The Wheel of the Year
The Four Seasons are known as Solar Festivals, in that they mark a seasonal change caused by the Sun. The cross quarter days are marked by Fire Festivals and are usually celebrated as significant agricultural festivals. Together the Solar Festivals and the Fire Festivals make up the Wheel Of The Year. The Wheel Of The Year, is often broken into eight festivals, whether they are the eight Asatru Blots, Seasonal Festivals or Celtic Sabbats, and the observance of Solar energies at the solstices and equinoxes and the Fire energies on the cross quarter days, is a common theme throughout the world.
The Festivals of the Wheel Of The Year also represent the active and dormant states of nature, man and agriculture. Each of the festival days was ruled by a governing deity, whether a God or Goddess, with each region having its own associated deity. From planting to reaping to winter to summer... the seasons were of great importance to our ancestors, for their very existence depended upon good harvests, mild winters, enough rainfall.
The Four Fire Festivals
Imbolc - Feb 2nd
Disablot/Imbolc/Candlemas.
This holiday is also known as Candlemas, or Brigid's (pronounced BREED) Day.
Beltane - May 1 April 30th/May 1st
May Eve/Valpurgis/Cetsamhain/Roodmas/Shenn do Boaldyn/May Day
(Beltane derived from the Irish Gaelic "Bealtaine" or the Scottish Gaelic "Bealtuinn", meaning "Bel-fire", the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or Belinus).)
Lughnasadh - August 2, July 31st/Aug 1st
Frey Fest/Lughnasa/Lugnasad/Lammas
Samhain - October 31
Winter Nights/Samhain/Feile Moingfinne/Halloween
(*Note: Samhain is pronounced sowen, soween, saw-win, saw-vane or sahven, not sam-hayne)
The Four Solar Festivals
Winter Solstice - Yule - Dec 21st/22nd
(Yule from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year.)
Spring Equinox - Ostara - Mar 21st/22nd
Summer Solstice - Litha - Midsummers Eve - June 21st/22nd
(Midsummer, Gathering Day, Summer Solstice, Alban Heffyn, Feill-Sheathain)
Autumn Equinox - Harvest - Mabon - Sept 21st/22nd
Gwyl canol Hydref or Mabon: (pronounced Ma-bon. Also known as Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Fall Equinox, Autumn Equinox etc.)
The Four Seasons are known as Solar Festivals, in that they mark a seasonal change caused by the Sun. The cross quarter days are marked by Fire Festivals and are usually celebrated as significant agricultural festivals. Together the Solar Festivals and the Fire Festivals make up the Wheel Of The Year. The Wheel Of The Year, is often broken into eight festivals, whether they are the eight Asatru Blots, Seasonal Festivals or Celtic Sabbats, and the observance of Solar energies at the solstices and equinoxes and the Fire energies on the cross quarter days, is a common theme throughout the world.
The Festivals of the Wheel Of The Year also represent the active and dormant states of nature, man and agriculture. Each of the festival days was ruled by a governing deity, whether a God or Goddess, with each region having its own associated deity. From planting to reaping to winter to summer... the seasons were of great importance to our ancestors, for their very existence depended upon good harvests, mild winters, enough rainfall.
The Four Fire Festivals
Imbolc - Feb 2nd
Disablot/Imbolc/Candlemas.
This holiday is also known as Candlemas, or Brigid's (pronounced BREED) Day.
Beltane - May 1 April 30th/May 1st
May Eve/Valpurgis/Cetsamhain/Roodmas/Shenn do Boaldyn/May Day
(Beltane derived from the Irish Gaelic "Bealtaine" or the Scottish Gaelic "Bealtuinn", meaning "Bel-fire", the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or Belinus).)
Lughnasadh - August 2, July 31st/Aug 1st
Frey Fest/Lughnasa/Lugnasad/Lammas
Samhain - October 31
Winter Nights/Samhain/Feile Moingfinne/Halloween
(*Note: Samhain is pronounced sowen, soween, saw-win, saw-vane or sahven, not sam-hayne)
The Four Solar Festivals
Winter Solstice - Yule - Dec 21st/22nd
(Yule from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year.)
Spring Equinox - Ostara - Mar 21st/22nd
Summer Solstice - Litha - Midsummers Eve - June 21st/22nd
(Midsummer, Gathering Day, Summer Solstice, Alban Heffyn, Feill-Sheathain)
Autumn Equinox - Harvest - Mabon - Sept 21st/22nd
Gwyl canol Hydref or Mabon: (pronounced Ma-bon. Also known as Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Fall Equinox, Autumn Equinox etc.)
WHy do we have the Wheel of the Year?
White magical practitioners celebrate eight annual festivals, which make up the Wheel of the Year. They are as old as Mother Earth herself – truly ancient, yet not historical, as they were not created to commemorate human events. The difference between the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year and any other holiday is that they are natural. It is significant that these festivals are unlike other holidays. Instead they are an essential part of how this beautiful planet actually works. Although the names of these ancient festivals have changed over time, the energies they celebrate have been with us since the very beginning of the planet, and imprinted in her consciousness and expressed by her every year.
How did it come to be?
No one remember how it came about neccessarily. Though they are connected to certain pagan deities, the wheel of the year is based on natural times of the seasons and often dictated when the planting or harvest was to begin.
Why is it relevant?
The Wheel is relevant in that it is the Wiccan (and some other pagan denomination's) way of celebrating times of the year. Only within the past century have people began putting Wiccan myths to the Wheel, though this does not discredit them.
How does it connect to current Holidays?
Many of christian holidays were based on already pre-established festival days in the pagan calender. For example, the christmas tree was originally the yule tree, and Rabbits were only connected to Easter as it was the Celtic goddess Eostre's sacred animal.