Often celebrated as “Yule” or “Alban Arthan,” the winter solstice is one of the eight Sabbat Festivals within The Wheel of the Year and is one of the world’s oldest winter celebrations. On the Winter Solstice, Pagans celebrate midwinter, the sun’s rebirth, and the return of warmth...
Fear of death and the unknown is what drives people to celebrate holidays like Halloween. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images So now that we know where the different elements of Halloween come from, the question remains: Why do we revel in a celebration of death and supernatural forces? Two relate...
Christmas itself comes early for Norwegians: Children wake up to full stockings on December 24, and families gather to celebrate that evening. It's a busy day, and Norwegian parents take advantage of classic Christmas films like "Tre notter til Askepott" ("Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella," act...
I’ve been deconstructing my faith. This has made Christmas feel very different this year. I know millions of people celebrate Christmas without any tie to faith at all. And that’s fine. Some use it to celebrate the origin of the Yule holiday, honoring the winter solstice and this time...
Some Wiccans celebrate waning, waxing and full moon but there are some that celebrate only full moons. The Sabbats include: Samhain (end of summer, around October 31) Yule (winter solstice, around December 20-23) Imbolc (February 1) Ostara (spring equinox, around March 21) Beltane (April...