Pagan/Wiccan Holy Days
Symbols via Noun Project
Zoroastrian & Pagan – Pierre TORET
Jain – André Luiz Gollo
Islam – anbileru adaleru
Christian – Nick Kinling
Buddhist – Rene Ramsey-Passmore
Holiday | Fall 2024/ Spring 2025 | Fall 2025/ Spring 2026 | |
Lammas (Lughnasadh) – Pagan/Wiccan Lammas, also known as Loafmas or Lughnasadh, commemorates the harvest of the first grains, primarily for breadmaking. Lughnasadh itself is named after Lugh, a Celtic deity associated with grain. Lammas celebrations include feasting, crafting corn dollies, and participating in games and contests as a way to honor Lugh and the bounty of the season. | Aug 1 | Aug 1 | |
Mabon (Fall Equinox) – Pagan/Wiccan Mabon, celebrated at the fall equinox, marks the transition to the approaching darkness of the coming winter months. Mabon celebrations involve giving thanks for the harvest, making offerings of fruits and vegetables, and performing ceremonies to honor the equinox’s change from the light half of the year to the dark. Decorations made of corn, squash, vines and pumpkins are common. | Sep 21* | Sep 21* | |
Samhain (All Hallows) – Pagan/Wiccan Samhain today marks the end of the harvest, the start of the Pagan/Wiccan New Year, and the honoring of our ancestors and the dead. Samhain celebrations include lighting candles, setting up altars, and modern activities like costume parties, trick-or-treating, and jack-o’-lanterns. | Oct 31 | Oct 31 | |
Yule (Winter Solstice) – Pagan/Wiccan Yule, celebrated at the winter solstice, marks the day on which the “sun is reborn.” Yule celebrations include the burning of the Yule log, kissing under the mistletoe, decorating homes with holly and evergreen branches, and performing rituals to welcome the return of the sun’s warmth and light to the world. | Dec 21* | Dec 21* | |
Imbolc (Candlemas) – Pagan/Wiccan Imbolc heralds the first signs of spring and is dedicated to Brigid, a Celtic goddess of poetry and fire who was later canonized by the Catholic Church. Imbolc celebrations include candlelit processions, the lighting of a hearth fires, and sending blessings to the fields and farm animals. | Feb 2 | Feb 2 | |
Ostara (Spring Equinox) – Pagan/Wiccan Ostara, celebrated at the spring equinox, marks the beginning of the light half of the year and the arrival of spring. Ostara is celebrated by the coloring and decorating of eggs, planting of seeds, and performing rituals that honor the balance of light and dark. | Mar 21* | Mar 21* | |
Beltane (May Day) – Pagan/Wiccan Beltane is a joyful fertility festival that welcomes the height of spring and celebrates the divine feminine and masculine coming together in fruitful union. Beltane celebrations include dancing around the Maypole, wearing wreaths or crowns of flowers, the crowning of a May Queen, and the lighting of bonfires. | May 1 | May 1 | |
Litha/Midsummer (Summer Solstice) – Pagan/Wiccan Litha, celebrated at the summer solstice, marks when the sun is at its maximum power and the longest day of the year. Litha celebrations include lighting bonfires, outdoor feasts, and rituals that honor the warmth and light of the sun and the season’s abundance. | Jun 21* | Jun 21* |
*These dates mark the astronomical beginnings of the seasons and occasionally vary by a day or so from year to year.