Solstice and Equinox
(When we celebrate solstice in the south of Africa, Europe
celebrates Equinox)
Long before the dawn of any of the modern
Judeo-Christian-Islamic faiths, rituals followed a more
simplistic path. Guided by the natural cycle of
birth-life-death-and-renewal, the ancients marked their
seasons by celebrating each phase of the wheel of life.
Both male and female principals were honored, God and
Goddess, and each was given honor as the sun and moon
entwined in their cosmic dance.
The festivals that mark the change of season—winter, spring,
summer and fall—have been transposed to our modern
world.
Summer Solstice: on or around June 22nd, also called Midsummer, the
longest day of the year.
Lammas or Lughnasadh: August 1st. The first harvest
festival and the time when the seeds that have been
tended with care show the fruit soon to be reaped.
Autumnal Equinox: on or around September 21st, the
first day of fall.
Samhain: October 31st, also called All Hallows Eve
or Halloween. This is often viewed as the New
Years' Eve for those who follow the Olde Way. It
marks a time of reflection not only of the past year,
but of all that has gone before. The barriers between
worlds are flexible this night and those who have gone
before can walk among us. The harvest is done and now
God and Goddess rest until spring again returns.
Winter Solstice: on or around December 22nd, the first
day of winter.
Although celebrations of the solstice and equinox come to us
from a far more simplistic time, they are, nevertheless,
the foundations for our modern way of life and, in a
deeper sense, for the rhythms of our existence. Truly,
these celebrations, changed as they may be, are as
timeless and eternal as the Great Wheel whose spokes
they are.
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