Traditional Dates of the Fire Festivals
by Linda Seekins (aka VanirHawk)
November 8 is the true cross-quarter day, being exactly halfway between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, which makes this the actual day of what we now call “Samhain”. Although the word “Samhain” itself is Celtic, the day representing the end of the harvest and the death of the God of the Year which is celebrated by most Wiccans and Pagans is actually based on the old Witch tradition of Britain which has little to do with the Celts who were latecomers to the Isles. For a term of reference, it is called Samhain today, but one of the older terms for it was “Hallows”, which is still used by some of those who follow the old pre-Gardnerian form of the Craft [“the Craft” is a Masonic term adopted by modern Wicca. Wicca attempts to reclaim original pagan pre-christianity].
Now, for background to the actual date of Hallows — in 1582, the old-style
Julian calendar was reformed by the official bull of Pope Gregory, to create today’s calendar referred to as the Gregorian calendar. Ten days were annulled so that October 5, 1582 became October 15. This cause a change in the dates for a lot of the old holidays. The Equinoxes and Solstices obviously had to change their dates, so this is why they no longer are placed at the beginning of a month as they once were. For example, Spring Equinox, which was originally on April 1, referred to as the Kalends of April, moved to March 21. This is why April 1 is April Fools’ Day because it originally poked fun at those “fools” who still celebrated Spring on that date.
However, the old cross-quarter days kept their old dates, so Hallows, which was celebrated on the night of October 31, is still celebrated on that date, despite the fact that the actual revised date would be on November 11. The time or season of Hallows began on the actual cross-quarter or half-quarter day between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, which was November 8, while the night of November 10 to 11 was considered the beginning of Hallows proper, the night when the hallows, or spirits of the dead, returned to this world. This period when the veil is open between this world and the next continues until November 16, referred to as Gate Closing and which coincides with what is also known as Hecate Night, and also when the Leonid meteor shower begins. Hecate was the Greek name for the Old Goddess of Death who was celebrated at the crossroads this night when the dead were entering her realm. She can just as well be honored as Holda, Hella, Cerridwen, Persephone, or any of the other names for the Queen of the Dead. From November 8 to November 16 is nine days, an ancient number considered sacred and associated with other holy days as well. For example, there are the nine days of Odin’s Ordeal in August when he hung from the tree as a self-sacrifice prior to receiving the runes. And in the Greek tradition, the Eleusian Mysteries took place over a period of nine days.
It is more than interesting that November 11 is Veteran’s Day which is celebrated as a day to remember the dead, almost as a subconscious memory of the original meaning of the day. November 11 is also day that the Pleiades sets, or goes below the horizon, and the setting and rising of stars has always been part of marking the date of the old holy days. November 11 is also the Feast of Dionysus, who is the Greek variation of the Old God of the Harvest.
So, October 31 is actually Christian All Hallows Eve, Halloween, or the Eve of All Saints, while the true Wiccan [original pagan] Holy Days begin on November 8 and end on the night of November 16, beginning the darkest and deadliest period of the year. And by celebrating on November 8, all of the hype and silliness of Halloween has passed so that the true sacredness of the day can be celebrated in peace without trick-or-treaters, insulting horror movies, vampires, green- faced “witches”, and splattered “witches” on trees and sides of houses everywhere to remind us of the Christian and secular ideas of what they think we are.
Other Cross-Quarter Days
Similarly, the actual dates of the other three cross-quarters are: Imbolc–February 5; Beltane–May 5; and Lugnassadh–August 7; each with a nine-day celebration.
When you note the other days included in these periods, including some of those now attributed to “saints” (old gods in Christian dress), you can see the old dates are still celebrated or at least acknowledged.
Imbolc ends on February 14, which is now Valentine’s Day, and the next day is the Roman Lupercalia festival of the animals.
Beltane contains the Roman Lemuria (May 9) when spirits of the dead return. It ends on May 13 which is English Garland Day. May 14 is the Norse Festival of the Midnight Sun.
Lugnassadh, which I call Loaf-Fest, ends on August 15, which is the Day of the Great Mother Goddess when the Pleiades meteor shower ends.
Permission to use these words are given by the author 11/14/2004″ width=”60″ height=”60″ align=”absmiddle”> Traditional Dates of the Fire Festivals
by Linda Seekins (aka VanirHawk)
November 8 is the true cross-quarter day, being exactly halfway between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, which makes this the actual day of what we now call “Samhain”. Although the word “Samhain” itself is Celtic, the day representing the end of the harvest and the death of the God of the Year which is celebrated by most Wiccans and Pagans is actually based on the old Witch tradition of Britain which has little to do with the Celts who were latecomers to the Isles. For a term of reference, it is called Samhain today, but one of the older terms for it was “Hallows”, which is still used by some of those who follow the old pre-Gardnerian form of the Craft [“the Craft” is a Masonic term adopted by modern Wicca. Wicca attempts to reclaim original pagan pre-christianity].
Now, for background to the actual date of Hallows — in 1582, the old-style
Julian calendar was reformed by the official bull of Pope Gregory, to create today’s calendar referred to as the Gregorian calendar. Ten days were annulled so that October 5, 1582 became October 15. This cause a change in the dates for a lot of the old holidays. The Equinoxes and Solstices obviously had to change their dates, so this is why they no longer are placed at the beginning of a month as they once were. For example, Spring Equinox, which was originally on April 1, referred to as the Kalends of April, moved to March 21. This is why April 1 is April Fools’ Day because it originally poked fun at those “fools” who still celebrated Spring on that date.
However, the old cross-quarter days kept their old dates, so Hallows, which was celebrated on the night of October 31, is still celebrated on that date, despite the fact that the actual revised date would be on November 11. The time or season of Hallows began on the actual cross-quarter or half-quarter day between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, which was November 8, while the night of November 10 to 11 was considered the beginning of Hallows proper, the night when the hallows, or spirits of the dead, returned to this world. This period when the veil is open between this world and the next continues until November 16, referred to as Gate Closing and which coincides with what is also known as Hecate Night, and also when the Leonid meteor shower begins. Hecate was the Greek name for the Old Goddess of Death who was celebrated at the crossroads this night when the dead were entering her realm. She can just as well be honored as Holda, Hella, Cerridwen, Persephone, or any of the other names for the Queen of the Dead. From November 8 to November 16 is nine days, an ancient number considered sacred and associated with other holy days as well. For example, there are the nine days of Odin’s Ordeal in August when he hung from the tree as a self-sacrifice prior to receiving the runes. And in the Greek tradition, the Eleusian Mysteries took place over a period of nine days.
It is more than interesting that November 11 is Veteran’s Day which is celebrated as a day to remember the dead, almost as a subconscious memory of the original meaning of the day. November 11 is also day that the Pleiades sets, or goes below the horizon, and the setting and rising of stars has always been part of marking the date of the old holy days. November 11 is also the Feast of Dionysus, who is the Greek variation of the Old God of the Harvest.
So, October 31 is actually Christian All Hallows Eve, Halloween, or the Eve of All Saints, while the true Wiccan [original pagan] Holy Days begin on November 8 and end on the night of November 16, beginning the darkest and deadliest period of the year. And by celebrating on November 8, all of the hype and silliness of Halloween has passed so that the true sacredness of the day can be celebrated in peace without trick-or-treaters, insulting horror movies, vampires, green- faced “witches”, and splattered “witches” on trees and sides of houses everywhere to remind us of the Christian and secular ideas of what they think we are.
Other Cross-Quarter Days
Similarly, the actual dates of the other three cross-quarters are: Imbolc–February 5; Beltane–May 5; and Lugnassadh–August 7; each with a nine-day celebration.
When you note the other days included in these periods, including some of those now attributed to “saints” (old gods in Christian dress), you can see the old dates are still celebrated or at least acknowledged.
Imbolc ends on February 14, which is now Valentine’s Day, and the next day is the Roman Lupercalia festival of the animals.
Beltane contains the Roman Lemuria (May 9) when spirits of the dead return. It ends on May 13 which is English Garland Day. May 14 is the Norse Festival of the Midnight Sun.
Lugnassadh, which I call Loaf-Fest, ends on August 15, which is the Day of the Great Mother Goddess when the Pleiades meteor shower ends.
Permission to use these words are given by the author 11/14/2004