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Now for the fun stuff. One thing pagans are known for is their parties and these are annual, here comes the yearly rundown :
Samhain - (pronounced sa-wen) 31st October. This is when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is thinnest, the mother becomes the crone and the god becomes the hunter for the winter. It is also when farmers would have completed their work for the year and would get ready for winter. It's the perfect time for a seasonal feast. Jacket potatoes are amazing for this time of year. Sausages are also traditional as the herbs and spices would preserve them over winter, so bring out the meat. Pumpkins and other autumnal veg are good too and fun to make a mess with while preparing. And finally apples are the fruit of choice this time of year. Go nuts.
For entertainment try apple bobbing. It was said that the first woman to catch an apple would be the first one to marry. I can't argue as I was always the first with the apple and I was the first one to marry.
Yule- 21st December. This is the festival of the rebirth of the sun. This is as it is the shortest day so the days could only get longer from there. The lord of holly finally gives way to the lord of oak and the lighter days begin to return. Nuts, turkey, winter veg and all those trimmings are what we need for this one. Jam and other preserve desserts are great too. Indulge that sweet tooth and do a little baking. Bread is a lot of fun and great to shape. Plus don't forget the good old Yule log. Decorate with all those rich green leaves like holly and add a little glitter if you must. Remember mistletoe is poisonous so a plastic version may be safer for a home with animals or children. And of course the Yule log. In modern times this has become a decadent chocolate roll with cream. Along with this coma educing sugar treat find your local wood-cutter and ask for a large log. The Yule log was meant to burn to the end of winter, keeping the house warm. So if you have a hearth (lucky so and so's) get a log big enough to fill the space and decorate with evergreens. Then light it. If, you are like us with no pretty space to burn things, buy a large log but carve out holes for tea-lights. Or, if you have young-un's (or are prone to setting yourself alight) you can substitute with fake battery candles or bright and shiny paper. Say your wishes for the year and the Spring to come, and watch the pretty fires burn.
Imbolg- 2nd February. This is where we celebrate the first signs of spring. The Crone become the maiden again. Colours of the season are white, yellow and light green. So candles of those colours would be a good idea. Lamb is on order for dinner and we can finally shake off the canned goods and salted meats, because everything is growing again! Time to get the candles out and make the world shine, we're fed up of all this darkness. This festival is counted as a fire festival but moreso about the light not the heat of the flames. So using fake candles for the light is appropriate. Making a crown of lights is a lot of fun. Using evergreens and battery pack LED's (to save the burning hair). Though if you are brave you can make it with candles and something to catch the wax. Birthday candles are great because they burn longer and make less mess.
Oestara- 21st March. This is the celebration of spring in all it's glory when the chicks have hatched and the hares are seen once again in the fields. This celebrates the fertility of the land, when everything blossoms and comes to life. Vernal Equinox now, to those who don't know this is when day and night are equal. And when we start to clean up for the year. Once again lamb is on the platter (baaa) and nettles and dandelions are on the menu, be it salad or a full bodied drink. Great time for a garden party and hand out packets of seeds as a gift (eating or planting). Also the great time for an egg hunt! If you are talented enough you could prick eggs to empty the yolk, then paint the shells. Hide them where you can and set a challenge. Whoever finds the most eggs wins a small prize, but everyone gets a prize to make it right. Children will love this.
Beltane- 1st May. This is another time when the veil is thin but more mischievous spirits come out to play this time. The Goddess going from being the maiden to the mother and the God becomes her consort, in other words, fertility festival! When unattached women would get together, children born of this occasion would be counted as children of the God. To ensure fertility people would jump over fires at this time of year and animals would be driven between fires to encourage pregnant animals. Picnics are perfect around this time of year. And mead is a favourite (though ask any witch and they will admit to a tipple or four of mead around any festival). Daisy chains are also fun things to do around now. And of course the traditional maypole.
Litha- 21st June. The celebration of the longest day . The Oak and the Holly king begin to fight again, where the Oak kind falls and the Holly king takes over. Orange veg and fruit are good at this time of year. Picnic and BBQs are great now, same as hefty salads. Deserts are brilliant, because it is getting hot around this time of year. Bring out the ices. Fun time to reenact the battle of the Oak and Holly king. If you have a large group of people you can split into teams and have a battle. Make sure the Holly king takes the reins.
Lammas- 1st August. This is also known as loaf-mas. This celebrates the beginning of the harvest. This time of year is perfect for baking bread, rabbit is the meat of the season but you can always substitute with meat pies and pasties. Now you can make a corn king that can be slain. Get some corn sheafs and fashion a man, then chop him down with a sickle (if you can stand the danger) otherwise you can throw things at him. When the corn king is dead, bury or burn him. A safer method is to pass him around a group of people, taking a piece each until he falls apart.
Madron- 21st September. The day and night are of equal length at this point. This was also when people would be able to find out how well the harvest had been. It's a great time to set aside grudges and arguments, a time of balance. The world is your oyster with food, because of the bountiful harvests. But always make sure it is fresh. Geese are well known to be eaten this time of year as well as roasted chestnuts. Good time to play conkers and break your fingers while doing it.
Yule- 21st December. This is the festival of the rebirth of the sun. This is as it is the shortest day so the days could only get longer from there. The lord of holly finally gives way to the lord of oak and the lighter days begin to return. Nuts, turkey, winter veg and all those trimmings are what we need for this one. Jam and other preserve desserts are great too. Indulge that sweet tooth and do a little baking. Bread is a lot of fun and great to shape. Plus don't forget the good old Yule log. Decorate with all those rich green leaves like holly and add a little glitter if you must. Remember mistletoe is poisonous so a plastic version may be safer for a home with animals or children. And of course the Yule log. In modern times this has become a decadent chocolate roll with cream. Along with this coma educing sugar treat find your local wood-cutter and ask for a large log. The Yule log was meant to burn to the end of winter, keeping the house warm. So if you have a hearth (lucky so and so's) get a log big enough to fill the space and decorate with evergreens. Then light it. If, you are like us with no pretty space to burn things, buy a large log but carve out holes for tea-lights. Or, if you have young-un's (or are prone to setting yourself alight) you can substitute with fake battery candles or bright and shiny paper. Say your wishes for the year and the Spring to come, and watch the pretty fires burn.
Imbolg- 2nd February. This is where we celebrate the first signs of spring. The Crone become the maiden again. Colours of the season are white, yellow and light green. So candles of those colours would be a good idea. Lamb is on order for dinner and we can finally shake off the canned goods and salted meats, because everything is growing again! Time to get the candles out and make the world shine, we're fed up of all this darkness. This festival is counted as a fire festival but moreso about the light not the heat of the flames. So using fake candles for the light is appropriate. Making a crown of lights is a lot of fun. Using evergreens and battery pack LED's (to save the burning hair). Though if you are brave you can make it with candles and something to catch the wax. Birthday candles are great because they burn longer and make less mess.
Oestara- 21st March. This is the celebration of spring in all it's glory when the chicks have hatched and the hares are seen once again in the fields. This celebrates the fertility of the land, when everything blossoms and comes to life. Vernal Equinox now, to those who don't know this is when day and night are equal. And when we start to clean up for the year. Once again lamb is on the platter (baaa) and nettles and dandelions are on the menu, be it salad or a full bodied drink. Great time for a garden party and hand out packets of seeds as a gift (eating or planting). Also the great time for an egg hunt! If you are talented enough you could prick eggs to empty the yolk, then paint the shells. Hide them where you can and set a challenge. Whoever finds the most eggs wins a small prize, but everyone gets a prize to make it right. Children will love this.
Beltane- 1st May. This is another time when the veil is thin but more mischievous spirits come out to play this time. The Goddess going from being the maiden to the mother and the God becomes her consort, in other words, fertility festival! When unattached women would get together, children born of this occasion would be counted as children of the God. To ensure fertility people would jump over fires at this time of year and animals would be driven between fires to encourage pregnant animals. Picnics are perfect around this time of year. And mead is a favourite (though ask any witch and they will admit to a tipple or four of mead around any festival). Daisy chains are also fun things to do around now. And of course the traditional maypole.
Litha- 21st June. The celebration of the longest day . The Oak and the Holly king begin to fight again, where the Oak kind falls and the Holly king takes over. Orange veg and fruit are good at this time of year. Picnic and BBQs are great now, same as hefty salads. Deserts are brilliant, because it is getting hot around this time of year. Bring out the ices. Fun time to reenact the battle of the Oak and Holly king. If you have a large group of people you can split into teams and have a battle. Make sure the Holly king takes the reins.
Lammas- 1st August. This is also known as loaf-mas. This celebrates the beginning of the harvest. This time of year is perfect for baking bread, rabbit is the meat of the season but you can always substitute with meat pies and pasties. Now you can make a corn king that can be slain. Get some corn sheafs and fashion a man, then chop him down with a sickle (if you can stand the danger) otherwise you can throw things at him. When the corn king is dead, bury or burn him. A safer method is to pass him around a group of people, taking a piece each until he falls apart.
Madron- 21st September. The day and night are of equal length at this point. This was also when people would be able to find out how well the harvest had been. It's a great time to set aside grudges and arguments, a time of balance. The world is your oyster with food, because of the bountiful harvests. But always make sure it is fresh. Geese are well known to be eaten this time of year as well as roasted chestnuts. Good time to play conkers and break your fingers while doing it.
(Much of this info was taken from “The real witches kitchen” by Kate West. It's an amazing book. Pick it up.)
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