetables to Carmenta. Use these to build an altar, with the bounty placed around a black bowl filled with water that is used as the scrying mirror. Place candles around the room and turn down the lights.
Form a circle around the bowl and altar, and as each woman places her offering beside the bowl, she says aloud the name of her offering:
Pomegranate [or orange or lily, Goddess’s herb,
Perform for me enchantment superb.
You give us grain and bread.
Foretell for me the year ahead.
After placing the offering to Carmenta on the altar, each woman should kneel over the mirror and look upon the water. Some people may see images, but oftentimes the information comes as an impression, thought, or meditative reflection. People should only share their visions if they feel the need to do so.
After everyone has had a turn, everyone should chant and sing together:
Daughters under this sun
Sisters under this moon
Tonight we receive your blessings
Carmenta, goddess great and good—
We thank you for the year to come.
Now open the circle and sit in silence for at least ten minutes, so that everyone present can record her impressions and visions from Carmenta in a journal. In years to come, if you and your circle of women decide to observe the Feast of Carmentalia annually, as I recommend, you can share and compare notes from prior years. This is a wonderful way to process the passages of your lives. Afterward, a feast is called for. The fruit and veggies from the altar should be consumed, and the flowers should decorate the dining table. Make sure to smudge very well with sage at the end of the evening, as remaining energies should scatter and not stay in the home. Water from the scrying bowl should be poured into the earth outside.
Clearing the New Year: Ganesha Mudras
The elephant-headed Ganesha is the Indian god who helps overcome all obstacles. What better way to start the New Year that with this mighty deity at your side? Ganesha is beloved in India, where he is also called the “Lord and Destroyer of Obstacles.” When people seek success in work or school, they turn to this jolly elephant god. I keep a little bronze statue of a supine Ganesha on my computer.
Mudra is a type of yoga you do with your hands. It is also called “finger power points.” This is a portable yoga that you can do anywhere—on the bus, on the place, at your desk, even walking down the street. This is a marvelous way to calm yourself and handle stress. Buddha statues are usually shown with the hands in a
The very easy Ganesha mudra begins by holding your left hand in front of your chest with the palm facing outward, away from your body. Bend your fingers. Grasp your left fingers with your right finders bent, toward your body. Move the hands to the level of your heart, right in front of your chest. Exhale vigorously and gently try to pull your hands apart without releasing the grip. This will create tensions in your upper arms and chest area, exercising those muscles.
Now relax those muscles while inhaling. Repeat these steps six times, then place both your hands on your sternum in the Ganesha clasping position. Note the energy and heat you feel in your body. Now repeat six times with your hands facing in the reversed positions.
The Ganesha mudra opens the fourth chakra and vies us “heart”—courage, confidence, and good feelings toward others. It opens us up to new encounters and new, positive experiences. Performed once a day, this is a marvelous way to strengthen your upper body. It is also believed to open the bronchial tubes and stimulate that area.
February
February 1, Saint Brigid’s Day
February 2, Candlemas
February 3, Folklore Day (South Korea)
February 4, Porridge Day in Latvia
February 5, Fiesta de la Alcaldesa (Sicily)
February 6, Waitangi Day (New Zealand)
February 7, Ghost Exorcising Festival (Tibet)
February 8, Youth Day (Congo)
February 9, Chingay Procession (Singapore)
February 10, World Marriage Day
February 11, Kurban Bairam (Islam)
February 12, Chinese New Year (moves according to the lunar calendar)
February 13, Parentalia (ancient Rome)
February 14, St. Valentine’s Day
February 15, Lupercalia fertility festival (ancient Rome)
February 16, Heritage Day (Canada)
February 17, Tanis Diena, ancient Latvian festival honoring pigs
February 18, Spenta Armaiti festival of cultivators (Persian)
February 19, Copernicus birthday, 1473, revolutionary astronomer of the heliocentric theory—honor the sun!
February 20, Museum Day, commemorating to opening of New York’s Metropolitan Museum
February 21, Feralia, Roman festival to honor the dead
February 22, St. Lucia’s Day (Christian)
February 23, Terminalia, honoring the Roman god of boundaries
February 24, Gregorian calendar begins, as established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582
February 25, Day of Nut (Ancient Egypt)
February 26, Purim
February 27, Ayyam I Ha, Day of Service and Giving (Baha’i)
February 28, Kalevala Day, commemorating the first publication of the Finnish mythological poem in 1835
February 29, Leap Day and Ladies Day
Although February is the shortest calendar month, it holds many rich festivals from several cultures. Celtic Pagans celebrate Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day, as the first sign of spring in the Wheel of the Year. Imbolc translates as “in the milk,” which reflects the lambing and calving season that begins around this time. The idea of purification also runs through February festivals such as Purim, Candlemas, and Lupercalia. Take the opportunity to start “spring cleaning” a bit earlier than you usually do to help chase away the winter blues. And of course, February holds Valentine’s Day, a now-secular celebration of affection and friendship.
Chinese New Year
This most special holiday for Chinese all over the world is a “moveable feast,” as it occurs on the second new moon after the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice, December 21) and lasts about two weeks. According to the Western calendar, this means the holiday begins sometime in either late January or early February. Tradition holds that homes must be cleaned from top to bottom in preparation for the festivities. On New Year’s Eve, families get together for a banquet, and at this feast fish is the dish of delight, as the Chinese word for “fish” sounds like or “great plenty.” Red is the color of luck and all children receive red envelopes filled with money and bright, shining moon-like coins. Adults write “spring couplets” on red paper; these are short poems that are hung around the doorway to greet the New Year auspiciously. Oranges are placed around the house in bowls and plates and blooming plants adorn the home both indoors and out. All generations of the extended Chinese family, from great-grandmother to the tiniest toddler, stay up late playing games, telling stories, and making wishes for the New Year.
Hong Bao—an Ancient Feng Shui Custom
Essential elements: red envelopes, coins, and paper money. The Chinese call the red envelopes lee sees.
On the actual day of the Chinese New Year, go around to your neighbors, friends, and family with red envelopes containing money. If you are like me, bright, shiny coins are what you can easily afford to give instead of envelopes stuffed with paper money. With each gift, greet folks with Gung Hey Fat which means “Wishing you prosperity and health.”
Give every child two lee sees because happiness comes in pairs. By taking care to provide the children you know with lee you are making sure the next generation has good luck. Business owners also give lee sees to employees, important partners, and associates. When you hand a lee see to anyone you may have a grudge or grievance with, you should let go of the old feeling and refuse to drag the new you down with emotional baggage in the New Year.
Valentine’s Day Observances: Attraction Altar
This is the first step to prepare for potential relationships and create a foundation for self-love in the truest sense. You can recreate your altar as a power source and a center from which to renew your erotic spirit. You can also concentrate your energy, clarify your intentions, and make your wishes come true. Incorporate a special element to enhance love in your life, for yourself, and for others. As always, the more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be.
Feng Shui for Love
Surely one of the main reasons for clearing space in your home and bedroom is to make room for a happy love life. Before you attempt to enhance your prospects for love, you need to improve the flow of or life energy, in the environment where you express your love. Try any of all of the following to help you improve the chi:
Remove all pictures of yourself where you are alone.
Remove all empty cups, jars, vases, and bottles.
Remove all photographs of past lovers, or at least relegate them to another room.
Make sure that decorative accessories are in even numbers, not in odds or in triplets. This pertains to candles, frames, pillows, and lamps.
Display special feng shui love symbols, such as an open red fan, a pair of crystal lovebirds, and two red hearts. On your bed, you should use rich, silky, and extremely comfortable fabrics and colors. Also be extravagant when it comes to pillows—the more the merrier. But remember to have even numbers, not odd ones, which disrupt your “love chi.”
Personal Ritual for Renewal: Bed Blessing
Turn back the bedspread to reveal fresh sheets. In a red cup, mix a half-teaspoon of jasmine oil and a half-teaspoon of rose oil. Hold it with both hands and speak:
In this bed, I show my love.
In this bed, I share my body.
In this bed, I give my heart.
In this bed, we are as one.
Here, my happiness lies as I give and live in total joy.
Blessed be to thee and me.
As you say, “Blessed be,” flick drops of your bed blessing oil from your fingers all across the bed until the cup is empty. Now, lie down and roll around in the bed. After all, that is what it is there for!
Relationship Corner
As you walk into your bedroom, the relationship corner will be the back right corner. Your love and sex energy have to be nurtured there, and you might as well consider placing your altar there to serve as your personal erotic wellspring.
Look at this area with a fresh eye—what is cluttering your love corner with dead energy? Half-empty perfume bottles or near-empty cosmetic bottles could be impairing your relationship energy. You must clear unhappiness out of this space, clear the area of any clutter by getting rid of all unnecessary objects and tidying up.
To cleanse the area, ring a hand bell anywhere clutter has accumulated, giving special attention to your bed and pillows. Here are a few tips:
Never bring old pillows into a new home. Old pillows can cause poor sleep and bad dreams. They can carry old sexual energy and can kill a relationship.
Never place your bed in the center of a room, as this will cause anxiety and get in the way of a healthy sex life.
Never have the foot of the bed facing the door, as this brings very bad luck.
To keep your lovemaking fresh, always make the bed and change the linens often.
Place these objects in your bedroom to attract loving energy:
2 rose quartz crystals of equivalent size
Pink, orange, or red fabric
2 red candles
Images of two butterflies
New Moon Candle Consecration
If you are looking for love and feel like you need the physical release of sex, perform this rite and you will soon find a lover to satisfy your needs. On the night of the next new moon, take two pieces of rose quartz and place them on the floor in the center of your bedroom. Light two red candles and use this affirming chant:
Beautiful crystal I hold this night,
Flame with love for my delight,
Goddess of Love, I ask of you,
Guide me in the path that is true.
Harm to none as love comes to me.
This I ask and so it shall be.
Candlemas Ritual, February 2
Candlemas, the highest point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, is also known as Imbolc, Brigid’s Day, and the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. Many Wiccans use this sabbat (holy day) as the special day to initiate new witches. Brigid, the Celtic goddess and saint honored on this day, is connected with both the elements of fire and water, both with powerful purificatory powers.
Essential elements for this Candlemas ritual are a cauldron, white candles, a bough of cedar, a small bough of pine, a small bough of juniper, a small bough of holly, incense, red cotton thread or yarn, a stone for an altar, and a bowl of water.
The leader of the circle should purify the circle with the fire of the incense while invoking the four directions to raise power. Place your altar stone north of the circle and place white candles on and around the altar. Cast the circle:
Face east and say:
Welcome, Guardians of the East, bringing your fresh winds, the breath of life. Come to the Circle of Candlemas.
Face south and say:
Welcome, Guardians of the South, bringing us heat and health. Come to the circle on Candlemas.
Face west and say:
Welcome, Guardians of the West, bringing the setting sun and light rains. Come to the circle on Candlemas.
Face north and say:
Welcome, Guardians of the North, brining life-bringing rains and snow. Come to the circle on Candlemas.
Meditating on the concept of purification, make a bouquet of the four branches and wrap it with the red cord. The red symbolizes Brigid’s fiery aspect, while the four trees stand for purification. Bow with it to each of the four directions. Bow last to the north, over the altar stone, and say:
Bright Brigid,
Sweep clean our homes and spirits on this sacred day.
Purify our souls of the dullness of winter, and help us prepare for the light of summer.
Brigid of the white hands, Brigid of the golden curls,
Bless us all. So mote it be.
All respond:
So mote it be!
The ritual leader dips the branches in the water and sprinkles the circle, and the participants, saying:
Blessed Brigid, may your water heal us, and make us whole.
Leave the bouquet on the altar stone as an offering to Brigid.
March
March 1, Matronalia, Roman day of honor for all women
March 2, Saint Ceadda’s Day
March 3, Hina Matsura, Japanese Doll Festival, a celebration of girlhood
March 4, Saint Casimir’s Day, patron saint of Lithuania.
March 5, Navigium Isidis festival honoring Isis as navigator (Greco-Roman)
March 6, Kuan Yin’s birthday (Buddhist)
March 7, Bird and Arbor Day, established 1909 by Luther Burbank
March 8, International Women’s Day
March 9, Forty Saints Day in Romania
March 10, Tibet Day
March 11, Johnny Appleseed Day
March 12, “Receiving the Water Day” (Buddhist Japan)
March 13, Las Fallas Day in Valencia, bonfires to burn away the winter
March 14, Pi Day for mathematicians everywhere
March 15, Roman Ides of March; Japanese Phallus festival
March 16, Festival of Dionysus, the first day of the wild Roman Bacchanalia
March 17, Saint Patrick’s Day; Roman Libernalia
March 18, Sheelah’s Day in honor of Sheela-Na-Gig, goddess of fertility (Ireland)
March 19, San Giuseppe Day for Jesus’s father
March 20, Spring equinox
March 21, No-Rus (Iranian New Year)
March 22, World Day of Water
March 23, Lildienas or Mara Day, named for the great goddess of Latvia
March 24, Feast of Saint Gabriel, patron saint of communications
March 25, The Annunciation, nine months before Christmas Day
March 26, Prince Kuhio Day, for the last royal prince of Hawaii
March 27, Easter, a moveable feast
March 28, Pesach, or Passover, a moveable feast
March 29, Festival of Ishtar (Babylonian)
March 30, Salus Day, also known as Hygieia, goddess of cleanliness, health, and the moon
March 31, Culture Day (Micronesia)
In March we see the more tangible signs of sprig—grass and trees begin to green, birds return from where they have wintered, and we breathe in the warmer breezes that herald summer ahead. Be careful, however—March can be a month of surprises and changes. Celebrate spring by bringing fresh flowers into your home, and take advantage of the first fruits and vegetables in the markets. March marks the vernal (or spring) equinox, one of only two days of the year where the hours of daylight and the night are balanced equally. The vernal equinox, like its partner, the autumnal equinox, exemplifies the concept of equilibrium and the idea that two halves create a whole: only with the darkness can light be seen and appreciated.
Ostara’s Equinox: a Ritual for Spring
At this time, celebrate the festival of Ostara, the Saxon goddess who is the personification of the rising sun. Her totem is the rabbit. Legend has it that her rabbit brought forth the brightly colored eggs now associated with Easter. At this time the world is warming under the sun as spring approaches. Every plant, animal, man, and woman feels this growing fever for spring.
This ritual is intended for communities, so gather a group. Tell everyone to bring a “spring food” such as deviled eggs, salads with flowers in them, fresh broths, berries, mushrooms, fruits, pies, veggie casseroles, and quiches. Have the food table at the opposite side of the area away from the altar, but decorate it with flowers and puss* willow branches that are just beginning to bud. These are the harbingers of spring.
Essential elements for this ritual are an altar table; a cot; bay laurel leaves; bowls of water; multicolored crystals; candles; a jar of honey; fruits of yellow, red, white, and purple; musical instruments; and one bowl each of seeds, leaves, flowers, and fruit.
Create your own Ostara altar in the middle of the ritual area by covering the table with a cloth of color that represents spring to you. It could be a richly hued flowered cloth or a light green solid color. the cloth should represent new life. Scatter bay laurel leaves around the table. Place goddesses on the altar table, too, with Ostara at the center. Put colored eggs, chocolate rabbits, candles, and crystals around the goddesses. In the east, set a yellow candle and crystals of amber, gold, and yellow such as citrine or agate. Place yellow fruit such as pears or bananas in front of the candle as an offering to the energies of the east. In the south, set a red candle and red and orange stones such as garnet or the newly available “rough rubies,” which cost only a few cents each. Apples and pomegranates are excellent red food to place in front of the candle. In the west, set a purple candle with amethysts in front of it. Sweet plums are a perfect fruit to place in front of the candle. In the north, set a white candle and a clear quartz or white crystal. Honeydew melon is an appropriate selection for the fruit offering.
Choose four representatives to invoke the directions.
faces east. The representative for the direction should weave a story and create a vision that can be shared by all that is characterized by new beginnings, such as the rising of the morning sun. Spring is the time for new beginnings and growth in nature. The speaker can, for example, take the bowl of seeds and tell the tale of the seeds sprouting in the dark moist soil of Mother
Earth. Pass the bowl of seeds around to everyone and urge them to take some seeds home to plant.
faces south. The speaker for this direction should invoke the power of the leaf. Leaves draw in the energy of the sun through photosynthesis and help keep an important cycle of life moving. Leaves grow throughout the summer season, drinking in the water of life and using the power of the sun for photosynthesis. Pass the bowl of leaves around the group.
faces west. The speaker for this direction should invoke the power of flowers. Flowers bud and bloom. They follow the sun and are some of nature’s purest expressions of beauty. Flowers bring joy to people and many flowers become fruit. Pass the bowl of flowers to the group and urge everyone to take some.
faces the north. The speaker for the north should invoke fruit and harvest time. Fruit is the result of nature’s generosity. Fruit also contains the seeds for our future. Pass the bowl of fruit around and suggest everyone take one and eat it, meditating on the glory and deep meaning it contains. If it is appropriate, you can also offer juice or wine as part of the fruit invocation. Wine is the glorious nectar of fruit.
Now it’s time for the ritual enactment. Everyone takes a seat around the altar. Drummers should start to play a gentle rhythm. Chanting, singing, and ululating are also encouraged, however people feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Each speaker should in turn light a candle and invoke the ancestors of the group. Remembrances to people who have died in the past year are an important respect paid to the community at large.
Next is the honoring of the moon. Ask people to speak about the moon, reciting their favorite moon poems or moon memories.
Anointing the third eye blesses your insight for the coming year. Pass the bowls of water and laurel leaves around. Take a leaf and dip it in the water, then touch the wet leaf to your third eye. Pass the bowl on to the next person. When the bowl has made it’s way back to the ritual leader, sing and dance in celebration of spring. Everyone should get in a line and hold hands and dance around the circle like a plant moving and growing, flowering, and fruiting. When the four speakers feel that the energy has reached a climax, each one should clap and say in turn:
And now it is done; now it is spring!
They open the circle by saying together:
It is spring in the East, it is spring in the South, it is spring in the West, and it is spring in the North!
Mardi Gras or Carnival: a Moveable Feast
Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday,” the last day before Lent, when Catholics were formerly forbidden to eat meat (or fat). Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, when the Lenten season begins. Depending on how early or late Easter is each year, Mardi Gras can be celebrated in March or April. The first Mardi Gras celebration was in New Orleans in 1827. In the olden times, people dressed in animal skin, pelted each other with bunches of flowers, and drank wine. Also called Carnival, this is a very important rite of spring and has traveled all over the world. It is perhaps most grandly celebrated in Brazil. Carnival and Mardi Gras last for days and involve parades, costumes, special foods, and much frolicking. This is an opportunity for you to choose what most appeals to you and create a gorgeous spring ritual.
April
April 1, April Fool’s Day; Festival of Kali (Hindu)
April 2, International Children’s Book Day
April 3, Birthday of the Buddha
April 4, Megalesia in Rome (from 204 B.C.E.), celebrating the mother goddess, Cybele
April 5, Tomb-Sweeping Day in Taiwan, or Quin Ming Jie
April 6, First recorded solar eclipse in history, 684 B.C.E.
April 7, World Health Day
April 8, Hana Flower Festival (Japan)
April 9, Feast of Glory for Baha’i faith
April 10, Anniversary of the first Arbor Day, 1872. Plant a tree!
April 11, Anniversary of when Haley’s Comet was closest to Earth
April 12, Roman festival of Cerealia begins, honoring the grain goddess, Ceres
April 13, International Librarian’s Day
April 14, Songkran Day, Thai New Year
April 15, Fordicia in honor of the Roman goddess Tellus
April 16, Anniversary of Gandhi’s “Prayer and Fasting Day,” 1919
April 17, Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, deposing Communism
April 18, Friendship day in Brazil
April 19, Saint Dunstan’s Day, Joan of Arc is declared a saint in 1909
April 20, Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, circa 571 B.C.E.
April 21, International Creativity Day
April 22, Earth Day
April 23, World Book Day
April 24, Astronomy Day
April 25, Festival of Robigalia, for the Roman goddess Robigus who protected crops from mildew
April 26, Birthday of Leonardo de Vinci (1452), painter
April 27, Freedom Day in South Africa
April 28, Floralia, the festival celebrating Flora, the Roman flower goddess
April 29, Greenery Day in Japan
April 30, Walpurgisnacht in Germany, May Eve
In April, many cultures honor the continuing growth seen in nature with such festivals as the Christian Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of the crucified Christ. This theme of resurrection is found in the mythology of many cultures, including Celtic mythology. In the spring, the Green Man, an avatar of the forests and fields, rises from his autumnal grave to stand tall once more.
Spring Fertility Symbols
Easter has become more and more a secular holiday, with families celebrating with chocolates, eggs, and rabbits. The symbol of the egg inspires us with the knowledge that new life will be born. The rabbit as a symbol of fertility arises not only from its incredible powers of reproduction, but from its ancient association with the lunar goddess of fertility and transformation. Folklore tells of the eggs of spring being laid by a bird until Oestre, a Teutonic goddess associated with the spring season, changed the bird into a hare that laid eggs.
Many of us engaged in Easter egg hunts as children. You can create a ritual for adults designed to recapture that joyous celebratory event and incorporating the various symbols associated with rebirth and fertility to bless new endeavors.
Floralia Hunt
This ritual blends the traditional egg hunt with a ceremony to honor Flora, the Roman goddess of flower. Essential elements for this ritual are baskets with handles (one for each guest), egg-shaped chocolates and sweets, or small hollow plastic eggs filled with blessings written on paper slips, and a vase. Ask each guest to bring a large dish of food for sharing, and to dress in light, flowing spring clothes and colors. Each guest must also bring a flower to represent a wish they have for a new project or endeavor they intend to embark on this year. This flower will be used to make an offering to Flora so that she may bless the project as it grows and develops. This flower can be chosen from the Language of Flowers list in the appendix on page Xx. By carefully deciding on a certain type of flower, your guests can enhance the power of their spring wish.
Prepare for this ritual by deciding whether you will hold it inside or risk the whimsical weather of April outdoors. Consult your local weather channel, consult an almanac, and cross your fingers. If you choose to hold it outdoors, then scout out the area well to identify potential problem spots (low-lying areas that might be muddy, for example, or high-traffic areas where strangers might interfere, or even join in). Also mark off a perimeter to limit your hunt. Place sticks in the ground with bright ribbons tied to them to mark that perimeter, so that your guests know not to bother searching past that point. If you choose to hold the ritual inside, decide which rooms will be off-limits for your hunt.
Once you have your area set, take some time to write out various blessings and good wishes on slips of paper. Blessings might include, “Joy and happiness with every dawn,” “May your love only increase,” or “Wealth and abundance are yours.” Tuck one blessing in each plastic egg, then gather all the eggs and blessings together and ask for Flora’s benison upon them:
Flower queen,
Princess of the spring,
Lovely Maiden of garden and field,
Bless these tokens and fill them with your goodwill.
May those who receive them feel your love and bright beauty.
Take your goodies and blessings and hide them in the space you have chosen. Be cunning, but don’t make them too hard to find.
When your guests arrive, choose someone to stand in the north, the east, the south, and the west, then cast the circle.
Turn to the east. The speaker for the east should say:
Sacred breezes of the east,
Bring us the gentle scent of Flora’s blossoms.
Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.
Turn to the south. The speaker for the south should say:
Sacred breezes of the south,
Bless us with the vibrant color of Flora’s blooms.
Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.
Turn to the west. The speaker for the west should say:
Sacred breezes of the west,
Bless us with the beauty of Flora’s crop.
Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.
Turn finally to the north, where the speaker for the north should say:
Sacred breezes of the north,
Bless us with the abundance of Flora’s bounty.
Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.
Ask your guests to come up one by one, state a wish to Flora, and place their single flower in the vase. When everyone has made a spring wish, there will be a beautiful bouquet created for Flora.
Now hand your guests a basked each, and tell them to further seek Flora’s blessings in the form of eggs, the symbol of fertility and new life. Laugh with your guests as they hunt high and low. Help the younger ones, or the ones who seem to be having difficulty finding any. Your guests should remember that this is not a traditional Easter egg hunt; the object is not to return with the largest collection of eggs. Instead, they are seeking Flora’s blessings.
When everyone returns, have a spring picnic or buffet of potluck dishes, and whatever treats were hidden. Your guests may choose to share the written blessings they found aloud, or keep them secret. Enjoy the spring air, and remember that Flora has blessed your new projects.
May
May 1, May Day, Beltane
May 2, Last day of Ridvan, the Baha’i festival when no work can be done
May 3, Dia de la Crus, Day of the Holy Cross in Mexico and South America
May 4, Feast of Bona Dea, a Roman women’s mystery rite
May 5, Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo; Children’s Day in Japan
May 6, National Day of Prayer (United States)
May 7, St. Nicola, pilgrimage of the Italian Christian hero
May 8, Festival of the Roman goddess of the mind, Mens, from whom Mensa takes its name
May 9, Lemuria, when Romans banished ghosts from their homes
May 10, Women’s rights hero Victoria Woodhull is the first woman nominated for president in 1872
May 11, Anniversary of the year 330 C.E., Roman ritual rededication of Byzantium to Constantinople
May 12, International Midwives Day
May 13, Portuguese Pilgrimage to Fatima
May 14, Mercuralia, Festival of Mercury
May 15, International Day of Families
May 16, French processions on Saint Honoratus Day, patron saint of all bakers
May 17, Norwegian Independence Day
May 18, International Museum Day
May 19, Holiday of Poetry (Turkmenistan)
May 20, Cuba’s Independence Day
May 21, Anastenaria, Greek fire-walking festival
May 22, World Biodiversity Day
May 23, The American Civil War ends, 1865—celebrate national unity
May 24, Slovenian Sveti Kiril I Metodi
May 25, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s birthday
May 26, Birth of Isadora Duncan (1878), self-proclaimed Dionysian ritual dancer and choreographer
May 27, St. Augustine of Canterbury Day, make a pilgrimage to a local shrine or holy place
May 28, John Muir founds the Sierra Club (1892)
May 29, Oak Apple Day in England
May 30, Memorial Day or Decoration Day
May 31, Flores de Mayo, last day of flowers, or May Day
Beltane Tryst
Beltane is the sexiest high holiday for witches and is anticipated all year. I always look forward to having a joyful “spree” every May. Witches begin to celebrate Beltane on the last night of April, and it is traditional for the festivities to last all night. This is a time for feasting, dancing, laughter, and lots of lovemaking. May Day is when revelers erect a beribboned Maypole and dance around it in gay garb followed by pagan picnicking and sexy siestas. Another bonus of Beltane is that this is the one day in the year when it is “officially OK” to enjoy sex outside your existing relationship. This is the day we look the other way.
First, serve a sensual feast of foods from the following list, called “Oral Fixations,” along with beer, wine, ciders, and honeyed mead that you can make or obtain from a microbrewery. Gather some of spring’s bounty of flowers—narcissus, daffodils, tulips, and my favorite, freesias, in your favorite colors. Set out candles in spring colors—yellow, pink, red, green, white, purple. With your arms extended, point to each of the four directions and say, “To the east, to the south, to the west, and to the north,” and recite this Beltane rhyme:
Hoof and horn, hoof and horn,
Tonight our spirits are reborn.
Welcome joy to my home,
Fill my friends with love and laughter.
So mote it be.
Oral Fixations
Food can be foreplay, a wonderful prelude to a night of love, feeding each other, and placing a little whipped cream and chocolate in strategic spots. I recommend consuming these aphrodisiacs for your pleasure:
Almonds, or erotically shaped marzipan
Arugula, also called “rocket seed”
Avocado, referred to by the ancient Aztecs as the “testicl* tree”
Bananas and banana flowers
Chocolate, quite rightly called “the food of the gods”
Honey, as the term “honeymoon” came from a bee-sweetened drink served to newlyweds
Nutmeg, the traditional aphrodisiac for Chinese women; eat enough and you will hallucinate
Oysters, prized by the Romans for their effect and resemblance to female genitalia
Strawberries, often mentioned in erotic literature
Coffee, a stimulant for many things
Garlic, the heat to light the flame of desire
Figs, another symbol of ultimate femininity; just eating one is a turn-on
Vanilla, captivating for both its scent and its flavor
Wine drunk from each other’s mouths can be quite erotic
Beltane Brew
Honeyed mead is revered as the drink of choice for this sexy Pagan holy day. It is an aphrodisiac, and with its sticky sweetness, it is perfect for dribbling on your lover’s body and then licking it off. This is my special recipe for honeyed mead, handed down through generations of Celtic witches. You will need:
1 quart of honey
3 quarts of distilled water
1 packet of yeast
Herbs to flavor
Mix the honey and water. Boil for five minutes. You can add the herbs to your liking, but I prefer a teaspoon each of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice
Add a packet of yeast and mix. Put in a large container. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise and expand. Store the mixture in a dark place and let it sit for seven days.
Refrigerate for three days while the sediment settles to the bottom. Strain and store in a colored glass bottle, preferably green, in a cool, dark place. You can drink it now, but it is even tastier after it has been aged for a period of at least seven months.
Nonalcoholic Mead
1 quart honey
3 quarts distilled water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 sliced lemon
1 half-teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Boil five minutes and then cool and bottle immediately. Keep in the fridge to avoid fermentation and enjoy.
June
June 1, Roman festival of Carna, goddess of doors and locks
June 2, U.S. Congress granted citizenship and voter’s rights to all Native Americans, 1927
June 3, Festival of Bellona, a Roman goddess of battle
June 4, First recorded Chinese solar eclipse (780 B.C.E.)
June 5, Feast of St. Boniface
June 6, St. Fermin’s Day in Spain, Running of the Bulls
June 7, Weaver’s Festival in Japan
June 8, Founding of Islam circa 622 C.E.
June 9, Vestalia, Festival honoring the Roman goddess Vesta
June 10, Day of Anahita (Persian)
June 11, Feast of Saint Barnabus
June 12, Dia dos Lovers’ Day (Brazil)
June 13, Birth of the Muses
June 14, Otaue Rice-Planting Festival in Japan
June 15, St. Vitus’s Day
June 16, Bloomsday festival in honor of Irish author James Joyce with readings, breakfast, and a pilgrimage retracing the steps of Leopold Bloom
June 17, Iceland’s Independence Day, 1944
June 18, High holy day for women’s rights—Susan B. Anthony defies the law in 1872 by voting
June 19, Juneteenth
June 20, Day of Ix Chel (Mayan)
June 21, Midsummer
June 22, Rose Festival in England, Feast of Saint Alban
June 23, Jani, the major festival in Latvia
June 24, Feast of the Sun (Aztec)
June 25, Croatian Independence Day
June 26, Pied Piper Day, circa 1284
June 27, Stonewall, 1969, the day gays fought back
June 28, Constitution Day in Ukraine
June 29, Saint Peter’s Day
June 30, Burial of Yarilo in Russia, a traditional rite of song, games, and dance
Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth is a beautiful example of a modern ritual that is reinvented and celebrated in a new and exciting way every year. Luisah Teish says this occasion celebrates “the flame as political power and divine inspiration.” Juneteenth is held on June 19, the date when in 1865 the news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the plantations in the states of Louisiana and Texas. While the actual law had gone into effect two years earlier in 1863, nobody told many of the slaves. When these duped slaves finally realized that they were free, it was a cause of great joy. Nowadays, there are festivals that celebrate the contributions by Africans to America and the world. Picnics, barbecues, singing, dancing, theater, games, and parades take place within the communities of the United States.
June 21, Summer Solstice
June is summer reaching its full glory. There have been many rites around the world to acknowledge the longest day of the year. The Japanese climb Mount Fuji at this time, for it is free of snow during two months in the summer. The Native American tribes of the Southwest and Great Plains hold ceremonies to honor the life-giving sun. Incan, Mayan, and Aztec midsummer rites honoring the sun gods were among their most important ceremonies.
Midsummer Day
Essential elements for a Celtic-inspired Midsummer ritual are a wooden wheel, fallen branches and firewood, multicolored candles, multicolored ribbons, food and drink, and flowers for garlands. This ritual should be performed outside, ideally on a hill or mountaintop, at dusk. Call the local fire department to verify the fire laws in your area. You will likely need a special permit to light a bonfire, and certain areas may be restricted. Always clear the grass and brush away from your fire area, and make sure to dig a shallow pit into the ground. Circle the pit with rocks to help mark the edge of the fire pit as well as to contain the accidental spread of fire. Have a fire extinguisher, a pail of sand, and water bottles nearby in case the fire gets out of control. One person not directly involved in the ritual should be on hand to watch the fire at all times. Make sure the fire pit is far enough away from surrounding trees and other landscape features to allow for a group to dance around it.
Lay the wooden wheel down in the circle of stones, and arrange the fallen branches and firewood around the edge of it. The wheel represents the turning of the year, and the sun on its daily and yearly cycle. Tie the colored ribbons on the nearest tree. While these preparations are being made, the priestess to lead the ritual should meditate in the area where the ritual will be held, connecting to the goddess. The gathered celebrants should weave garlands of flowers while the sun slowly sets. Just before the sun vanishes completely, the priestess should direct the gathered celebrants to ready their candles, or more ideally, torches. The priest lights them, declaring:
The fire festival is begun.
Under this longest day of the sun.
Let us go forth and make merry.
The god and goddess are here!
All say:
Blessed be!
The priest leads the celebrants into the circle where the priestess waits, and directs them to throw their torches and candles in the bonfire. The priestess raises her arms and invokes the Goddess:
Great Earth Mother and Lady of the Forest,
Be with us here and now!
On this night the Goddess reigns supreme.
On this, our night of our midsummer!
All say:
Blessed be!
All should dance in the direction of the sun (clockwise) around the fire, raise their arms, and clap and shout for joy for as long as they want. When people begin to tire, it is time for the feast. The priest directs the blessing of the food:
Blessed Lady of the Forest,
And old god and animals, spirits of the wild,
Bless this food and drink,
That it may strengthen us in your ways.
All say:
Blessed be!
Everyone should share in the refreshments and eat, drink, and make merry. Another round of dance and song is in order. When the bonfire has turned to ash, the priestess declares the ritual to be over and says:
Our revelry this day is done, dear one.
Gods of the old and spirits of nature,
We thank you for your blessings this night.
This rite is done.
All say:
Blessed be!
Make certain the fire has completely gone out before you leave the ritual site. Soak the ashes with water and clean up the site. Always leave a natural area cleaner than you found it.
July
July 1, Climbing Mount Fuji Day in Japan
July 2, Palio de Siena, the legendary festival for the Italian horse race with feasts, blessings, and betting, founded in the Renaissance
July 3, Festival of Sothis (Ancient Egypt)
July 4, Festival honoring Pax, Roman goddess of peace
July 5, Tynwald Fair Day on the Isle of Man since 1079
July 6, Jan Hus Day in the Czech Republic
July 7, Japanese Weavers Festival; China’s Chi Nu Feast for Milky Way
July 8, First actual Thanksgiving, Massachusetts’s Bay Colony (1630)
July 9, Pilgrimage for Sempachfeier, retracing and re-enacting the 1386 battle between the Swiss and Austrians. Defend an issue about which you feel strongly, as the peaceful Swiss did.
July 10, Silence Day in India
July 11, Feast Day of Saint Olga, the first Russian Saint
July 12, Nadaam festival of horses, in Mongolia
July 13, Commemoration of the Departed (Japanese Buddhist)
July 14, Bastille Day (1789) in France
July 15, Chang Festival of the Dead (China)
July 16, Feast for Our Lady of Carmel
July 17, Festival of Amaterasu, Japanese Sun Goddess
July 18, Saint Marina Day in Cyprus
July 19, Martyr’s Day in Myanmar
July 20, National Moon Day (United States)
July 21, Horse’s holiday in Rome, part of the Festival of Consualia
July 22, Saint Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day
July 23, Rastafarian Celebration honoring Haile Selassie
July 24, Simon Bolivar Festival Day in South America
July 25, Incan holiday for Illyap, god of thunder and lightning
July 26, Birthday of Carl Jung and Robert Graves
July 27, Birthday of Osiris (Ancient Egypt)
July 28, Peruvian Independence Day (1821)
July 29, St. Martha Day in France, first celebrated in 48 C.E.
July 30, International Bog Day, celebrating the protection of wetlands
July 31, St. Ignatius’s Day
The most appropriate rituals you can perform in the month of July are those in celebration of the sun.
Sirius, the Dog Star, rises in early July. The Egyptians knew this star as Sothis. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is Queen of Heaven, and Osiris, ruler of the underworld, is her husband and her brother. While these deities ruled, Egyptian culture thrived, advanced in the arts and science, and also grew in magic and religion. The Egyptians built great cities and became very powerful and renowned for the beauty of their civilization.
Isis is typically depicted as a beautiful winged woman. On her noble head is a crown with the disc of the sun gleaming golden. Veneration of Isis spread from Egypt to the Greeks, the Romans, and throughout the Hellenic world until her last temple was destroyed in the fourth century.
The palm tree is sacred to Isis and can be used in ritual. You can lay the palm leaves in your path and walk in procession. The palm has been used in various ways throughout the world in ritual. The following are some suggestions you can build upon in your own ritual design:
In Cuba, folks sweep each other with palm branches that have been blessed with holy water in order to keep safe from evil spirits.
Puerto Ricans weave palm leaves into crosses and use them as protective amulets. They also hang the palm crosses in their homes for abundance and to keep the home sacred.
In Belgium, sections of palms are kept in the fields to ensure a copious harvest.
The French decorate the graves of their beloved relatives with palm leaves that have been especially blessed for that purpose.
In New Orleans, the residents plant palmetto palms beside a water fountain or pond on their property to bring money, love, luck, and good health.
Palm Leaf Protection Talisman
This simple ceremony blesses your home with the power of the sun and the protection of the palm leaf. Essential elements for this ritual are a palm leaf or front, incense, cup of water.
Take your palm leaf outside on a sunny day. Cast your sacred circle. Light the incense and pass the palm leaf through the smoke, saying:
By air and by fire I cleanse and consecrate you to the purpose of protection.
Touch your fingertips to the water, sprinkle a few drops onto the leaf, and say:
By water I cleanse and consecrate you to the purpose of protection.
Lay the palm leaf on the ground, saying:
By earth I cleanse and consecrate you to the purpose of protection.
Now hold the palm leaf up to the sun. Visualize the warmth and strength of the light permeating the palm leaf and filling it with power. Say:
Honored Sun,
Beloved light of the day,
Bless this palm with your protection and light.
So mote it be!
Pour the remaining water out onto the ground as an offering. When you return home, hang the palm leaf up over your front door.
August
August 1, Fiesta Day (Nicaragua)
August 2, Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)
August 3, Drimes Day in Greece with offerings to the dead, all-night parties and bonfires in vineyards and orchards
August 4, Dom Perignon invents champagne in 1693—celebrate!
August 5, Grasmere Rush Bearing Festival in Cumbria, England, dating back to the medieval custom of weaving flooring for cathedrals
August 6, Peace Ceremony for World War II bombing of Hiroshima
August 7, Feast of Hathor (Ancient Egypt)
August 8, Dog Days in Japan, or Doyo
August 9, Nagasaki Peace Ceremony in Japan
August 10, Celebration of the Goddess of Reason, established 1793 in France
August 11, Puck Fair in Killarney, Ireland
August 12, International Youth Day
August 13, Feast of Vertumnus, god of seasons, gardens, and trees, in Rome
August 14, Ferragosto, Italy’s traditional mid-August holiday
August 15, Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary
August 16, Saint Roch’s Procession in France and Italy
August 17, Potunis in Italy; Marcus Garvey Day for Rastafarians
August 18, St. Helen’s Day Pilgrimage
August 19, Roman Vinalia Rustica in honor of Venus since 293 B.C.E.
August 20, Szent Isvan Napja, Day of St. Stephen, in Hungary
August 21, Consualia in honor of Consus, god of seeds, grain, and harvest
August 22, Feast of the Queenship of Mary, Star of the Sea, since 1954
August 23, Paper Costume Parade and Holy Bath Day in Portugal
August 24, St. Bartholomew’s Day
August 25, Opiconsivia, festival to the goddess Ops
August 26, Feast day of Luonnatar, Finnish goddess of fertility
August 27, Birth of Isis
August 28, St. Augustine’s Day to honor Augustine of Hippo (354-430), leading Christian theologian and Father of the Church
August 29, Festival of St. John, commemorating his death
August 30, Santa Rosa (Mexico); Saint Rose of Lima (Peru)
August 31, Anant Chaturdasi, a women’s purification festival (Hindu)
The Romans honored Demeter, the grain mother and overseer of the harvest, during August. The Celts celebrated Lughnassadh in honor of Lugh, their god of many skills. Lughnassadh was adopted and adapted by the Christian church as Lammas (“Loaf-mass”) and is still celebrated. The custom is that when the first grain is harvest, it must be baked into a loaf and offered to Lugh as thanks for healthy crops. Native Americans called August the Corn Moon, and the Franks referred to this time of year as The Corn Ears Month.
Lammas Day, August Eve Ritual
Essential elements for this ritual are wheat or barley, sheaves of grain, cauldron, water, one floating candle, one candle for each person present, and essential oils of rose, lavender, or other summer flowers.
To create the sacred space of the ritual, arrange the sheaves of grain in the four directions around a cauldron. Fill the cauldron three-quarters full with water and add essential oils of the flowers of summer. Cast your circle in the usual manner.
At this point, the leader of the ritual should light the candles and then hand them to each person and guide the participants to form a circle around the cauldron. Now the floating candle should be lit and placed in the cauldron by the leader, who says:
O Ancient Lugh of days long past,
Be here with us now
In this place between worlds,
On this Lammas Day
Rap three times on the cauldron and say:
Harvest is here and the seasons do change,
This is the height of the year.
The bounty of summer sustains us
In spirit, in soul, and in body.
Now the group circles five times around the cauldron. All present should then speak their gratitude for the gifts of the season, and the riches of the summer bounty. Storytelling, singing, and dancing should all be a part of this rite, and the leader determines when the rite is done by putting out the candles and proclaiming:
This rite is done!
Close the circle.
There are many ways you can create your own variations on Lammas Day celebrations with your own views on the summer season and how you show appreciation to nature and spirit. One lovely way to celebrate Lammas Day is to have a feast that begins and ends with gratitude and blessings for the good and wine with a place set and food served for the great godly guest, Lugh.
September
September 1, Greek New Year
September 2, St. Mama’s Day in Cypress
September 3, Sukkot, Feast of the Tabernacles, a Jewish moveable feast celebrated around this time
September 4, Founders day of Los Angeles (1835), the “City of Angels,” celebrated with processions, dance, rodeo, and Mass
September 5, Mother Teresa died in 1997
September 6, First day of the Hebrew calendar since 3761 B.C.E
September 7, Rificolne in Florence and Siena celebrating Cosimo de Medici’s 1260 victory: a celebration with picnics, lantern processions, folk singing, and street dancing.
September 8, Water Festival honoring springs (Tibet)
September 9, Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan, Choyo no Sekku, Kiky bo Seku
September 10, St. Salvi Day, French bishop who died and came back to life in 574 B.C.E. still celebrated with parades, feasts, and Mass
September 11, Coptic New Year in Egypt
September 12, National Grandparent’s Day (United States)
September 13, Epulum Jova, The Great Banquet in Rome
September 14, First day of Greek Eleusinian Mysteries
September 15, Day to Respect the Aged (Japan)
September 16, Mexican Independence Day in Mexico (1810)
September 17, Feast of Hildegard of Bingen
September 18, Feast of Demeter (Ancient Rome)
September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate
September 20, International Day of Peace
September 21, Autumn equinox (on or around this day)
September 22, Birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings
September 23, Shubun no grave visiting day in Japan
September 24, German Thanksgiving
September 25, Rosh Hashanah, the movable Jewish feast of the New Year, occurs around this date
September 26, Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina’s Day
September 27, Saints Cosmos and Damian’s feast day, Arabian doctors
September 28, Birthday of Confucius, the great Chinese scholar (551-479 B.C.E)
September 29, Day of Saint Michael and All Angels (also known as Michaelmas)
September 30, the first book is printed with movable type, Gutenberg’s 1452
The autumnal winds bring change as we begin harvesting and preparing for the future. We unpack the warm clothes and woolens, and start to winter-proof our homes, offices and cars. In our modern world, we go back to school and college. Vacations are over, and we go off to work with renewed spirits and goals. We now reap what we have sown throughout the year. Winter is also coming, the “scouring storm.” To survive and thrive in the coldest times, we need to prepare by doing our inner work.
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year
This Jewish holiday is a moveable feast and occurs in September (sometimes in very early October). Rosh means “head” and Hashanah means “New Year.” It is a rather somber holiday when participants pray for forgiveness and undertake ten days of penitence, ending in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. During Rosh Hashanah, Jews begin their new year with a new outlook and hope of good health, a good year, and a long and happy life.
One ritual aspect of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the the ram’s horn, by the rabbi. This custom is the signal for Jews to repent and think about their people and the current state of affairs with all Jews. Perhaps the most important aspect of this holiday is the three sets of prayers that are recited during the ten days that remind people of God’s omnipotence, his response to the and that God always remembers good works and kindness.
You can use these Jewish themes of meditating on your current state of affairs, your family, and the blessings of the gods and angels in a fall equinox ritual.
Fall Equinox Ritual
Establish one room in your house as the temple. Ideally, it is the room in which you normally keep an altar or sacred shrine. In any case, you should create an altar in the center of the space. Place four small tables in the four corners of the directions and place four evenly spaced candlesticks between the tables. Place a loaf of freshly baked bread (bread you have made with your own hands is best) in the east, a bowl of apples in the south, a bottle of wine in the west, and a sheaf of wheat or a bundle of dried corn in the north. Upon the main altar, place a candle, a plate of sweet cakes and a goblet. Light incense and place it in front of the cakes. Before your ritual, take some time for contemplation. Think about what you have achieved during this busy year:
What have you done?
What do you need?
What remains to be done?
What are your aspirations?
Write down your thoughts and feelings and the answers to those questions. Read what you have written and ponder it. Look for continuing ideas or themes and make notes of these on a piece of paper. Next, take a calming and cleansing quiet bath, and snip a lock of your freshly washed hair and place it on the paper where you wrote your notes. Dress yourself in a robe and enter your temple space. Light the candle on the altar and use this candle to light all the other candles in the temple. Speak the traditional Hebrew words of self-blessing:
Ateh, Malkuth, Ve Geburah, Ve Gedulah, Le Olahm, Amen:
Through the symbol of the pentagram in the name of Adonai.
Repeat this facing each corner, and then face your altar and say:
In the east, Raphael; in the south, Michael; in the west, Gabriel; in the north, Uriel. Welcome to this place in the name of Melchisedek, the High Priest of the Godhead.
Then go to the east and raise the loaf of bread as offering and say:
Raphael, Lord of the Winds of Heaven, bless this bounty born of sun and air and earth. Let us feed the hungry and bless the hand that gives it.
Place the bread back into the bowl and go to the southern corner. Raise an apple as offering and state:
Michael, protector of the weak and the oppressed, bless this sun-ripened fruit and let it be not the fruit of temptation but the fruit of our knowledge so we know how to make our choices and understand the measure of both good and evil.
Place the apple back into the bowl and go to the western corner. Lift up the bottle of wine and say:
Gabriel, bringer of the word of God, bless this wine that we may take into our body the wine of life shed by all saviors since time began.
Place the bottle back on the western table. Turn to the north and raise the corn or wheat as an offering and say:
Uriel, Lord of the Earth and all its bounty, bless this crop that it may be plentiful all over the earth, that this may be a year when all mankind will know the comfort of food and hearth.
Now return to the altar in the center of the temple. Light the incense and place some bread and the chalice of wine on the altar. Dip a piece of bread into the blessing wine. Proclaim:
Melchisedeck, priest of the most high God, in the desert after the battle with the kings of Edom you brought bread and wine to Abraham. In this communion shared between man and priest of the most high God, a covenant was made. I pray that this coming harvest makes bread for the world. In token of the ancient custom,
I take this bread and wine into my body.
Now in this sacred place, guide and teach me, show me how to pursue knowledge for the power of good. Help me to grow in wisdom. Bless me. Bless those who share my life. Bless all of those with whom I work. Bless this earth and sweet, green world that gives us all the blessings we enjoy—all the water and wine, all the corn and wheat, all the joys of life in this body. Bless my home.
Take a lock of hair and light it from the candle and burn it in the bowl of incense and say:
This is the offering of myself.
In the east—blessings to Raphael.
In the south—blessings to Michael.
In the west—blessings to Gabriel.
In the north—blessings to Uriel.
Blessed be to all.
Now go around your temple space in reverse order and extinguish all candles. Then declare your temple closed. The common wisdom is that you should place the apples, bread, and wine in your garden as an offering the next day, as a blessing to all of nature.
Mexican Independence Day
September 16 is celebrated throughout Mexico as the day the Mexican Revolution began and it is actually now a bigger cause for celebration than Cinco de Mayo. As the legend goes, one day Father Hidalgo, an ordinary priest, began shouting from his pulpit, “Viva la Virgin de Guadalupe!” To the Mexican people of that era, this was an incitement to fight for freedom and be rid of Spanish rule. This cry spread across all of Mexico and stirred the people to great power. Unfortunately for the priest who initiated the movement in the name of Guadalupe, it resulted in his execution for treason against the Spanish government. While this was intended to shut the revolution down, it served only to infuriate the Mexican people who revolted and won their independence. This is a day to honor Father Hidalgo and revere Guadalupe with shrines, prayers, invocations, and candle burning.
The Orishas of Santeria
On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This is an excellent opportunity to celebrate freedom from oppression for the hardy and deeply spiritual Africans who kept their own religions alive despite the incredible odds against them.
African slaves brought their native religion with them wherever they went. African spirituality is based on nature—water, rivers, plants, seashells, and all the elements of the world around them. When the Africans came to the Catholic lands in Central and South America, their African deities were blended with Catholic saints to make an interesting new religion called Santeria. It was their way of keeping their African religion alive, and it has worked well. These orishas are spirit guardians, similar to those honored in Candomble. All of life is believed to come from one great creative force, Oloddumare. Practitioners of Santeria believe that everyone has one orisha as a guardian throughout his or her life.
Aganyu corresponds to Saint Christopher. This volcano god is the father of Chango and whose mother is Yemmu. He can protect you from harm but only if you make your appeal through Chango.
Babalu-Aye is associated with Saint Lazarus and is the deity to turn to for healing. He is one of the most beloved and needed of all the Babalu-Aye travels about with a bag of corn and offers healing and prosperity.
Chango is a male god who corresponds to Saint Barbara. Chango holds major power. Red-coated and covered with cowry shells, Chango loves the good life—women, food, drink, dance, fire, lightning. He is the hot Call on Chango when you need passion in love.
Eleggua corresponds to Saint Anthony, but he is a trickster who creates bewilderment in his wake. He is “all-knowing” and wants to be acknowledged first before any other Because order comes from chaos, it is believed that Eleggua brings us into wholeness.
Obatala is a deity of both genders who corresponds to Our Lady of Mercy. He is a bringer of peace and purity, as evidenced by his white robes. Obatala teaches temperance and can help us control obsessive thoughts, anger, worry, and fear.
Ochosi corresponds to Saint Norbert and is the hunter god who lives in the woods. He protects and helps hunters, is a healer, and helps with legal issues. Ochosi is the orisha to turn to if you need to relocate.
Oggun corresponds to Saint Peter and is the warrior holding all metals under his domain. Call on Oggun when you need a job or if you need a protector.
Orunmila corresponds to Saint Francis of Assisi and is the orisha of fate. He is “one who lives both in heaven and on earth.” Since he holds all our fates in his hands, he can help us improve our destiny.
Oshun corresponds to Our Lady of Charity and is a river goddess. She is the Santerian Venus and looks after affairs of the heart—love, marriage, and money. She gives us joy and abundance.
Oya corresponds to Saint Teresa and is a deity of the dead. She is also a goddess of the winds and boundaries. Oya is a warrior and offers protection against death and is quite aggressive. She is married to Chango.
Yemaya corresponds to Our Lady of Regia and is a goddess of the moon and of the ocean and the patroness of pregnancy. She is always depicted as a gorgeous goddess who helps girls make the passage to womanhood. Yemaya is one of the most popular
Autumn Equinox
Here is a wonderfully creative variation on this seasonal rite designed by Robin Heerens Lysne, the author of Living a Sacred It is based on the Native American Muskogee Creek tribal story about the spider who weaves her web sack to catch the sun and bring it back to earth. Lysne suggests holding a potluck dinner followed by a story-telling session as the light begins to wane. While people tell their equinox or fall season stories and feelings, they should hold the end of a ball of yarn or string and toss the ball to the next person to signal that it is their turn. As people hold the yarn, they should wrap it once around their wrists. When the talking is done, you will have a web of people woven together. Make the web of life with the yarn, symbolizing the weaving of night, day, relationships, and the time of autumn. When you are finished, let yourselves be in the web and contemplate the meaning of your connections.
October
October 1, Beginning of Shinto “Godless” Month in Japan with pilgrimages to shrines temporarily abandoned by the gods and spirits
October 2, Old Man’s Day in Hertsfordshire, England, a day of charity and prayer
October 3, Zhong Oiu Jie is a moveable Chinese Moon festival celebrated around this time
October 4, Saint Francis Day, when pets are blessed
October 5, Pilgrimage to Zapopan in Jalisco, Mexico, celebrating the Virgin
October 6, Festival of Vishnu begins (Hindu)
October 7, United Nations Children’s Day
October 8, Okunchi in Japan with a lucky lion dance parade
October 9, Alphabet Day (Korea)
October 10, Shuangshi National Day in Taiwan, also called “Double Tenth Day,” a festival of folk dancing, sword fighting, and martial arts
October 11, Medrinalia in Rome, the celebration of new wine
October 12, Fiesta de Nuestra Senora del Pilar in Spain
October 13, Fontinalia, Roman Festival in honor of Fons, son of Jupiter
October 14, Japanese Battle Festival, Mega-kenka celebrated with battle rites and reenactments since 201 C.E.
October 15, Festival of Mars (Ancient Rome)
October 16, World Food Day
October 17, Family Day (South Africa)
October 18, Heroes Day (Jamaica)
October 19, Our Lord of Miracles procession in Peru since 1687
October 20, Guru Har Rai Day for Sihks
October 21, Festival of the Black Christ in Panama, El Jesus Nazareno
October 22, Cheung Yeung (Hong Kong)
October 23, Swallows depart from Capistrano (and arrive back on March 19, St. Joseph’s Day)
October 24, United Nations Day celebrated globally with school fairs, concerts, exhibitions, and banquets
October 25, Saint Crispin’ Day (1415), immortalized in Shakespeare’s Henry V
October 26, Quit Rent Day in Europe, celebrated with ceremonies, feasts, and presentations and token payment of rent with horseshoes
October 27, Feast of the Holy Souls
October 28, Meiji Festival in Tokyo featuring five days of performances, classical court dances, concerts and horseback-archery contests
October 29, Ringing of “Lost in the Dark” Church Bells in England
October 30, Angels’ Night, also known as Devil’s Night (United States)
October 31, Halloween, Samhain
Although October is the tenth month of the year, it comes from the Latin word for eight, as it was the eighth month in the Roman calendar. The Romans designated the month of October to honor Astraea, daughter of Zeus and Themis. Astraea lived on earth, but when mankind became too evil, she departed to the stars. The chilly air and biting winds of October symbolize her departure from earth. The Celts call October Deireadh and the Anglo-Saxons called it Winterfelleth, which translates to “winter is coming.” The Franks linked October to the grape harvest and the pressing of new wine, calling it Vintage Month or Farmers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in America called the October full moon the Hunter’s Moon, and Native Americans refer to October as Second Summer, which is why we sometimes call it Indian Summer.
Chinese Harvest Mooncake
In China, the full or Harvest Moon in October is celebrated with mooncakes, which are offered to the Goddess Chang-O, the Lady in the Moon. This is the time when wheat and rice are harvested, making it an important time of thanksgiving for food to have on hand through the winter season.
The rice and the wheat are baked into cakes that look like the big round moon up in the sky and are used as offerings, along with melons and pomegranates, to the goddess. The women making the mooncakes put their intentions into them by whispering secret wishes into the batter. The unifying action of blending and mixing the tasty cakes represents family harmony. One sweet aspect of this ritual is the selection of a young girl to enter the “heavenly garden.” At the ritual feast for the goddess of the Harvest Moon, this young lady becomes the prophet of her family and community, and she is urged to share her visions about the coming year and the prosperity of the village or the land. Feasting on mooncakes and other ritual foods is followed by games and singing under the bright light of Chang-O’s moon.
Halloween Altar
On October 31, the veil is thinnest between the two worlds of the living and the dead. It is of vital importance to honor the dead. One way to do this is to create a special altar for this day, a tradition that comes down to us from the Celts among others. Create a new shrine just for this occasion with a chest of table in your home where people will see it and acknowledge your ancestors. On the altar, place photos, letters, and any mementos that will bring the energy of your late loved ones close.
Place candles on the altar and light them during twilight. While it may seem uncomfortable at first, talk to your ancestors and tell them about what is going on in your life. Share memories and speak about whatever you feel inspired to speak of—grief, hopes for the future, troubles, all you need to share. Take as much time as you need with this. Place the bowl of water with white flowers—gardenias are an excellent choice—on the altar and leave it overnight.
In the morning, say good morning and goodbye until next year. Then take the water and pour it in your front yard or outside near the front door of your home. You have communed with your beloved dead, and they are now free to leave and return to you next year. The water contains all the blessings and love from your ancestors whom you have honored and with the special altar, and you will receive their blessings and love every time you walk through your front door.
November
November 1, All Saints Day
November 2, All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos
November 3, St. Hubert’s Day, celebrated with a hunter’s Mass
November 4, Mischief Night in England with bonfires and firecrackers, a “festival of chaos”
November 5, Guy Fawkes Day in England since 1605, also known as Bonfire Night
November 6, Leonhardi-ritt in Bavaria, for St. Leonard, patron saint of cattle
November 7, Mayan ghost banquet
November 8, Fuigo festival honoring Hettsui no Kami, Japanese goddess of the kitchen hearth
November 9, Dia de Camana (Peru)
November 10, Martin Luther’s birthday (1483)
November 11, Remembrance Day, Armistice Day
November 12, Tesuque Feast Day for Pueblo Indians
November 13, Roman festival of Jupiter
November 14, South America’s Little Carnival before Advent
November 15, Recycling Day (United States)
November 16, Festival of Bast (Ancient Egypt)
November 17, The Leonid meteor shower is visible on this day
November 18, Saint Plato’s Day
November 19, Pilgrimage Day for Islam
November 20, Japanese ceremony to the prophet god
November 21, Presentation of the Virgin Mary
November 22, St. Cecelia’s Day, patron saint of musicians
November 23, St. Clement’s Day, saint of blacksmiths
November 24, Feast of Burning Lamps for Isis and Osiris (Ancient Egypt)
November 25, Mange Yam, harvest festival (Haiti)
November 26, Thanksgiving if a Thursday and St. Peter of Alexandria Day
November 27, St. Maximus’ Day in Provence
November 28, Baha’i Ascension of Abdul-Baha in 1892
November 29, St. Andrew’s Eve, a night of fortune-telling in Europe
November 30, Saint Andrew’s Day
Diwali in India: The Cluster of Lights Festival
Diwali, one of the most beloved holidays in all of India, is another moveable feast that generally takes place around mid-November. People will circumnavigate the globe to return home to be with their family during this special time. The Hindus treasure this late-autumn festival week and dress up their homes and themselves. All the streets and windows are brightly lit with special diwali lamps, small ceramic affairs filled with oil and cotton wicks that twinkle like stars, in every home and even on fences, garden walks, and porches.
Diwali is like a New Year, when everyone can start again, forgiving quarrels, wearing new clothes, and starting life anew with a fresh attitude and bright hopes. In the village and mountainous regions of India, bonfires are going strong, warming up the landscape along with fireworks that light up the night skies.
Diwali honors the victory of Rama, an avatar aspect of Vishnu who battled a ten-headed demon that stole Rama’s wife, Sita, with devotional music, lamp-lighting rituals, feasting, games, gambling, gift giving, and special foods, such as sweets, fruits, candies, and pastries that are constructed into temple-like towers.
Diwali Ritual
Diwali offers us the opportunity to vanquish our own demons and start anew. The symbols of light and sweetness are used here to represent the intention to replace resentment and bitterness with hope and balm. Essential elements of this ritual are plenty of candles, a new piece of clothing (such as a scarf) or a new item of jewelry, and a plate of sweet cakes, confections, or candy.
Light as many candles as you can in the room where you are performing this ritual. Create a circle of candles, and create sacred space by having a symbol of each element in your circle: a dish of salt or earth, a cup of water, incense, and a candle. Sit lotus-style in the center of your circle and relax in the flickering candlelight. Feel the center of your circle and relax in the flickering candlelight. Feel the presence of the four elements and the balance thy create. Notice how warm and alive the room feels. Notice how the gentle, flickering candlelight makes you feel safe. Now think back to all the difficult situations you have experienced over the past year and think of the people who have angered or hurt you. Imagine them surrounded by the warm, loving candlelight, and say to each of them, one by one:
I release you. May the lights of Diwali bless you.
As you release each person or situation, visualize their image melting into the candlelight. While the image fades from your mind’s eye, place a bite of the cake or confection in tour mouth. Allow the treat to dissolve, spreading its sweetness across your tongue. Visualize and feel that sweetness spreading through you, counteracting any of the traces of pain or bitterness that might remain. This is the sweetness that your new life holds, untainted by these bitter demons that have held you back.
When you have finished releasing your demons to the light, purify the new piece of clothing or item of jewelry by passing it through the smoke of the incense. Put on your new piece of jewelry of clothing, saying:
With this act, I declare the past gone, and see the future bright with hope.
Stay within your circle of light as long as you desire. Leave some of the cake or sweets as an offering to the gods in thanks for your new life.
December
December 1, Festival of Pallas Athene (Ancient Greece)
December 2, Festival of Shiva (Hindu)
December 3, St. Xavier’s Feast Day
December 4, International Hug Day
December 5, International Volunteers Day
December 6, St. Nicholas Day, precursor to St. Nick
December 7, Burning the Devil Night in Guatemala, La Quema Del Diablo
December 8, Festival of Ix Chel, Mayan lunar goddess
December 9, Virgin of Guadalupe first appears (1591)
December 10, International Human Rights Day
December 11, Pilgrimages at Tortuga, New Mexico
December 12, Pilgrimages at Guadalupe in Mexico, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe
December 13, Saint Lucia Day in Sweden
December 14, Feast of St. John of the Cross
December 15, Consualia in Rome
December 16, Las Posadas in Mexico, procession commemorating the Holy Family’s search for lodging
December 17, Saturnalia begins
December 18, Virgin of Solitude Day in Oaxaca, Mexico
December 19, Feast of Saint Boniface, the apostle of Germany
December 20, Commerce God Festival in Japan
December 21, Winter solstice
December 22, Saint Chaeremon Day
December 23, Laurentalia, Roman festival of hallowing the home
December 24, Mother Night (Anglo-Saxon)
December 25, Christmas Day
December 26, First day of Kwaanza (Afro-American)
December 27, Freya’s Day (Teutonic)
December 28, Holy Innocents Day (Mexico)
December 29, Saint Thomas of Canterbury’s Day
December 30, Nia, or Purpose Night during the celebration of Kwaanza
December 31, Hogmanay (Scotland)
Nearly every solar god is celebrated in December—Baal, Attis, Adonis, Apollo, Ra, Baldur, and Mithra, to name a few. Scots celebrate Hogmanay, a secular holiday with roots in the worship of the ancient solar god, Hogmagog. Yule is one of the pagan sabaats, or the eight holidays of the wheel of the year, and is celebrated on December 21, the shortest day of the year. The word Yule comes from the Germanic and means midwinter. The old tradition was to have a vigil and a bonfire from dusk to dawn to make sure the sun does indeed rise again on this longest night of the entire year.
Chanukah: the Festival of Lights
Here we have another moveable feast, which is one of the most beloved of all Jewish holidays. As we know from the Roman historian, Tacitus, in the second century B.C.E Antiochus IV, the Seleucidian king, blocked all Jews from visiting their own temple on Mount Zion and tried to force them to sacrifice swine and eat the meat, which is against their religion. He also placed an edict commanding Jews, under penalty of death, to leave their sons uncircumcised. The stubborn and cruel Antiochus also invaded the Jewish temple on Mount Zion and installed a statue of Zeus therein. Many lives were lost in the struggle, but the Jewish resistance, led by Judah Maccabee, the “Jewish Hammer,” overcame the Greek forces and reconsecrated the temple on the twenty-fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev in 165 B.C.E The triumphant Jews declared that this event should be remembered each year with a festival. Judah then lit the candelabra, or menorah, in the temple. The miracle of the menorah is that there was only enough lamp oil for one night but it lasted eight nights, thus the tradition of lighting a candle each day during Chanukah’s eight nights. Feasting is also an important part of the ritual, with the customary latkes (fried potato pancakes) often topped with applesauce and sour cream.
Kwaanza: December 26th
In 1966, a Black Studies professor at California State University in Long Beach, Maulana Ron Karenga, conceived Kwaanza, which means “first fruit” in Swahili. Kwaanza (December 26 to January 1) is very much a community ritual and begins with a gathering before an altar covered with the symbols of the season: corn; a woven mat; a unity cup; and an African flag of red, black, and green. Also on the altar are gifts made by the hand and a special Kwaanza candleholder holding seven taper candles. The colors of the candles are red, for the blood of the people; black, for the people themselves; and green, for the land. Each night of the festival, a candle is lit commemorating and honoring the Seven Principles, Nguzo of Kwaanza:
Umoja for unity
Kujichagulia for self-determination
Ujima for shared works
Ujamaa for shared monies
Nia for life purpose
Kuumba for creativity
Imani for faith
Winter Solstice Ritual, December 21
Winter solstice rituals traditionally celebrate the rebirth of the sun. In a safe place outdoors, build a bonfire and create a solstice altar to the east of it. Place a small cauldron with a candle in it on the altar, and surround it with mistletoe, ivy, and holly. Participants should also wear crowns woven from these evergreens. If it is too cold or snowy where you live, you can gather indoors and form a semicircle around the fireplace, or around the altar.
Begin the ritual by holding hands around the fire. Hum softly, gradually building the hum to a shout. This shout represents the cries of the Goddess giving birth once again to the sun, and to the new year. The ritual leader says:
All bow to the East! Hail to the newborn Sun, and to the Great Goddess who has brought him forth!
Everyone bows to honor the Sun God and the Mother Goddess. The ritual leader chants:
Brigid,
Diana,
Morgan,
Cerridwen,
Heaven’s Queen,
By the light of this moon
In this dark night,
Teach us the mystery of rebirth.
The ritual leader lights the candle in the cauldron while everyone else remains perfectly still. Now is the time when the Goddess will reveal herself privately to each participant. If you are outdoors, listen and look carefully for a sign. Traditional omens are a sudden wind, shooting stars, the screeching of an owl, and the appearance of a deer. Even if you are indoors by the fire, the Goddess will still make herself known in your heart. When the time feels right, the ritual leader says:
Queen of the Stars,
Queen of the Moon,
Queen of the Earth,
Bringer of Fire,
The Great Mother gives birth to this new year
And we are her witnesses.
Everyone shouts:
Blessed be!
Pass the lit cauldron to each participant so they can speak a blessing for the new year and the new sun. Place the cauldron with the candle back on the altar. The ritual leader closes the ritual with this final expression of gratitude to the Goddess:
Blessed be to the Mother Goddess
Thank you for the sun that gives us life
Without beginning and without end
Everlasting in Eternity.
This ritual is now done!
A toast to the new sun should take place with hot cider or mead, and warm festive foods.
