Which Druid Festival Should You Celebrate?

Imbolc (pronounced im-olk) celebrates the start of the farming season. By the start of February, winter supplies would be getting low, so everybody knew just how important it was to prepare the ground and plant the seeds for a new and plentiful harvest. After all, you can't reap what you don't sow! Of course, most of us don't worry about crops these days, but the lesson is to take care of the small tasks and think about the future. You have to lay a solid base and know where you are heading before you can start to climb toward your goals. So celebrate Imbolc with wine and song, but also focus on purification, spring cleaning, and organization. This is the time to plant the seeds of actions that will blossom into success!

Beltane means 'the fires of the Celtic sun god Bel' and is a festival that celebrates fertility and the coming of summer. Leaping over a Beltane fire is said to bring good fortune, fertility (of mind, body, and spirit), and happiness through the coming year, and passing your farm animals between two fires will help them stay healthy and fertile. Legend says that, after leaping the fire, some couples would sneak into the woods to test their fertility, making this an extremely popular festival! So invite your lover to a private Beltane fire and see if Bel will bless you both!

The solstice occurs twice every year, once in midsummer and once in midwinter. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and the point at which the sun reaches its maximum elevation. Midsummer's day is a celebration of growth and the fullness of life, a lazy long day of sunlight and warmth, where the cold of winter seems far off. It is also a traditional time for taking a break from work and rewarding yourself by heading for the beach or the lake with friends and family. So don't you think you need a vacation? Tell your boss your quiz result told you to head for the sunshine!

Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nass-ah) is the first of three harvest festivals on the Druid Wheel of the Year. Symbolized by golden stems of ripe wheat, Lughnasadh (also known as Freysfest or Lammas) was traditionally the start of the harvest and a time to celebrate the yield from the past months of caring for the crops. This is a time not only to give thanks for a fruitful harvest but also to be aware that the seasons are changing and that after the heat and energy of the summer will come the cold and silence of the winter months. All things have a cycle and a balance, and this celebration is a reminder to draw on the power and resources you have now to prepare yourself for the future.

Familiar to most of us as the modern-day Halloween, Samhain (pronounced sow-in) celebrates the closing of the year by honoring the spirits of loved ones who have passed to the other side. Now, as winter creeps chilly fingers into our lives, we celebrate death in the knowledge that it is an essential part of the cycle. Although we may suffer during the months to come, we know the cold and snow will give way to the new life of spring, and the Wheel of Life will revolve around once more, as it always does. There is always a balance in nature, and if we allow our days to flow in time with the rhythm of the seasons, we will have balance in our lives.

The solstice occurs twice every year, once in midsummer and once in midwinter. This winter festival occurs at the shortest day of the year, when the heat of summer seems very far away. But just when it seems that the darkness will never recede, the days begin to grow longer and the sun gets stronger. So, with the Winter Solstice, we celebrate the victory of light over darkness and remember that even when things seem bleakest, sunshine, warmth, and new life are on their way.