Eight Festivals

These are the eight traditional Celtic festivals. The minor ones coincide with the cardinal points on the Wheel of Life. The major festivals mark the transitions between the Seasons. Transition times and places "in between" were very sacred to the Celts.

Traditionally, these festivals would have been celebrated at a time when Nature showed signs of change, and probably at the Full Moon following that moment. In my busy life, I find it much easier to stick to a set date. That way I can also book a day off on these holy days.

These are the Celtic sacred times and how I celebrate them.

The Festivals on the Wheel

1. Hallowmas: the Celtic New Year, ending of the old and beginning of the new. The most sacred time of transition.

2. Midwinter: the rebirth of the Light. A time to celebrate the endurance of Life and the eternal turning of the Wheel.

3. Candlemas: the beginning of new growth. The transition from Winter to Spring and a day sacred to Brighid.

4. Spring Equinox: the days grow longer than the nights. Most of Life is now lived in the light, and the outher world takes precedence over the inner.

5. May Day: the end of the cold months and the beginning of Summer. A festival as rich and important as Hallowmas.

6. Midsummer: the climax of the Year, when Nature is at its peak. Yet at this time it already prepares to let go and diminish.

7. Lammas: the time of surrender. A celebration of all the energy we have put into our work and the first fruit we are beginning to receive.

8. Autumn Equinox: the nights grow longer than the days. Most of Life is now lived in the dark, and the inner world takes precedence over the outer.

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