Quarter Days

I am very attached to these old festivals (to something that our ancestors knew) the seasons and the earth's timeline. From a spiritual point of view these days are moments when we stop the cycle of life... not dates on a calendar.

England and Wales have quarter days (four religious festivals) These include: Christmas Day, 25th December; also called the Feast of Nativity. Ladies Day on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation; Michaelmas, 29 September, also known as the Feast of St. Michael and All the Angels; And on June 24th there is Midsummer Day, also referred to as the Feast of Saint John the Baptist. Ireland had its own quarter days based on the old Celtic Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnassadh and finally samhain festivals.

I know pagans personally and they often celebrate Wiccan type of Neopaganism and are included in what is called the Wheel of the Year. The wheel has eight festivals/sabbats on it. Four of them are quarter days on the solstices/equinoxe: Midwinter, sometimes called Yule; Ostara, or Vernal Equinox; Litha, or Midsummer; and Mabon, or Autumnal Equinox; and Ostara, or Winter solstices. The other four fall between and are called the cross-quarter days: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh (or Lammas) and Samhain. I think the wheel is a way of seeing the year - as a circle that circles back around - not a straight line.

Wheel of the Year Wiccan Festivals.

The days are generally celebrated in various styles:

Yule

If you don't know these represents Winter Solstice for the pagans. This is a holiday which marks winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere, the start of winter and the return of the sun. It's among the earliest winter celebrations and will be the longest night and shortest day of the entire year. There is 23 degrees tilting of the earth away from the sun, so areas of the Northern Hemisphere receive the least daylight during the year. It is an ancient holiday celebrated by mankind.

And, in my spiritual books...Yule teaches us something important: even on the most dark night of the year the light has already been coming back. From a spiritual standpoint that is a message we all need.

Imbolc

It is usually celebrated in February and sometimes called Candlemas/Brigid's Day. It is also called the Fire Festival in the Celts, which the Wiccans celebrate as the goddess changing from a Crone to a Maiden and the first signs of Spring. The sun comes back and first signs of spring are recorded too. The flowers and leaves are spouting outwards now.

Festival of Winter and farming time celebrates three goddess energies of Crone to Maiden. This is also the time when the Goddess is recovered from childbirth; Light is all day long so she can stay awake. The warmth which the God demonstrates because he is young is in the days longer. Soil is fertilized by the goddess and the seed grows.

The first brave snowdrops pushing through cold ground make Imbolc one of my most tender festivals of the wheel.

Ostara

It's when the sun crosses the celestial equator and for the Wiccans along with other Neopagans it marks the changeover from dark winter to brighter spring. It's named for an Anglo-Saxon dawn god. The earth is fertile because of her; The horned god also is worshipped here as he represents the enjoyment of nature in dancing and hunting. Rabbits, eggs, seeds and flowers are symbols of Ostara festival. The symbols are considered to represent spring in its fullness and are thus used in rituals, feasts and altar tools as well. Its themes and symbols are much like those of the Christian Easter holiday.

From my spiritual view, Ostara is the year's new beginning (the year of the light and the dark) when I think we are called to sow seeds in our own lives, too.

Beltane

It's a festival which is frequently celebrated on May 1 each year and which is also found on the Isle of Man, Ireland and Scotland. It is related to many mythology events and marks the beginning of summer when cattle were driven out to the summer fields. A few rituals were observed to keep the animals and crops safe.

I like Beltane because it celebrates protection and community - people around the fires keeping what they love safe. That spirit I think we should carry into modern life.

Litha

It is based around summer solstice in most Northern European celebrations. It is observed on a specific day in June from June 20 to June 22, or on the day eve. The specific date depends on the year. I think Litha is the year in full swing - the sun high, the earth full of life. From my spiritual view it is a reminder to celebrate abundance while it is here because the wheel is always turning.

Lammas

The hot days of August herald harvest time, or that harvest is coming, during Lammas celebration. The holiday can be celebrated either way: It may be a harvest festival or a god's day. Grains are considered sacred in all world civilizations and the Wiccans link them to rebirth and death. Lugh is honored by modern pagans and Wiccans alike.

I think Lammas asks us quietly: what have you grown this year? I think the very essence of this festival is gratitude for the first harvest in whatever form it comes into our lives.

Mabon

It's the Fall Equinox, named for Mabon ap Modron in Welsh mythology - the festival took its modern name in the 1970s. This is harvest time and the pagans should reap what they sow - metaphorically as well as literally. Mabon is a time of thanksgiving, honoring balance and finishing projects. The second time in the year day and night are equal, the first at Ostara.

After the Mabon celebrations, the night will be longer than the day. It is the beginning of Autumn & the end of the land; It is the second biggest harvest of the year - a celebration of life! The full Moon closest to this holiday was called the harvest moon because farmers would Harvest at night with light from the Moon.

For me spiritually, Mabon is the year of thanksgiving. I care about this balance - finishing what we started and giving thanks before the dark half begins.

Samhain

It is traditionally observed between October 31 and November 1, as the Celtic people did. It is a festival of winter - the darker half of the year - and the end of harvest.

Other than pagans, they celebrate Halloween with pomp without knowing its origins. During such periods the Celts would honour their ancestors by inviting them to their homes whilst the evil spirits were chased away. Masks and costumes were worn so that people appeared to be harmful spirits and no harm came to them.

I consider Samhain the holiest night of the wheel. In a spiritual sense it's a time to recall people who have come before us - and I wish to make certain that the true meaning is not lost behind the candy and the costumes.

My take on all this

I think these eight festivals really kick the year off. So whether you take the wheel as a spiritual path or simply enjoy the old traditions, I think it's wise to mark the seasons with gratitude, fire and light, care for the turning earth.