#woty holidays

[coinandcandle]

The Wheel of the Year: A Comprehensive Guide.

The Wheel of the Year is a popular concept in neo-pagan circles and for beginner witches, but how much do you really know about it?

If you're doing research on the Wheel of the Year (WotY) you should know that it is mostly made up by Gerald Gardner and a few others based on a proposed wheel of the year from Jacob Grimm (a mythologist, folklorist, and scholar) in the mid-1800s. The holidays are set on solstices, equinoxes, and at the mid-points of these celestial events throughout the year.

The holidays aren't fake, per se, but some of their names and traditions are, at least in the context of the WoTY.

I urge you to research these holidays in their own original context and learn about their cultural relevance.

A Short History

The WoTY holidays are based on actual holidays, many of them with their original (or close to their original) names such as Samhain, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh, and Imbolc which were celebrated by the Celts, specifically the Irish. The spelling of these holidays varies depending on where they were celebrated.

Lughnasadh is often wrongly conflated with the English holiday Lammas, another name that the Wiccans call the holiday. Lammas, however, is a holiday in its own right just as Lughnasadh is.

Yule was celebrated by Germanic people (and later Anglo-Saxons) and went by the name Old Norse jól or Old English geol. We don't know exactly when it was celebrated but it was eventually assimilated into the Christian holidays and it would be rescheduled to around that time as well after the Christianization of Norway.

Ostara is the name given to the spring equinox, named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre (who is a can of worms in and of herself whether she existed pre-Christianization or not). Ostara is another name coined by Jacob Grimm in his book Teutonic Mythology.

Litha takes place on the summer solstice and is conflated too often with Midsummer, a holiday celebrated widely (though very differently) around the world. The name comes from a book by Bede which describes a 12-month lunisolar Saxon calendar. Aidan Kelly, who named the holiday along with Mabon and Ostara, writes about this in his post "About Naming Ostara, Litha, and Mabon".

Mabon is made up, named after a Welsh god, but the date is that of the Autumnal equinox which was actually celebrated or at least observed by various cultures.

So what now?

No one is saying that you can't celebrate these holidays, but if you're going to do so then it's only respectful to learn about their history and original cultural context. You can add your own traditions to these holidays and incorporate them into your life and into your craft, but keep in mind where they originate and be respectful of their history.

Also, if you don't want to celebrate the Wiccan versions of the holiday, consider calling them by their other/original names; Mabon being the fall or autumnal equinox, Ostara being the spring or vernal equinox, and Litha being the summer solstice.

How do I research them?

Honestly, Wikipedia is a great place to start, it gives you a general idea and a bunch of sources and references at the end of each post. If you're looking for research tips check out my post on witchy research tips!

To my fellow occultists and witches: If you have anything to add to this feel free to comment or reblog with your info.

Edit: If you're looking for an Irish-accurate Wheel of the Year, check out this post by @fiagai-cnuasaitheoir !

[breelandwalker]

2024 Witches' Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2024 dates for the solstices, quarter days, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area. Enjoy!

Solstices, Harvests, and Quarter Days

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas

March 19 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day

June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 25 - Wolf Moon ♌

February 24 - Snow Moon ♍

March 25 - Worm Moon ♎

April 23 - Pink Moon ♏

May 23 - Flower Moon ♐

June 21 - Strawberry Moon ♑

July 21 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑

August 19 - Sturgeon Moon* ♒

September 17 - Harvest Moon* ♓

October 17 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon)* ♈

November 15 - Frost Moon (or Beaver Moon)* ♉

December 15 - Cold Moon ♊

*- Supermoon

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. Once again this year, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 11 ♑

February 9 ♒

March 10 ♓

April 8 ♈

May 7 ♉

June 6 ♊

July 5 ♋

August 4 ♌

September 2 ♍

October 2 ♎

November 1 ♏

December 1 ♐

December 30 (black moon) ♑

Special Celestial Events

January 3-4 - Quadrantids meteor shower peak

March 25 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

April 8 - Total solar eclipse

April 22-23 - Lyrids meteor shower peak

May 6-7 - Eta Aquarids meteor shower peak

August 11-13 - Perseids meteor shower peak

August 19 - Sturgeon Supermoon / Seasonal Blue Moon

September 17 - Harvest Supermoon / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

October 2 - "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse

October 17 - Hunter's Supermoon

October 21-22 - Orionids meteor shower peak

November 15 - Frost Supermoon

November 16-17 - Leonids meteor shower peak

December 13-14 - Geminids meteor shower peak

December 30 - Black Moon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

April 1 - April 24

August 4 - August 27

November 25 - December 15

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree's Lunar Calendar Series

Bree's Secular Celebrations Series

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2024

Calendar-12 - 2024 Moon Phases

Full Moonology - 2024 Full Moon Calendar

AstroStyle - All the 2024 Full Moons

Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2024

Old Farmer's Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2023-2024

Lonely Planet - Best Star-gazing Events of 2024

Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2024

DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing

Pagan Grimoire - Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar (2024 Edition)

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If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

EDIT: Mercury is stationed direct on Jan 1st, 2024. The source I used which stated it was in retrograde until the 18th had a typo.

EDIT: Fixed the zodiac signs for the full moons using a new source.

[faerytalemagick]

The Full Moons of 2024🕯️🍇🫧🌕 Happy New Year dear witches 🧙‍♀️❄️

[delightingintragedy]

Found a podcast discussing the Stolen Pagan Holiday Discourse(tm). If you think anything was stolen, please listen to this episode, it might just change your perspective on things.

[gefdreamsofthesea]

I just finished The Witch at the Forest's Edge: Thirteen Keys to Modern Traditional Witchcraft by Christine Grace. It's primarily an introduction to the author's Forest Edge Tradition of witchcraft but I think there's material here for folks who are interested in non-Wiccan witchcraft. It covers topics like developing your intuition, cultivating "spirit senses" (like the ability to visualize), hedgeriding, ritual, spellcraft, theology, and ethics.

I feel like the author is pretty up front that this is how her tradition works but it's one of many ways to do witchcraft. When she talks about magical tools, I like that she says "this is how I use each tool" than just rattling off correspondences. Her tradition is animistic, but you don't necessarily have to have a relationship with a deity or deities. She says "I encourage each witch to cultivate a theology but not which theology."

I also like how she addresses the subject of holidays: her tradition celebrates the Wheel of the Year, but she encourages the reader to observe festivals important to your local area/culture. Suppose you do want to observe the WotY but some festivals don't really mesh with what's going on around you, she talks about finding themes or aspects that are relevant rather than dropping that holiday entirely.

If I had one criticism I feel like her bibliography is all over the place when it comes to the quality of her sources. She talks about hedgeriding and its similarities to "core shamanism" so the resources in that section talk about "shamanism". Interestingly, the theology section is mostly books about goddesses, not theodicy, deity work, or the other topics discussed in the chapter on theology. I think it reflects what she says in the book that when you go looking for, say, resources on folk magic, you're sometimes going to run into works by anthropologists who were openly disdainful of the subjects of their research, works that are, well, old, and a lot that's explicitly Christian (or the dominant religion of your area). So I would approach the recommended reading with caution.

[wonderwomandebz]

Thriving in July - Trails, Holidays, Road Trips, and Reconnecting with Friends #WBOYC

July has been a big month for road trips, family visits and staying active - read more in my 'What's Been on Your Calendar?' post and join us for the linkup #WBOYC #WOTY #thrive

Welcome to another edition of What’s Been on Your Calendar? It’s time for our monthly What’s Been on Your Calendar #WBOYC linkup. I’m also trying to include THRIVE, my Word of the Year, in these posts. So let’s get on with it! I’ve gone with an acrostic style post this month, just to change things up a bit – with some photos of course! July – a good time to get away from winter by heading…

[breelandwalker]

You mean something like this? 😁

I have a whole series of posts on secular celebration ideas for the solstices and quarter days commonly observed by many sectors of the modern witchcraft community, the ones that correspond to the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. They're not exactly like the linked post, but they do have a lot of suggestions that can be used by anyone, regardless of their path. Plus, they're super helpful for stealth witches who need their practices to fly under the radar.

Secular Celebrations Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

You can also find all of these posts collected in Ep. 11 of my podcast, Hex Positive. ("Secular Celebrations," Nov. 1, 2020)

Hope this helps and Happy Holidays!

Do you have a post similar to this one (https://at.tumblr.com/orriculum/162067330828/iy08d8ftaa1y) but made for Yule/The Winter Solstice, per chance??

I hope you have a wonderful day/night/whatever time it is! 💜

I'm afraid I can't find anything on that, so I'm gonna send you to look through @breelandwalker 's blog for resources on that, she's got a lot of good stuff available

[morimoonco]

I’m thinking about changing the name of the Sabbat Candles/Sabbat Collection.

The candles/melts/oils in the collection are all based around the WOTY holidays. I don’t ascribe to the WOTY personally, I celebrate Yule, Samhain, Lughnasadh, and Bealtaine, and acknowledge the equinoxes. 

However, I know that a lot of people that aren’t Wiccan still use the WOTY, so I include all the festivals. However. I’ve never been particularly comfortable using the term “sabbat” and was wondering how people would feel if I changed the name of the collection. I’m not sure what the new name will be, perhaps something with the word “festival” in it.

Right now, I’m looking for opinions on me changing the name as a whole.

[buriedwisteria]

At long last, a new WOTY chapter ♡

Hope to have the next done soon, not making any promises because of the holiday season and I've had to get a second job ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ;;

[breelandwalker]

Do you know any online calendars one can subscribe to for wheel of the year dates? My sibling is exploring Wicca and I’m having a hard time keeping up with the dates (especially the ones that move around on the “normal” calendar). I just want to say “happy [holiday]” on the right day… if you don’t know of any off the top of your head, no worries. I just couldn’t find anything with a quick google

Good question! I don't know of any in particular (although I bet my followers can suggest some helpful apps), but here are some tips for tracking those WOTY holidays.

You can always check for the seasonal solstices and equinoxes on a regular calendar. These are common enough observations that wall calendars and weather forecasts make note of them. The dates do vary a little bit from year to year, but around the 20th of the relevant month is usually a pretty good bet. Approximate dates are below.

Ostara (Spring Equinox) - March 20-22 Midsummer or Litha (Summer Solstice) - June 20-22 Mabon (Autumn Equinox) - September 20-22 Yule (Winter Solstice) - December 20-22

The other four holidays, based on the Celtic fire festivals still celebrated in parts of the Isles today, are a bit trickier, but thankfully they all line up with either the beginning or end of a particular month.

February 1-2 - Imbolc or Imbolg (shares dates with Candlemas, Groundhog's Day) April 30-May 1 - Beltane or Bealtaine (shares dates with Walpurgisnacht and May Day) August 1 - Lughnasadh or Lammas (Lammas also appears in certain liturgical calendars) October 31 - Samhain (shares the date with Halloween)

If you need to keep track, I try to put out a post every year with the important dates listed.

It's important to note that, much like other holidays, wishing someone a Happy Whatever at least CLOSE to the appropriate date is perfectly acceptable. Honestly, I think your sibling will be thrilled that you're even making the effort to begin with. That's a very kind thing to do and they will appreciate it!

Hope this helps!

[breelandwalker]

Non-Wiccan witch here, but I think I can help all the same.

Some of it depends on when the equinoxes and solstices fall during the year. These dates shift one or two days every year. Others are static holidays and these always occur on the same date.

The usual Wheel of the Year posts are geared toward the Northern Hemisphere, but that schedule obviously wouldn't match the seasonal patterns in the Southern Hemisphere. Below the equator, the order of the holidays is reversed, with the Summer Solstice occurring in December and so on.

Here are the dates for 2022:

February 1-2 - Imbolc

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

May 1 - Beltane

June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon

October 31 - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain always occur on the same dates. The equinox and solstice holidays occur AROUND the same dates each year, but may shift a day in either direction.

(It's important to note that the Wiccan Wheel is a commonly-referenced model for the pagan year but it is by no means universal, and not every witch or pagan will adhere to this schedule.)

I outlined an expanded witch's calendar for 2022 in this post, with the holidays, lunar cycles, and significant astronomical events.

If you have any other questions, my inbox is always open.

Hope this helps!

When exactly are the Wiccan holidays? I've got down Samhain's date, and that's about it. I keep finding different awnsers. 😕

So uh yeah, when are the dates? 😬

-a literal fetus witch

[faerytalemagick]

The supermoons of 2024🫧🕯️❄️🌲

[themori-witch]

What about like- feier candles? (Feier is said like fire and is celebration in German)

Ooh, if I may, I'll keep that in mind for future collections because it sounds so pretty.

The issue I'm having, is that the collection is base around the Wheel of the Year holidays, but I don't want to call it anything to do with the WOTY or use the word "sabbat" as it's just something I'm not comfortable with anymore.

I'm just struggling with a name that shows that the collection is based around pagan holidays, without explicitly using "sabbat" or "Wheel of the Year".

My brain is rotting over this, haha!

[gefdreamsofthesea]

On the Wheel of the Year being a mess

I thought I would elaborate on this outside of a single reply.

Obviously if you find meaning in the holidays (and many do) then continue to celebrate. I'm not trying to be like "no one observe the WotY anymore, I just think it's important to be honest about its history and implications.

The Wheel of the Year is neither ancient nor Celtic, of the eight festivals, most have Irish names, but at least three are Germanic (Ostara, Midsummer, Yule, and Lammas if referred to as such and not Lughnasad) no single culture celebrated all of them, and yet they are often presented as "ancient Celtic festivals".

In addition, despite claims that these festivals are ancient, the ways that Wiccans and other Pagans celebrate often bear no resemblance to how the same festivals are celebrated in their home countries. Beltaine is not a wild sex party, it's a fire festival concerned with protecting people and livestock. Ostara is probably made up, it's based on bad etymology (from Grimm) based on a single reference from a monk (Bede) who was like "this month is named for a goddess" and there's absolutely no evidence this goddess ever existed. The other holiday I'm suspicious of is Mabon, if only because we know the name for the festival came from Aidan Kelly. Individual holidays often get mashed together simply because they occur around the same time (Beltaine/May Day and Lughnasad/Lammas for instance) and treated as basically the same thing despite....being different holidays.

So my one issue with the Wheel is that it's taken festivals from multiple characters and run them through a blender, but there are lots of posts written on this already. I think it's also important to discuss the implications when we act as if the WotY is a universal "Pagan" calendar.

The Wheel of the Year really only makes sense if you're in certain parts of Europe (okay, the U.K.) and bits of North America with four distinct seasons. If you live in an area with two seasons, if you live in a desert climate, if you think I'm making stuff up when I talk about snow, heck, if you live in an area that doesn't herd sheep or grow wheat, parts of the Wheel of the Year will just not have any relevance to you. I complain every year that Imbolc is the most nonsensical holiday because where I live everything is still under five feet of snow and I am not thinking about spring or lambing season (as I do not own sheep). Yes I know "Oh it's anticipating spring!" Anticipate the snow I am throwing at you.

I also feel like there's such a focus on the Wheel that people think they *have* to observe it instead of whatever's going on in their local area, or traditions their ancestors might have observed. This is something I can understand because who wants to be alone celebrating Mârtişor when you could wait and celebrate Ostara with everyone?

I think where this becomes especially annoying is when you have folks who get pissed because they're celebrating Samhain and how dare you eat candy and have fun on my sacred holiday! Your ancestors are probably annoyed with you because you aren't giving them sweets. You might be celebrating a holiday that is actually quite old but how dare you do something different than they do on their frankenfestival!

Some food for thought on the subject is the book Walking the Tides by Nigel G. Pearson. It is a very British book talking specifically about the year in that part of the world, so while it might not be relevant to you, it does make some good points about observing nature, how folklore ties into celebrations, and the like. As I said, it's specific, but it's still interesting.

[coinandcandle]

"Necessary" is one thing, "fun" and "interesting" are different things ;D

Personally, I celebrate most of the holidays that happen to be on the wheel of the year because I enjoy it and learning about them, and they fit well into my practice.

That said, they shouldn't be forced on others nor should it be expected that just because you practice magic you should celebrate them.

Idk that "tolerating" someone's holidays is the right phrase to use here though. (/gen) Holidays are (quite literally) holy days and many of the ones on the WOTY are celebrated in some form or another in their cultures of origin even if how (or why) it's celebrated has changed.

The WOTY is problematic in that, for a while and even still today, the holidays were ripped from their cultural context and their histories and relevance in the culture are stripped from it when the holidays are simply repackaged as "witchy" holidays.

Witchy Discussion Time!

I'm sick and stuck at home today so let's stir the pot!~

Q: What's one thing you really don't get or understand but is popular/common in witchy circles?

Also, I know I said "stir the pot" but please be respectful of others.

[thedarkwitchesblog]

Witches Calander! 2022

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2022 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!

WOTY Holidays and Solstices

February 1-2 - Imbolc

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

May 1 - Beltane

June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer

August 1 - Lughnasadh

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon

October 31 - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 17 - Wolf Moon ♋️

February 16 - Snow Moon ♌️

March 18 - Worm Moon ♍️

April 16 - Pink Moon ♎️

May 16 - Flower Moon ♏️

June 14 - Strawberry Moon ♐️

July 13 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑️

August 11 - Sturgeon Moon ♒️

September 10 - Harvest Moon ♓️

October 9 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈️

November 8 - Frost Moon ♉️

December 7 - Cold Moon ♊️

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2022, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 2 ♑️

February 1 ♒️

March 2 ♓️

April 1 ♈️

April 30 ♉️

May 30 ♊️

June 29 ♋️

July 28 ♌️

August 27 ♍️

September 25 ♎️

October 25 ♏️

November 23 ♐️

December 23 ♑️

Special Events

April 30 - Black Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse (10:42pm EST)

May 16 - Total Lunar Eclipe (12:11am EST, coinciding with zenith)

June 14 - Supermoon

July 13 - Supermoon

October 25 - Partial Solar Eclipe (11:01am EST)

November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse (5:59am EST, coinciding with zenith)