This week's topic was the Wheel of the Year.
Or you can't celebrate holidays if you don't know them.
The year has two solstices, the summer and winter. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and the winter solstice is the longest night.
There are two equinoxes, when day and night are exactly equal. These happen in spring and fall.
And half-way between these four days are cross-quarter days that fall on the first of the months.
Our calendar is very pagan. The months are named for Roman Gods in some cases.
January is Janus, the god of doorways, of beginnings and endings.
February is from februa, purification. It was a time of cleaning and purifying the home and self
March comes from Mars, the god of war. This was the first month you could field an army.
April is from avrilla, to open. It was a time when buds and flowers opened
May is from Maia, the goddess of the spring time
June is for Juno, queen of the gods. This is why being a June bride is such a blessed estate even today. If you married in her month, Juno, patron of marriage, would bless you. 11% of all weddings happen in June.
July is named for Julius Caesar. He took the month Quintilus (fifth month, the Roman Calendar started in March) and renamed it on the Julian Calendar.
August is for August Caesar. Not to be outdone by his uncle, he demanded Sextilus become his own month and stole two days of February to make it 31 days as well.
September means Seventh Month
October= Eighth Month
November =Ninth Month
December= Tenth Month
The kids said "So they got tired of naming things and just numbered the rest. DANG!"
Then came the holidays. The holidays move in a basic cycle, called the Wheel of the Year and we ride the Wheel and turn the Wheel as well. (The links are to my Pinterest Boards on the holidays)
We started with Mabon, because that is where we are in the calendar
Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, around Sept 22, is the second harvest, grains and fruit. Vegetables and wheat were caught at Lughnasadh. Every day, I pass a pear tree on my route that is heavy with fruit and growing riper by the day. This is basically the pagan Thanksgiving. We are grateful to the gods, to the land and sky and to the workers as well for the food that has grown this year. This is the time of winemaking and preserving, of winnowing and storing.
Samhain, November 1, is the final harvest, the end of summer (Samhain, "Sow-in" means summer's end). This is when animals were butchered and preserved for the long months ahead. At this time, the veil is thinnest and ancestors often come back for a visit. The Church made it All Hallows and All Saints to honor the Martyrs. Hence All Hallows Eve or Halloween. The legend of Jack of the Lantern was retold, and pumpkins are easier to carve than turnips. Sex magic is also done at this time, since Scorpio rules both sex and death. Gabriel is running our Samhain rit
Yule, the winter solstice Dec 20, is the time of the Oak King being reborn, and the days begin to grow longer again. We celebrate because midwinter is bleak, and needs a part to get through it. Every cold country does this. We talked about Mothers' Night and gift giving and all the things that go with Yule. Ollie and Emily are running the Yule rit
Imbolc, February 1, is the beginning of the lambing and the time when all those Beltane babies start arriving. Imbolc means "in the belly" and is a fire festival to see winter out, a milk festival and a time for planning the spring crops.
We discussed planning a garden at Imbolc and planting it for a closer connection to nature. Ollie was just excited about fresh tomatoes. And Cat was excited someone else knew about tomato preserves.* Tres Leches cheesecake made in boob shaped cake pans were also discussed for Imbolc, because it is a milk festival. A milk bar was suggested for after rit, with soy, almond, cow, rice and goat milk, plus chocolate and strawberry and other flavors.
Ostara, March 21 is the vernal equinox. It's when the days are long enough that chickens start laying again, hence the use of the egg symbol. This is time to bless the plants and start hardening them off for transplant. It is vaguely connected to Easter, by the name, although Easter is the first Sunday of the first full moon after the Equinox. Passover is the full moon festival, and Easter is tied to that.
Beltane, May 1, is the fertility festival. A round of "First of May"** was sung, and maypoles as phallic symbols were discussed. This was done to make the land and animals and people fertile, and ensure survival. Animals were driven between large bonfires and blessed. People made love outdoors as a kind of sympathetic magic to make the earth grow. It was decided there should be penis and vulva (triangular) shaped cakes for this festival. And possibly ice cubes as well.
Because of all this, May Eve, April 30, was Walpurgis night, when all manner of evil walked abroad to cause havoc among mortals.
Litha, June 22, is Midsummer, the Summer Solstice. Days have reached their longest point and from here, the dark begins to grow again. The Oak King loses to the Holly King and night returns. This is when people have an idea what will produce well, because it's always a good year for something, and a bad year for other stuff. (this year has been amazing for watermelons) The garden starts coming on and there are vegetables everywhere.
Lughnasadh, August 1, is the First Harvest. It's about vegetables and wheat. When times changed to Christianity, it became Lammas, the Loaf mass, and people brought their first bread to church to be blessed. It also honors Lugh the All Gifted, because the time is coming when skills other than farming will be needed.
Holidays are important because they break up the dull round of our days. In a world with only one or two religious holidays, people grow far away from their gods.
This next year, we pray like the harvest depends on it!
Next week, grounding, centering and meditation
Their homework, and yours if you want, meditate at least once this week. Research and find different methods. Try some of them. Report next week.
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*OLD FASHIONED SPICED TOMATO PRESERVES
3 c. prepared tomatoes (2 1/4 lb.)
1/4 c. lemon juice
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 box sure-jell fruit pectin
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Scald, peel and chop tomatoes. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Measure 3 cups into a 6 or 8 quart saucepot. Add lemon juice, grated lemon rind, allspice, cinnamon and ground cloves to tomatoes. Measure sugar and set aside.
Stir sure-jell fruit pectin into prepared tomatoes. (Saucepot must be no more than 1/3 full to allow for a full rolling boil.)
Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once stir in sugar. Stir and bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down). Then boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Skim off foam with large metal spoon. Immediately ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at top. With a damp cloth, wipe jar rims and threads clean.
Immediately cover jars with hot lids. Screw bands on firmly. Let stand to cool. Check seals. Store jam in a cool dry place. Yield: approximately 5 cups.
**
Strong language
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