- October 31 -   Celebrated as Halloween, this is the Celtic New Year.  In pre-Christian times, this was when the village folks would prepare for winter.  The final harvest was behind them, and it was time to look at the herds to determine which of the livestock would be strong enough to survive the winter.  They would then cull the herds and slaughter out the ones they determined to be too weak.  Following this, there would be a great feast, then preparations for winter.

The pre-Christian Celts believed this was also the time of year in which their ancestors would return to the Earth.  It was thought the veil that separates the world of mortal men and the realm of the underworld was at it's thinnest, allowing the   spirits of those that have gone on before us to return.  The Celts would welcome their ancestors by inviting them to join in the feast.

Today, we celebrate Samhain by honoring our ancestors in ritual.  We take our kids trick-or-treating, pass out candy, and dress up just like everyone else.  We celebrate the passing of the year, and welcome the New Year, just as those before us celebrated.

- December 23 -   Winter Soltice, the day of shortest sunlight, is celebrated just before the Christian holiday of Christmas.  This is the time when we celebrate the rebirth of the God of Light.  Originally, this was considered the midpoint of winter, because after this day, the Sun begins its return to the Earth.

We believe the Celts would   gather at this time in order to just say "hi" and see that everyone   was still surviving through the harshest part of the winter.  We'd like   to think they also took the opportunity to exchange some sort of gift (or   food, most likely).

Today, our Yule celebration includes exchanging gifts, decorating the Yule tree (a Druid tradition), planning for the Spring, and looking forward to warmer days.

- February 2 -   The word "Imbolc" means "in the belly."  We believe this refers to the eventual rebirth of the Earth, and the return of Spring.  The Celts believed that, because the days were indeed becoming longer, the Goddess was keeping Her promise of rebirth, and this is what we celebrate.

Traditionally, as more and more Catholic influence became evident, the Celts chose this time to make candles.  As such, this holiday is often referred to as Candlemas.  We're still not really sure why they chose this particular holiday to make candle,   but it is suspected that when the Catholic church started superimposing Christian holidays onto Pagan holidays, it's possible this one was just made up.  It's also been theorized that the light of the candles was to show the Sun which way He needed to go in order to return to the Earth.

Today, we celebrate the fact that, yes, the days are getting longer.  We know Spring will be returning shortly, and the time has come for us to start putting ideas and planning into motion.

- March 23 - Also celebrated as Spring Equinox, this holiday is thought to have been originally   for the Goddess Ishtar.  This is one of the big fertility Sabbats.  As a result, we see a lot of rabbits (known for their prolific reproduction), eggs, chicks, baby animals of all kinds, flowers, green plants, etc.

It's interesting to note that   the word "Easter' is incredibly similar to "Eostar" and "Ostara."

We like to celebrate Eostar by coloring and hunting for eggs and eating way too much chocolate bunny.

- May 1 - One   of every Pagan's favorite holidays!   This is a fertility AND a fire festival.  It's believed this particular holiday had originally been for a fire god by the name of Bel (also a Sungod).  The ancient Celts would build fires (called balefires) around the fields where the crops were to be planted in order to bless the upcoming season.  They would also drive their herds of cattle and such between two fires in order to bless them and ensure their fertility.

The Celts would also leap the balefires themselves for fertility within their own lives.  There is a legend that says afterwards, folks would pair off and "lay in the fields" to make sure the crops were as fertile as possible.

Today, we celebrate by leaping the flames and enjoying the beauty of the season.  We believe this is the time when the God and the Goddess come together to re-awaken all life upon the Earth.

-  June 21  -  This is the point at which the God is at His peak.  This is the longest day of the year, and the Celts would celbrate this day in honor of the Sun God.  After Midsummer, the days become shorter, and the God of Light begins tolose His strength.  The crops are growing, and soon it will be harvest time. This is usually the time of year when our group does a lot of outdoor activities.  Pagans in general enjoy doing as much outside as possible, and we like to take advantage of the warm weather.

-  August 1  -  The first of the harvest festivals.  it was at this time the ancient Celts began to put up stores for the upcoming winter.  The days are definitely becoming shorter by this time, and the strength of the Sun god is waning.  It's nearly time for the God of the Hunt. At this time, we will come together to consider what we have accomplished thus far in the year.  We know the harvest time is upon us, and it's time to contemplate the goals we had set for ourselves earlier in the year.  This is also the time when the Mother Goddess begins to prepare to mourn the eventual passing of the God.

-  September 23  -  The Fall Equinox is the second of the harvest festivals.  This is when the Sun god is passing into the Underworld, and the God of the Hunt is in His greatest strength.  This is the time when the Celts were making certain their winter stores would be enough.  The next couple of months would be the deciding factor on how well they would fare through the winter. Today, we gather to mourn the passing of the Sun, and to celebrate the eventual rebirth and return of the Sun next season.  We know that, even as the Sun God passes, the Goddess is filled with the promise of His return.