Lammas

Lammas🌾

In the Northern Hemisphere, Lammas is on August 1st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Lammas is on February 2nd.

With Lammas, aka Lughnasad, falling at the end of Summer, and marking the first harvest, the most common themes for the holidays around it are family, crops, enjoying the last of the heat, and staying well for the coming cold. August 1st is not only Lammas, but we also observe it as Mead Day, National Play Outside Day, Sandcastle Day, and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. August is National Back to School Month, and there are a number of little celebrations that honor family, including Respect for Parents day and American Family Day. It is also National Sister’s Day, with National Brother’s day only a few days later. This is perfect timing because in India, the Hindu religion is going through the Raksha Bandhan festival, which is literally where they celebrate brotherly bonds. Looking outside of just that specific day, you can see how it falls during Air Conditioning Appreciation Week, Simplify Your Life Week, International Tree Climbing Week, National Farmer’s Market Week, National Parks Month, Family Meals Month, and National Wellness Month.

The Summer will be coming to an end, and the crops that were planted in the Spring are ready for a first harvest. Lammas is a fire festival meant to honor the corn and grain that are beginning to be collected. It’s a time to make bread, and store the leftovers for the coming winter. The God, called Lugh in Celtic traditions, now sacrifices himself for the good of the crops, and the survival of his followers through the harsh days ahead. The Goddess, now called the Grain Mother, watches her lover die, but is also pregnant with the new Sun God. This cycle of rebirth is mirrored in the seedlings stored in the ground through winter to come back in Spring. Enjoy the last few days of warmth. 

The nice thing about Lammas is that it is simple and uncomplicated. Since it is a harvest festival, you should be using the harvest in your decorating. The most important crop right now is wheat, so it should be just scattered around your whole house. Put the stalks in vases, or tie them together to make a pentagram. Corn is also plentiful at this time, and makes perfect corn dollies for altars. Grains are really important now and it’s perfect for making breads. Of course, we are also harvesting other fruits, veggies, and herbs, and it is more than appropriate to incorporate those elements. In honor of the sun, bring in Sunflowers, and don’t forget to drink lots of beer. 

Yule ❄️

In the Northern Hemisphere, Yule is December 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Yule is June 21st.

Like Samhain, Yule, also known as the winter solstice, is a rather large holiday in the Pagan calendar, but it is also has a large presence across the world. The biggest shadow looming over Yule is, of course, Christmas and Christmas Eve. It's the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth, but we all know that it’s the Catholic church’s way of shoehorning pagans into celebrating Christmas. Those who are blatantly against the celebration of Christmas celebrate Newtonmas, which is the same basic idea, but in honor of Sir Isaac Newton and science instead. Alternatively, you could join the Festivus gang for people who are fans of Seinfeld. Other holidays include the Jewish Hanukkah, which honors the miracle of lasting oil, the Ancient Saturnalia, a festival for Saturn and the coming of longer days, and Kwanzaa, which is actually a holiday started in America to celebrate African culture and family in much the way Christmas does. There are also a number of other holidays of varying names, and religious backgrounds that all celebrate the same core idea of family, beliefs, the coming of summer, and giving back.

At its heart, the Solstice signals the coming of longer days and shorter nights. In the midst of the dark days of winter, Yule is the promise that it won't last forever  The God has been reborn, and as a symbol of the Sun, he brings a stronger one. A sun that will melt the snow and bring new animal and plant life. Now that the Goddess has ensured the survival of nature, she can rest for the remainder of the season. It is a time to celebrate hope and the power of community in surviving the hard times.

Traditional decorations really take the concept of the new sunrise and run with it. Bonfires, candles, Yule logs, and even Christmas lights all come from the same idea of bringing light back into the darkness. You could even be as obvious as hanging sun symbols and using citrus fruit in decor pieces. Pinecones and evergreens are included for the symbolization of being “ever green” and the hope of new life. We’re just looking for the general feeling of life going on through the winter, and bringing the sun back into our lives, also incorporating the standard “Christmas” colors like red, green, gold, silver, or even blue if you want to bring in the cold and snowy element.

Goddess Symbol ♀️

This is where I am finally confronted with the first thing about paganism/wicca/etc that I don’t particularly like. When trying to find symbols for the "Goddess" in general, I was hard pressed to find one that didn’t link directly back to a specific goddess. I came to the conclusion that there are only two types of symbols for the Goddess in general. There are the symbols that link back to the Moon, and there are symbols that link back to the vagina. 

The Vesica Piscis is something I was completely unfamiliar with, so I figured it was the perfect symbol to research. It has its origins in sacred geometry, which in itself is an interesting concept. Everything, every shape, can be found in the Flower of Life, a set of circles overlapping each other over and over. One of the shapes to be found comes from two equal circles overlapping so that their outermost edges run through the center of the circle next to it. This creates a sort of cat-eye shape, some refer to as an almond shape, which is the Vesica Piscis. 

The idea behind the importance of the Vesica Piscis is that, in addition to being a part of the “building blocks of life”, this specific shape is the origin of life. As in it is the literal origin of life. Like how babies come from the vagina. It’s the womb, birth, creation at its most basic form. I suppose I can see the importance of that. How this would be revered and worshipped as a sign of the Goddess Divine. After all, for the majority of history, a woman’s role was to birth children, to further the population, to create a workforce for the family farm, to ensure that the family lineage continues on. For some women this would be seen as noble. The creation of life would be considered a Godly power. Personally, I have my own issues with pregnancy and birth, and am not a fan of the idea that it is our duty to birth children because we have that power. I can respect the idea of the Vesica Piscis, but I’ll be sticking to using the Moon symbols to symbolize the Goddess. 

Samhain

In the Northern Hemisphere, Samhain is Oct 31st. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s on May 1st.

As it turns out, there are a shocking number of celebrations that happen around Samhain, and about half of them have nothing at all in common with it. For the Trick-or-Treater at heart, we have Beggar's Night, Books for Treats Day, and National Doorbell Day. The day before is National Candy Corn Day, though I’m not sure why there is a whole day for that mess. Two days before is National Cat Day, which is much more appreciated personally, and still fitting with the classic Halloween theme. During, and continuing for two days after, are the celebrations of Dia de los Muertos, and the Catholic All Soul’s Day. Samhain also shares its day with Magic Day, which falls during International Magic Week. Ironically, this has absolutely nothing to do with witchcraft or paganism, and instead is meant to celebrate Harry Houdini and like magicians.

Samhain is, at its core, a celebration of death and reflection. While some believe it to be the Pagan New Year, it really feels more like a time to gather, prepare for the stillness of winter, and look back on how far you’ve come with all of your strengths and weaknesses. It has the spirit of, if not an ending, then a long, deep sleep. As the last of the harvest festivals, it symbolizes preparing for the “Death” in nature. The Earth goes into hibernation. Our ancestors had to have harvested and stored their crops and meats before winter. In this end stage the Goddess has become the crone, she is wise and helps us reflect to move on. The God dies with the rest of nature, and symbolizes the animals that must die to keep us alive. It’s beautiful.

I get the feeling that, as a general rule, the best decoration ideas are the seasonal ones. For Samhain, traditional Halloween decor fits really well. Pumpkins and apples are seasonal fare, for both the table and door displays. Skeletons and ghosts are more than appropriate, as it ties in with the heavy concept of death and reconnecting with your ancestors. Lamps, jack o’ lanterns, lighted pathways are all different takes on the idea of guiding the souls back from the dead. I suppose you could make the same case for the cheesy zombie decorations, but it might be a stretch. Of course, I would not be any sort of self-respecting pagan if I didn’t also include the witch and magic related decor that is so popular at the time. 

Yule 🎄

In the Northern Hemisphere, Yule is December 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Yule is June 21st.

Like Samhain, Yule, also known as the winter solstice, is a rather large holiday in the Pagan calendar, but it is also has a large presence across the world. The biggest shadow looming over Yule is, of course, Christmas and Christmas Eve. It's the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth, but we all know that it’s the Catholic church’s way of shoehorning pagans into celebrating Christmas. Those who are blatantly against the celebration of Christmas celebrate Newtonmas, which is the same basic idea, but in honor of Sir Isaac Newton and science instead. Alternatively, you could join the Festivus gang for people who are fans of Seinfeld. Other holidays include the Jewish Hanukkah, which honors the miracle of lasting oil, the Ancient Saturnalia, a festival for Saturn and the coming of longer days, and Kwanzaa, which is actually a holiday started in America to celebrate African culture and family in much the way Christmas does. There are also a number of other holidays of varying names, and religious backgrounds that all celebrate the same core idea of family, beliefs, the coming of summer, and giving back.

At its heart, the Solstice signals the coming of longer days and shorter nights. In the midst of the dark days of winter, Yule is the promise that it won't last forever  The God has been reborn, and as a symbol of the Sun, he brings a stronger one. A sun that will melt the snow and bring new animal and plant life. Now that the Goddess has ensured the survival of nature, she can rest for the rest of the season. It is a time to celebrate hope and the power of community in surviving the hard times.

Traditional decorations really take the concept of the new sunrise and run with it. Bonfires, candles, Yule logs, and even Christmas lights all come from the same idea of bringing light back into the darkness. You could even be as obvious as hanging sun symbols and using citrus fruit in decor pieces. Pinecones and evergreens are included for the symbolization of being “ever green” and the hope of new life. We’re just looking for the general feeling of life going on through the winter, and bringing the sun back into our lives, also incorporating the standard “Christmas” colors like red, green, gold, silver, or even blue if you want to bring in the cold and snowy element.

Mabon 🍎

In the Northern Hemisphere, Mabon is around September 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Mabon is around March 21st.

Due to the school year being dictated by the growing seasons, Mabon falls around the time that schools would typically start their year. For this reason, this equinox doesn’t have as many other holidays that occur around the same time. However, we notice that the celebrations that do are all very similar in vibe. Mabon is usually also National Tradesman Day, and occurs during National Fall Foliage Week, Clean Up the World Weekend, and Balance Awareness Week. The month-long observances either focus on the harvest (like Apple Month, National Honey Month, National Mushroom Month, National Organic Harvest Month, and National Potato Month) or health (like ADHD Month and Healthy Aging Month). Then there’s National Disaster Preparedness Month, which is super helpful, but comes a little out of left field. 

As all things in nature have a balance, Mabon is the yang to Ostara’s yin. It is the other day in the year that light and dark, day and night, are equal. From this point on, nights will be getting longer and days will be shorter. We are halfway between Lammas and Samhain, making this the 2nd harvest festival. It is a celebration of what we have already collected, and begun storing for winter, in between all of the hard days of work that goes into harvest season. The God is on his way to his death with the last of the crops cut from the ground. The Goddess is transitioning to her crone phase, and yet, is pregnant and gestating with the new God.

With Mabon being another harvest festival, traditional harvest symbols like baskets and scythes are perfect decor. Don’t be afraid to use the seasonal nature, like acorns, pine cones, and the first colored leaves to fall. You could also use grapes, vines, apples, and corn because they are also plentiful at this time of year. To prepare for the coming of colder nights, candles and blankets in red, gold, orange, and brown, really help to set the atmosphere of the end of summer and the beginning of fall. It also makes sense to represent the balance occurring in nature at this time by sprinkling black and white, or the sun and moon throughout.