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- Bealtaine – May Day. The Celtic culture is one of the world’s most ancient cultures, spreading in several parts of Western Europe. However, this culture is mainly associated with Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Great Britain, where traces of the ancient Celtic or Gaelic languages remain today.
- Samhain – Halloween. There were four major Celtic pagan holidays celebrated in ancient times, with each of them representing each season of the year. Samhain was among those four holidays, marking the end of summer and the start of the year’s darkest part.
- Yule – Christmas Eve. Norse paganism was a religion centred in Scandinavia, with the famous Viking warriors being its prominent practitioners, worshipping their famous Viking gods, Odin and Thor.
- Eostre Goddess Celebrations – Easter Day. Before Christianity struck Europe, most of the European tribes were pagans, including the Anglo-Saxons. Although they were quite different from the Vikings, they shared many similarities regarding paganism, worshipping the same gods but with other names.
Jul 14, 2023 · While the origins of some pagan holidays are rooted in ancient traditions, modern pagans often adapt and personalize their celebrations to fit their own spiritual beliefs and practices. Some pagans choose to celebrate only certain sabbats, while others observe all eight.
- Imbolc
- Ostara
- Beltane
- Litha
- Lammas
- Mabon
- Samhain
- Yule
Imbolc is a Gaelic festival that is celebrated on February 1st (or the first full moon of February, depending on the tradition). It marks the beginning of spring, and is a time for honoring the goddess Brigid, who is associated with healing, fertility, and creativity. Celebrations may include lighting candles, making corn dollies, and honoring the ...
Ostara is a holiday that is celebratedin the Northern Hemisphere on the Spring Equinox, which is around March 21st. It is a celebration of fertility, rebirth, and new beginnings. Celebrations may include decorating eggs, gathering flowers, and feasting with friends and family.
Beltane is a Gaelic festival that is celebratedon May 1st (or the first full moon of May, depending on the tradition). It is a celebration of fertility, love, and passion, and is a time for honoring the god Bel. Celebrations may include lighting bonfires, dancing around the Maypole, and feasting with friends and family.
Litha is a holiday that is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere on the Summer Solstice, which is around June 21st. It is a celebration of the longest day of the yearand the abundance of the summer season. Celebrations may include gathering herbs and flowers, feasting, and lighting bonfires.
Lammas is a Gaelic festival that is celebrated on August 1st (or the first full moon of August, depending on the tradition). It is a celebration of the first harvest of the year and a time for honoring the godLugh. Celebrations may include baking bread, gathering grains, and feasting with friends and family.
Mabon is a holiday that is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere on the Autumn Equinox, which is around September 21st. It is a celebration of the second harvest of the year and a time for honoring the gods and goddessesof the harvest. Celebrations may include gathering fruits and vegetables, feasting, and giving thanks for the abundance of the sea...
Samhain is a Gaelic festival that is celebrated on October 31st (or the first full moon of October, depending on the tradition). It is a celebration of the end of the harvest season and a time for honoring the ancestors. Celebrations may include honoring the dead through ritualsand offerings, lighting candles, and feasting with friends and family.
Yule is a holiday that is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere on the Winter Solstice, which is around December 21st. It is a celebration of the longest night of the year and a timefor honoring the god of the sun. Celebrations may include decorating evergreen trees, feasting, and giving gifts. These are just some of the many pagan holidays that ar...
- Christmas. We already know how we celebrate on December 25th, but how would ancient Romans have celebrated their pagan version of Christmas? For an ancient Roman, December 25th was the time to celebrate Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun.
- New Year’s Day. Also for the Romans, New Year’s Day was a very important date, but the most interesting fact is that originally the Roman year didn’t start on January 1st but in March.
- Easter. Easter is a very peculiar Christian holiday, which doesn’t fall on a specific date as all the other festivities, but it is based on the cycle of the moon: in fact, it falls on the first Spring Sunday after the new moon.
- The Roman version of Halloween. Everybody knows that Halloween traditions originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, but did you know that the Romans had something very similar and probably even creepier?
- Crystal Coker
- Nativity of John the Baptist. Source: catholicculture.org, wikipedia. As we have already seen, Christianity does a good job of hijacking pagan holidays to help spread their religion.
- St. Patrick's Day. Source: metro.uk.co. Ah, St. Patty’s Day! This holiday is more like the “anti-pagan” holiday. It celebrates the life of a man who reportedly drove out paganism and druids out of Ireland.
- Rosh Hashanah. Source: www.nehemiaswall.com. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year celebration. Originally, this holiday was called Yom Teruah, which translates as the “day of shouting.”
- Feast of the Tabernacles. Source: newworldencyclopedia.org, hope-of-israel.org. This major Jewish festival is also known as Sukkot or Feast of the Booths, among other names.
Jan 25, 2019 · Modern pagans, in a fitting echo of the original different civilizations from which their holidays have sprung, recognize a diverse range of annual celebrations throughout what they commonly...
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Apr 21, 2024 · Pagan Ancient Festivals Reimagined in Modern Europe: A Cultural Retrospective. In exploring the intricate web of modern European festivals and holidays, we uncover layers of ancient pagan practices elegantly woven into the very fabric of contemporary celebrations. From Pagan to Christian Celebrations
