Sabbats/Holidays and Esbats > Sabbats/Holidays

Any other holidays?

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baiombi:

Hello guys!

I've been doing a lot of research on holidays that pagans celebrate and I've noticed that most have collectively agreed to observe mainly celtic and asatru holidays. While I love learning about the traditions surrounding these holidays (and I enjoy recognizing them!)

I've found there are few people who celebrate pagan holidays from other cultures and info about what they do in honor of them. I was just curious if any of you celebrate anything other than the commonly accepted pagan holidays. If you do please tell me about them! I would also be particularly interested in a culture that honors winter for what it is rather than just a waiting period for spring/summer.

Does anybody else celebrate/welcome winter as opposed to just wishing it were spring? I'd love more info about holidays and winter celebration! Also please correct me where I'm mistaken I know I'm new so I might have misinterpreted some things.

  :shame:

Fox:
We have a whole section devoted to holidays here...  http://www.paganjourneys.com/index.php?board=57.0

Yes, they are mostly your traditional Pagan holidays, but you should find some interesting info in there.

earthmuffin:
Where I live winter is a period of relief from the scorching heat of summer and fall in which things come to life again so I do celebrate it differently than most folks though not based on any traditional pagan celebration. I celebrate the seasons for what they represent here where I live. I think that it is important to do that to connect to the Earth, rather than just following the generally accepted form of pagan holiday celebrations regardless of how it fits with your environment. If you are a pagan living on the Equator the generally accepted pagan holidays just won't make a whole of sense or help you connect with your environment.

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but I think pagans generally celebrate winter as a time of rest and renewal, as well as a time to turn inward and focus work on deeper, internal issues. So it's not just a time for thinking about spring and summer, but a necessary period in and of itself.

Fox:
EM, I agree.  I do tend to struggle a bit with some of the traditional holiday connections because what may be going on for others around that time of the year just isn't there yet here or doesn't have the same connection here. 

For me, Winter is definitely a time of reflection, but it is also a time to celebrate family and the care we have for each other.  It is important to remember that around that time of year because the kids are becoming stir crazy and arguing more because they are getting to spend less time outside and are usually bouncing off the walls ready for the gift giving of the rest of the holidays.

Tirya:
I think a lot of American neopaganism is so solidly based on European roots (particularly British) because of cultural ties, weather similarities, and language that the Wheel of the Year is almost the "default value" of pagans in America, even if they don't follow a specific path. It makes sense that the traditions and symbols would become pretty predominant, too.

You might find researching other cultures interesting - non-European paths would probably have some completely different symbols, meaning, and traditions that might resonate for you. Egyptian, for example (where they don't have "a winter" as we know it, rather the inundation of the Nile):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice has a list of how the winter solstice is observed and the mythos behind it in various cultures.

For me personally, I tend towards the astronomical observances (solstices and equinoxes) as having meaning - the cross-quarter days (Imbolc, Beltaine, Lammas, Samhain) not so much. The actual shifting of the daylight feels like it has more relevance to me than the life/death/rebirth fertility cycle that is the backbone of the Wheel of the Year.

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